Gun Plain Township, Michigan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Charter Township of Gun Plain
Charter township
Gun Plain Township, Michigan Location in Michigan
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Allegan
Area
• Total	34.4 sq mi (89.0 km2)
• Land	34.1 sq mi (88.2 km2)
• Water	0.3 sq mi (0.8 km2)
Elevation	725 ft (221 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	6,148
• Density	178.91/sq mi (69.08/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
FIPS code	26-35720
GNIS feature ID	1626415

Gun Plain Charter Township is a special kind of local government area in Allegan County, Michigan. It's called a "charter township" because it has more powers than a regular township.

In 2020, about 6,148 people lived here. The city of Plainwell is inside the township's area, but it runs itself. Gun Plain Township is located about 12 miles (19 km) north of Kalamazoo and 35 miles (56 km) south of Grand Rapids.

Places in Gun Plain Township

There are no official villages here. However, there are a few smaller areas that are not officially part of a city or village. These are called unincorporated communities.

Argenta

• Argenta is a small community. You can find it where Riverview Drive and 4th Street meet.

Neeley

• Neeley is another community. It is located in the northeastern part of the township. Neeley is found at the intersection of Marsh and Pine roads. It sits at an elevation of about 794 feet (242 meters) above sea level.

History of Gun Plain Township

The first European-American settler to arrive in this area was Cyrenius Thompson. He made his home here in the year 1832.

Early Post Offices

A post office called Brouard Post Office opened on March 7, 1884. It was located near the border with Barry County. Later, on March 3, 1900, its name was changed to Doster. The Doster Post Office became a branch of the Plainwell Post Office on July 21, 1961. Finally, the Doster postal branch closed its doors on October 28, 1978.

Geography of the Township

Gun Plain Township covers a total area of about 34.3 square miles (89.0 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, about 34.1 square miles (88.2 square kilometers). A small part, about 0.3 square miles (0.8 square kilometers), is water. This means that about 0.92% of the township's total area is water.

Population and People

The population of Gun Plain Township has grown steadily over the years.

Population in 2000

In the year 2000, there were 5,637 people living in the township. These people lived in 2,038 homes, and 1,620 of these were families. On average, there were about 165 people per square mile (63.7 people per square kilometer).

Most of the people living in the township were White (97.25%). A small number were African American (0.35%), Native American (0.34%), or Asian (0.35%). About 1.08% of the population identified as Hispanic or Latino.

Households and Families

Out of all the homes, 38.4% had children under 18 living there. Most homes (67.7%) were married couples living together. About 8.1% of homes had a female head of household with no husband present.

The average number of people living in one home was 2.76. For families, the average size was 3.06 people.

Age Groups

The population was spread out across different age groups:

• 28.0% were under 18 years old.
• 6.4% were between 18 and 24 years old.
• 29.9% were between 25 and 44 years old.
• 26.2% were between 45 and 64 years old.
• 9.4% were 65 years old or older.

The average age of people in the township was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were about 100.2 males.

Income Information

In 2000, the average yearly income for a home in the township was about $53,495. For families, the average yearly income was about $58,921. About 7.8% of all people in the township lived below the poverty line. This included 7.5% of those under 18 and 6.7% of those 65 or older.