Munising Township, Michigan


Munising Township is a civil township of Alger County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of 2020, its population was 2,865.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of, of which is land and, or 7.11%, is water.

Communities

The city of Munising is adjacent to the northwest corner of the township, but is an autonomous municipality. There are several historic locales and unincorporated communities in the township:
  • Camp Cusino, a minimum security state prison, has a Shingleton address west of Shingleton.
  • Doty is a locale at the junction of the former Marquette and Eastern Railway and the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway at. It was named after Marcus A. Doty, a manager for the Marquette & Eastern. The station is called Evelyn on the Soo Line.
  • Gogarnville was the name of a post office here from 1889 until 1893.
  • Hallston was a former post office and a station on the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway ; Elevation:. The post office was established as "Anna River" on October 12, 1888, with Neil Steinburg as its first postmaster. The office was transferred and renamed Hallston on December 19, 1888, with railroad agent Julius W. Gogarn as its first postmaster. The office operated until August 14, 1897. From 1895 to 1897, the Hallston Post Office operated as a summer post office.
  • Indian Town is located at Old Indian Town and Indian Town Road . A post office was established in 1887 named Shingleton, after the local shingle mill.
  • Star, or Star Siding, is an unincorporated community on M28, west of Star Siding Road. In October 1889, it was renamed "Munising". It was a station on the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway. William L. Wetmore arrived circa 1871 and built up a business making hardwood charcoal and a general store. The town and post office were renamed for him in 1895.

    Demographics

In 2000, there were 3,125 people, 828 households, and 669 families residing in the township. The population density was 15.4 per square mile. There were 1,154 housing units at an average density of 5.7 per square mile. The racial makeup of the township was 73.02% White, 18.98% African American, 4.29% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.86% from other races, and 2.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latinos of any race were 1.54% of the population. Culturally, 8.4% were of American, 8.4% French, 8.0% German, 7.0% Finnish, 6.4% Polish, 6.2% Irish, 6.0% French Canadian and 5.8% English ancestry. By the 2020 census, its population declined to 2,865 with a predominantly non-Hispanic white population.
In 2000, there were 828 households, out of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.0% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.2% were non-families. 14.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the township the population was spread out, with 20.1% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 39.5% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 179.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 206.9 males.
At the 2000 census, the median income for a household in the township was $40,946, and the median income for a family was $45,114. Males had a median income of $38,649 versus $24,167 for females. The per capita income for the township was $17,448. About 5.4% of families and 7.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.8% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over. As of 2021 census estimates, its median household income was $48,203.