Huron Charter Township is a charter township in Wayne County, Michigan. According to the 2020 census, the population was 16,944. The township is named after the Huron River, which flows southeast through the area. It is home to three divisions of the Huron–Clinton Metroparks system: Lower Huron, Oakwoods, and Willow.

Communities

New Boston is a small area that is not a city and is found inside the township at 42.16278°N 83.40278°W. This area has its own post office, which uses the ZIP Code 48164. This ZIP Code covers most of the township and parts of Sumpter Township to the west and Brownstown Charter Township to the east.

Waltz is a small area that is not a city and is located just west of Interstate 275 along Waltz Road at 42.10028°N 83.39222°W.

Willow is a small area that is not a city and is found along Willow Road, just west of Interstate 275 at 42.10028°N 83.39556°W.

History

Huron Township was formed in 1827 and originally covered the areas that are now the cities of Romulus and Belleville, as well as the townships of Van Buren and Sumpter. In the 1830s, a settlement was planned along the Huron River. The first post office opened with the name Huron but closed soon after. In 1860, a new post office opened with the name Catville, and by 1868, it was renamed New Boston. Other early settlements included Belden, which was planned in 1857 by Frances J. Belden and is now called Willow, and Waltz, which was planned in 1872 by Joseph Waltz.

On March 17, 1835, the northeastern part of Huron Township was separated and formed into Romulus Township. A few weeks later, on April 6, 1835, the northwestern part became Van Buren Township. On April 6, 1840, the western half of the remaining area of Huron Township was organized as Sumpter Township, which established the current boundaries of the township.

The Waltz Road–Huron River Bridge, first built in 1924 and later replaced in 2017, is included in the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township has a total size of 35.83 square miles (92.80 square kilometers). Out of this, 35.35 square miles (91.56 square kilometers) is land, and 0.48 square miles (1.24 square kilometers), which is 1.34%, is water.

• Interstate Highway I-275 goes from south to north through the middle of the township. The highway has three entrances within the township: exit 8 (Will Carleton Road) at the border with Monroe County, exit 11 (South Huron Road), and exit 13 (Sibley Road).

Demographics

In the year 2000, according to the census, there were 13,737 people, 4,745 households, and 3,796 families living in the township. The population density was 386.2 people per square mile (149.1/km²). There were 4,888 housing units, with an average density of 137.4 per square mile (53.1/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 95.96% White, 1.08% African American, 0.64% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.52% from other races, and 1.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race made up 2.50% of the population.

Of the 4,745 households, 39.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.3% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female head of household without a husband present, and 20.0% were non-families. Fifteen point eight percent of all households had only one person living in them, and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years or older. The average household size was 2.88 people, and the average family size was 3.19 people.

In the township, 28.4% of the population was under the age of 18, 7.7% was between 18 and 24, 31.7% was between 25 and 44, 24.4% was between 45 and 64, and 7.7% was 65 years or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.9 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 98.8 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $59,890, and the median income for a family was $63,003. Men had a median income of $49,356, while women had a median income of $31,140. The average income per person in the township was $23,497. About 3.4% of families and 5.7% of the population lived below the poverty line, including 5.9% of children under 18 and 4.9% of people aged 65 or older.

Education

Huron Township has its own school district called Huron School District, which serves most of the township and very small parts of Ash Township to the south in Monroe County. The southeastern corner of the township is served by Flat Rock Community Schools, and the northeastern part of the township is served by Woodhaven-Brownstown School District.