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Canton Township, Michigan
Charter township
Charter Township of Canton
The Canton Municipal Building in 2010
The Canton Municipal Building in 2010
Motto(s): 
"Michigan's Community of Vision!"
Location within Wayne County
Location within Wayne County
Canton Township, Michigan is located in Michigan
Canton Township, Michigan
Canton Township, Michigan
Location in Michigan
Canton Township, Michigan is located in the United States
Canton Township, Michigan
Canton Township, Michigan
Location in the United States
Country  United States
State  Michigan
County Wayne
Settled 1825
Organized 1834
Area
 • Charter township 36.14 sq mi (93.6 km2)
 • Land 36.11 sq mi (93.5 km2)
 • Water 0.03 sq mi (0.08 km2)
Elevation
679 ft (207 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Charter township 98,659
 • Density 2,732.2/sq mi (1,054.9/km2)
 • Metro
4,285,832 (Metro Detroit)
Time zone UTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code(s)
48187, 48188
Area code(s) 734
FIPS code 26-13120
GNIS feature ID 1626030

Canton Township (commonly known simply as Canton) is a charter township in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A western suburb of Detroit, Canton is located roughly 23 miles (37.0 km) west of downtown Detroit, and 15 miles (24.1 km) east of Ann Arbor. As of the 2020 census, the township had a population of 98,659, making it Michigan's second most-populated township (after Clinton Township) and ninth most-populated municipality overall.

The township is ranked as the 96th highest-income place in the United States with a population of 50,000 or more and is also consistently ranked as one of the safest cities in the state and nation. In 2015, the township was ranked as the 29th safest city in Michigan.

Communities

  • Canton is an unincorporated community within the township, although the name often refers to the whole township itself. It is located just south of M-153 (Ford Road) at 42°18′31″N 83°28′56″W / 42.30861°N 83.48222°W / 42.30861; -83.48222. The Canton post office, first established in 1852, serves an area conterminous with the township itself—using the 48187 ZIP Code north of Cherry Hill Road and the 48188 ZIP Code to the south.
  • Cherry Hill is an unincorporated community in the northwestern portion of the township at 42°18′22″N 83°32′10″W / 42.30611°N 83.53611°W / 42.30611; -83.53611. Centered along the intersection of Cherry Hill Road and Ridge Road, it is the site of a new urbanist neighborhood, as well as containing numerous original historic structures.
  • Hoffman was a historic settlement located 3.0 miles (4.8 km) west of the city of Wayne within Canton Township in 1880.
  • Sheldon (or Sheldon's Corners) is an unincorporated community in the southern portion of the township on U.S. Highway 12 just west of Interstate 275 at 42°16′29″N 83°28′33″W / 42.27472°N 83.47583°W / 42.27472; -83.47583. Named after early settler Perry Sheldon, the community dates back to 1825 and predates the creation of Canton Township. That year, Timothy and Rachel Sheldon built the Sheldon Inn, which stood until it was demolished in 2021. A post office under the name Canton operated here from January 24, 1852, until it was transferred on March 17, 1857. Sheldon also contained a depot along the Michigan Central Railroad. The community itself is a designated Michigan State Historic Site and also contains the Territorial Road historic marker.

History

Earlier, on October 20, 1829, the legislature had passed a bill creating the townships of Lima and Richland out of Bucklin Township. Governor Lewis Cass returned the acts unapproved, citing a conflict under the law. The names conflicted with post offices in existence, contrary to a territorial law from April 12, 1827, prohibiting incorporation of a new township bearing the same name as any existing post office. The legislature thus had to substitute the names of Nankin and Pekin after the cities of Nanjing (Nanking) and Beijing (Peking) in China. The name of Pekin was extinguished when it was renamed Redford in 1833.

The Township of Canton was created by act of the Michigan Territorial Legislature on March 7, 1834, out of a southern portion of Plymouth Township. It was named in honor of the port and provincial capital known historically as Canton, Imperial China, known today from the pinyin standard as Guangzhou.

The first meeting to organize the township was held in April 1834.

In the summer of 2002, the emerald ash borer was discovered in Canton, eventually infesting the Great Lakes region.

The Canton Historical Society and Museum opened in 1982 in a one-roomed schoolhouse.

In August 24, 2023 an EF-0 tornado hit Canton around 10:20 PM. [1]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 36.14 square miles (93.60 km2), of which 36.11 square miles (93.52 km2) is land and 0.03 square miles (0.08 km2) (0.08%) is water.

The south of the township is drained by the Lower River Rouge and its tributaries, including Pine Creek, which drains from the northwest corner to the southeast. The northeast is drained by Tonquish Creek and Garden Creek, which are tributaries of the Middle River Rouge.

Economy

Yazaki North American Headquarters Canton Michigan
Yazaki North American Headquarters

Top employers

According to the Charter Township's 2022 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

# Employer # of Employees
1 Plymouth-Canton Community Schools 1,957
2 Yazaki North America 970
3 Walmart 785
4 A. D. Transport Express 545
5 Sysco Detroit 404
6 Charter Township of Canton 373
7 The Home Depot 316
8 IKEA 301
9 Target 285
10 Meijer 265

The publisher Visible Ink Press has its headquarters in Canton.

Transportation

Major highways

  • I-275 runs south–north near the eastern edge of the township and is accessible via Michigan Avenue (exit 22) and Ford Road (exit 25).
  • US 12 (Michigan Avenue) runs east–west through the southern portion of the township.
  • M-153 (Ford Road) runs east–west near the center of the township.

Airport

  • Airport Sign.svg Canton–Plymouth Mettetal Airport is a public use airport located in the northeast section of the township.

Trails

  • I-275 Metro Trail is a bicycle trail that runs parallel to Interstate 275.

Education

Canton Township is served by the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools (which serves the northern 2/3 portion of Canton), Wayne-Westland Community Schools (which serves the south-eastern portion of Canton) and Van Buren Public Schools (which serves the south-western portion of the township). P-CCS includes most of Canton Township, the city of Plymouth, Plymouth Township, and portions of Salem, Superior, and Northville Townships.

Schools

Wayne-Westland Community Schools

A portion is in Wayne-Westland Community Schools Most Wayne-Westland-zoned areas are zoned to Walker-Winter Elementary School in Canton. A small portion is zoned to Roosevelt-McGrath Elementary School in Wayne.

Some portions of the Wayne-Westland section of Canton are zoned to Stevenson Middle School in Westland, while the majority is zoned to Franklin Middle School in Wayne.

The Wayne-Westland section of Canton is split between both John Glenn High School in Westland, and Wayne Memorial High School in Wayne.

Plymouth-Canton Community Schools

A portion is in the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools. All other schools lie in other school districts.

Elementary Schools
  • Bentley Elementary School
  • Bird Elementary School
  • Dodson Elementary School
  • Eriksson Elementary School
  • Farrand Elementary School
  • Field Elementary School
  • Gallimore Elementary School **
  • Hoben Elementary School
  • Hulsing Elementary School
  • Isbister Elementary School
  • Miller Elementary School
  • Smith Elementary School
  • Tonda Elementary School
  • Workman Elementary School
Middle Schools
  • Discovery Middle School
  • East Middle School **
  • Liberty Middle School
  • Pioneer Middle School
  • West Middle School
High Schools
  • Canton High School *
  • Plymouth High School *
  • Salem High School *
  • Starkweather Center (Alternative education)

(* Part of the Plymouth-Canton Educational Park)

(** Part of Talented and Gifted (TAG) Program)

Public charter schools

  • Canton Charter Academy
  • Achieve Charter Academy
  • South Canton Scholars Charter Academy
  • Plymouth Scholars Charter Academy
  • Canton Preparatory High School

Private schools

  • All Saints Catholic School
  • Plymouth Christian Academy
  • Plymouth Canton Montessori
  • Crescent Academy International
  • Banyan Montessori Academy

Further education

  • Michigan Institute of Aviation and Technology

Demographics

Interesting Housing Development, Canton, Michigan (14200491511)
Aerial view looking west at the intersection of Warren and Ridge roads
Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1850 1,333 —
1860 1,547 16.1%
1870 1,350 −12.7%
1880 1,392 3.1%
1890 1,184 −14.9%
1900 1,218 2.9%
1910 1,113 −8.6%
1920 1,219 9.5%
1930 1,583 29.9%
1940 2,111 33.4%
1950 3,761 78.2%
1960 5,313 41.3%
1970 11,057 108.1%
1980 48,616 339.7%
1990 57,047 17.3%
2000 76,366 33.9%
2010 90,173 18.1%
2020 98,659 9.4%
2023 (est.) 98,041 8.7%

The U.S. Census Bureau defined Canton Township as both a township and a census-designated place (CDP) at the 2000 U.S. Census so that the community would appear on the list of places (like cities and villages) as well on the list of county subdivisions (like other townships). The final statistics for the township and the CDP were identical. In the 2010 U.S. Census, it was designated as a charter township

2020 census

Canton charter township, Michigan – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 2000 Pop 2010 Pop 2020 % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 62,846 61,165 60,325 82.30% 70.05% 61.14%
Black or African American alone (NH) 3,434 9,070 10,549 4.50% 10.06% 10.69%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 205 206 170 0.27% 0.23% 0.17%
Asian alone (NH) 6,634 12,720 19,148 8.69% 14.11% 19.41%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 14 21 11 0.02% 0.02% 0.01%
Other race alone (NH) 145 136 423 0.19% 0.15% 0.43%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) 1,300 2,033 4,284 1.70% 2.25% 4.34%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 1,788 2,822 3,749 2.34% 3.13% 3.80%
Total 76,366 90,173 98,659 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

As of the census of 2010, there were 90,173 people, 32,771 households, and 24,231 families residing in the township. The population density was 2,121.5 inhabitants per square mile (819.1/km2). There were 34,829 housing units at an average density of 789.8 per square mile (304.9/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 72.2% White, 10.2% African American, 0.2% Native American, 14.1% Asian (8.0% Indian, 2.2% Chinese, 0.7% Filipino), 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.7% from other races, and 1.91% from two or more races; 3.1% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 27,490 households, out of which 42.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.4% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.2% were non-families. 20.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.26. The median household price was $239,900 according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006 American Community Survey estimates.

In the township the population was spread out, with 29.0% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 34.9% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 5.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.2 males.

According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the township was $82,669, and the median income for a family was $95,267. Males had a median income of $61,570 versus $35,615 for females. The per capita income for the township was $28,609. About 2.9% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.2% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

Gallery

  • Village Theater Canton Twp. Michigan

    The Village Theater

  • Canton Twp. Fire Rescue Truck

    Canton Twp. Fire Rescue Truck

  • Cherry Hill United Methodist Church Canton Twp. Michigan

    Cherry Hill United Methodist Church, erected 1882

  • Cherry Hill School Canton Twp. Michigan

    Cherry Hill School

  • Bronze statue Cherry Hill School

    Bronze statue, Cherry Hill School

  • Cherry Hill School historical marker

    Cherry Hill School historical marker

  • Canton township gurudwara sahib temple

    Gurudwara Sahib Sikh Temple, Canton Center Rd.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Municipio de Canton (Míchigan) para niños

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