Frenchtown Township, Michigan | |
|---|---|
 Frenchtown Township Hall | |
 Location withinMonroe County and the administered CDPs ofDetroit Beach (1),Stony Point (2), andWoodland Beach (3) | |
  Frenchtown Township  Frenchtown Township | |
| Coordinates:41°57′50″N83°21′31″W / 41.96389°N 83.35861°W /41.96389; -83.35861 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Michigan |
| County | Monroe |
| Settled | 1784 |
| Organized | 1837 |
| Government | |
| • Supervisor | James McDevitt |
| • Clerk | Mark Baker |
| Area | |
• Total | 43.12 sq mi (111.7 km2) |
| • Land | 41.74 sq mi (108.1 km2) |
| • Water | 1.38 sq mi (3.6 km2) |
| Elevation | 594 ft (181 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 21,609 |
| • Density | 517.7/sq mi (199.9/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes | |
| Area code | 734 |
| FIPS code | 26-115-30820[3] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1626321[4] |
| Website | www |
Frenchtown Charter Township is acharter township withinMonroe County in the U.S. state ofMichigan. The population was 21,609 as per the2020 census.[2]
The township is bordered on the south by the city ofMonroe.Sterling State Park and theEnrico Fermi Nuclear Generating Station are located within Frenchtown.
The area was long occupied by Native Americans, including the historicPotawatomi. They had trading relations withFrench-Canadians in the area. The Frenchtown area reflected the ethnicity of its first European settlers, French Canadians who took land along the banks of theRiver Raisin as early as 1784. There had been other French colonial settlements closer toDetroit and on both sides of theDetroit River. Their descendants are known asMuskrat French. Around the same time, theSandy Creek Settlement was founded near this by Joseph Porlier Benec.[5] The United States acquired this area, which had been considered part of British Canadian territory after theTreaty of Paris (1783) settling the American Revolutionary War. It was specifically part ofstate claims (from 1783); theNorthwest Territory (1787);Indiana Territory (1803);Michigan Territory (1805); and, finally, theState of Michigan (1837).[6]
During theWar of 1812, the area was the site of theBattle of Frenchtown, in which 397 Americans were killed by the coalition ofBritish Army andNative Americans; this was the highest number of American fatalities of any battle during the war.[7] The battlefield site today is within theRiver Raisin National Battlefield Park, which was designated in 2009 and falls within the present-day city limits ofMonroe.[8][9]
In 1817, that portion of Frenchtown was renamed and incorporated as the village of Monroe, named in honor of PresidentJames Monroe's planned visit to the Michigan Territory later that year. In the same year, the village of Monroe was named as thecounty seat of the newly createdMonroe County. Monroe was incorporated as a city in 1837.[10] At that time, the remaining area known as Frenchtown was reorganized as atownship, encompassing much of the northern portion of the county which was the area from the River Raisin to theHuron River atWayne County's southern border.[11] Shortly afterwards, the northern portion of the township was broken off to formAsh Township. Later, by 1867,Berlin Charter Township was formed from another territory of the township. Additionally, the city of Monroe annexed pieces of the southern portion of Frenchtown several times. As a result, the boundary between the current Frenchtown Charter Township and the city limits of Monroe is jagged.
The township is in eastern Monroe County and is bordered to the southeast byLake Erie. Many of the township's communities are located near the lake.Sterling State Park is located along the southern edge of the township and is the onlyMichigan state park on Lake Erie. Small pieces of the township are organized into theDetroit River International Wildlife Refuge. Frenchtown Township is bordered on the south by the city ofMonroe, but a small portion of the southern border touchesMonroe Charter Township.Raisinville Township is to the west, andAsh andBerlin Township border on the north. A very small portion of the northwest corner of Frenchtown Township touchesExeter Township. TheRiver Raisin serves as the boundary between Frenchtown and the city of Monroe for a short length near Lake Erie and then again further upstream for a small portion near theCuster Airport.Sandy Creek also runs through the township. The southeast border of Frenchtown Township, as well as the rest of the county's Lake Erie shoreline, is at the lowest elevation in the state of Michigan at 571 feet (174 m) above sea level.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 43.12 square miles (111.68 km2), of which 41.74 square miles (108.11 km2) are land and 1.38 square miles (3.57 km2), or 3.19%, are water.[1]
I-75 runs northeast-southwest through the center of the township, with access at North Dixie Highway (exit 15) and Nadeau Road (exit 18).
I-275 has its southern terminus within the township at the boundary with Berlin Township.
US 24 (North Telegraph Road) runs parallel just west of Interstate 75.
US 25 is a former highway that ran through the township but was replaced with the present-day U.S. Route 24 and M-125 in the early-1970s.
M-125 (North Monroe Street) runs through the township before its northern terminus at Telegraph Road.
M-130 (North Custer Road) is a former highway that runs briefly through the southwestern portion of the township. It was a state highway from 1929 to 1955.| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 1,242 | — | |
| 1860 | 1,777 | 43.1% | |
| 1870 | 2,115 | 19.0% | |
| 1880 | 2,485 | 17.5% | |
| 1890 | 2,023 | −18.6% | |
| 1900 | 1,938 | −4.2% | |
| 1910 | 1,770 | −8.7% | |
| 1920 | 1,840 | 4.0% | |
| 1930 | 2,560 | 39.1% | |
| 1940 | 3,757 | 46.8% | |
| 1950 | 6,966 | 85.4% | |
| 1960 | 12,199 | 75.1% | |
| 1970 | 14,685 | 20.4% | |
| 1980 | 18,204 | 24.0% | |
| 1990 | 18,210 | 0.0% | |
| 2000 | 20,777 | 14.1% | |
| 2010 | 20,428 | −1.7% | |
| 2020 | 21,609 | 5.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[26] | |||
As per thecensus[3] of 2010, there were 20,428 people, 7,733 households, and 5,598 families residing in the township. The population density was 493.4 inhabitants per square mile (190.5/km2). There were 8,244 housing units at an average density of 195.8 per square mile (75.6/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 95.51%White, 1.59%African American, 0.41%Native American, 0.53%Asian, 0.01%Pacific Islander, 0.45% fromother races, and 1.49% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 2.45% of the population.
There were 7,733 households, out of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.1% weremarried couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.6% were non-families. 22.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the township the population was spread out, with 27.5% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 99.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $47,699, and the median income for a family was $54,032. Males had a median income of $44,338 versus $25,787 for females. Theper capita income for the township was $21,335. About 4.9% of families and 7.0% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 6.4% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.
Frenchtown Township is served by three separate public school districts. The majority of the township is served byJefferson Schools, which has its middle school and high school within the township, as well as one of its two elementary schools. The northernmost portion of the township is served byAirport Community Schools, while the western portion of the township is served byMonroe Public Schools.[27]
Triumph Academy is acharter school located within the township.[28]
Places adjacent to Frenchtown Charter Township, Michigan | |
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Municipalities and communities ofMonroe County, Michigan,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Villages | ||
| Charter townships | ||
| Civil townships | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities |
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| Ghost towns | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
