Fairbanks Township, Michigan

Fairbanks Township is a civil township of Delta County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the township population was 281, down from 321 at the 2000 census.

Fairbanks Township, Michigan
Civil township
Fayette Historic State Park within Fairbanks Township along Big Bay de Noc
Location within Delta County
Fairbanks Township Location within the state of Michigan Fairbanks Township Fairbanks Township (the United States)
Coordinates: 45°41′11″N 86°39′26″W
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Delta
Government
• Supervisor	Ron Collins
Area
• Total	299.2 sq mi (775.0 km^2)
• Land	47.2 sq mi (122.2 km^2)
• Water	252.0 sq mi (652.8 km^2)
Elevation	581 ft (177 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	281
• Density	6.0/sq mi (2.3/km^2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code(s)	49835
Area code(s)	906
FIPS code	26-26960[1]
GNIS feature ID	1625139[2]

Communities

• Fayette is an unincorporated community on the eastern shore of the Big Bay de Noc which opens into Green Bay on Lake Michigan at 45°43′03″N 86°40′04″W.[3] It is at the southern terminus of M-183 about eight miles south of Garden within Fayette Historic State Park. It was created around an iron smelter in 1867.[4]
• Fairport is an unincorporated community at the southern end of the Garden Peninsula at 45°37′16″N 86°39′30″W.[5] It is approximately six miles south of Fayette on Delta County Road 483, the locally maintained extension of M-183. It was founded in 1886 by fishermen who had relocated from St. Martin's Island (Michigan).[6]

History

In 1867, the Jackson Iron Company had Fayette Brown build a charcoal iron smelter at Fayette, which grew up around the smelter and named after Brown. A Fayette post office opened on September 13, 1870 with Marvin H. Brown as postmaster. In 1891, the smelter was dismantled. [4]

Fairport was founded in 1886 by fishermen who had relocated from St. Martin's Island (Michigan). The community was a commercial fishing port.[6]

Fayette continued on as a resort community until the mid-1950s. As Fayette became a state park in 1959.[7]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 299.2 square miles (775 km²), of which 47.2 square miles (122 km²) is land and 252.0 square miles (653 km²) (84.23%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 321 people, 143 households, and 93 families residing in the township. The population density was 6.8 per square mile (2.6/km²). There were 267 housing units at an average density of 5.7 per square mile (2.2/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 91.59% White, 4.98% Native American, 0.31% Asian, and 3.12% from two or more races.

There were 143 households, out of which 19.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.76.

In the township the population was spread out, with 15.6% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 31.2% from 45 to 64, and 21.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.7 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $24,643, and the median income for a family was $32,500. Males had a median income of $28,214 versus $25,417 for females. The per capita income for the township was $15,327. About 14.0% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.0% of those under age 18 and 12.3% of those age 65 or over.

Notable residents

• Professional football player Lynn Chandnois was born in Fayette. An All-American at Michigan State University, he played from 1950 to 1956 for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

References

1. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Fairbanks Township, Michigan
3. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Fayette, Michigan
4. Romig 1986, p. 193.
5. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Fairport, Michigan
6. Romig 1986, p. 190.
7. Bingham, Emily (October 26, 2016). "These 11 Michigan ghost towns are eerily intriguing". MLive.com. Mlive Media Group. Retrieved October 26, 2016.

Sources

• Romig, Walter (October 1, 1986) [1973]. Michigan Place Names: The History of the Founding and the Naming of More Than Five Thousand Past and Present Michigan Communities. Great Lakes Books Series (Paperback). Detroit, Michigan: Wayne State University Press. ISBN 081431838X. ISBN 978-0814318386.