Bingham Township, Leelanau County, Michigan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bingham Township, Michigan
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Bingham District No. 5 Schoolhouse
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Location within Leelanau County
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 Bingham Township, Leelanau County, Michigan
Location in Michigan
Bingham Township, Leelanau County, Michigan
Location in the United States
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Michigan |
| County |  Leelanau |
| Organized | 1864 |
| Named for | Kinsley S. Bingham |
| Area | |
| • Total | 39.3 sq mi (101.8 km2) |
| • Land | 23.6 sq mi (61.1 km2) |
| • Water | 15.7 sq mi (40.8 km2) |
| Elevation | 725 ft (221 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 2,577 |
| • Density | 102.8/sq mi (39.7/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code(s) |
49653, 49682, 49684
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| Area code(s) | 231 |
| FIPS code | 26-08440 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1625939 |
Bingham Township is a special kind of local government area called a civil township in Leelanau County, Michigan. As of the 2020 census, about 2,577 people live here. The township is named after Kinsley S. Bingham. He was an important person who served as a U.S. Representative, a U.S. Senator, and even the Governor of Michigan.
Contents
History of Bingham Township
Bingham Township was officially created in 1864. It was formed from a part of another area called Centerville Township.
What Communities are in Bingham Township?
Bingham Township is home to a couple of interesting communities.
Bingham Community
Bingham is a small, unincorporated community within the township. This means it's a recognized place but doesn't have its own separate local government. A post office opened here in 1878, and a sawmill was built in 1881. The post office closed in 1908.
In 1903, a train line called the Manistee and North-Eastern Railroad came through Bingham. It connected Traverse City to Suttons Bay and Northport. This train line was removed in 1996. Now, the old train tracks are a fun rail trail called the Leelanau Trail, which is great for biking and walking.
Keswick Community
Keswick is another community in Bingham Township, but it's known as a ghost town. It was named after a place called Keswick in New Brunswick, Canada. Keswick had a rural post office that was open from 1889 to 1910.
Geography and Natural Features
Bingham Township covers a total area of about 39.3 square miles (101.8 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 23.6 square miles (61.1 square kilometers), is land. The rest, about 15.8 square miles (40.8 square kilometers), is water.
Water Bodies and Location
Bingham Township is located right on the shore of the West Arm of Grand Traverse Bay. This bay is part of the much larger Lake Michigan. The township is also bordered on its western side by Lake Leelanau. Because of these two large bodies of water, Bingham Township is almost like an isthmus. An isthmus is a narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas, with water on both sides.
Major Roads in Bingham Township
M-22 is a main highway that runs north and south. It follows the shore of Grand Traverse Bay in the eastern part of Bingham Township. To the south, M-22 goes to Greilickville and ends at Traverse City. If you head north on M-22, you'll go through Suttons Bay and Northport. After that, it turns southwest and runs along the shore of Lake Michigan all the way to Manistee.
Climate in Bingham Township
Bingham Township has a climate known as a warm-summer humid continental climate. This means it has warm summers and cold, snowy winters. It's often called "Dfb" on climate maps.
The hottest temperature ever recorded in Bingham was 99°F (37°C) on August 1, 2006. The coldest temperature recorded was -14°F (-26°C) on February 20, 2015.
| Climate data for Bingham, Michigan (Northwest Michigan Research Farm), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1998–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 52 (11) |
62 (17) |
84 (29) |
88 (31) |
93 (34) |
95 (35) |
96 (36) |
99 (37) |
93 (34) |
88 (31) |
76 (24) |
64 (18) |
99 (37) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 45.5 (7.5) |
47.3 (8.5) |
60.2 (15.7) |
73.6 (23.1) |
85.7 (29.8) |
89.0 (31.7) |
91.5 (33.1) |
89.7 (32.1) |
86.9 (30.5) |
77.2 (25.1) |
64.0 (17.8) |
51.4 (10.8) |
93.1 (33.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 27.4 (−2.6) |
29.0 (−1.7) |
38.4 (3.6) |
51.0 (10.6) |
64.5 (18.1) |
74.5 (23.6) |
78.6 (25.9) |
77.3 (25.2) |
70.1 (21.2) |
56.5 (13.6) |
43.7 (6.5) |
33.0 (0.6) |
53.7 (12.0) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 22.9 (−5.1) |
23.8 (−4.6) |
31.4 (−0.3) |
42.7 (5.9) |
55.0 (12.8) |
65.1 (18.4) |
69.9 (21.1) |
68.9 (20.5) |
61.9 (16.6) |
49.8 (9.9) |
38.5 (3.6) |
29.0 (−1.7) |
46.6 (8.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 18.5 (−7.5) |
18.6 (−7.4) |
24.5 (−4.2) |
34.4 (1.3) |
45.4 (7.4) |
55.7 (13.2) |
61.1 (16.2) |
60.4 (15.8) |
53.7 (12.1) |
43.2 (6.2) |
33.4 (0.8) |
24.9 (−3.9) |
39.5 (4.2) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 5.2 (−14.9) |
2.5 (−16.4) |
8.1 (−13.3) |
22.9 (−5.1) |
32.8 (0.4) |
42.5 (5.8) |
52.3 (11.3) |
51.5 (10.8) |
43.7 (6.5) |
33.1 (0.6) |
22.8 (−5.1) |
12.7 (−10.7) |
0.1 (−17.7) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −3 (−19) |
−14 (−26) |
−10 (−23) |
14 (−10) |
26 (−3) |
37 (3) |
44 (7) |
44 (7) |
35 (2) |
29 (−2) |
13 (−11) |
3 (−16) |
−14 (−26) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.82 (46) |
1.38 (35) |
1.58 (40) |
2.84 (72) |
2.88 (73) |
2.68 (68) |
2.66 (68) |
3.20 (81) |
3.50 (89) |
3.89 (99) |
2.68 (68) |
2.05 (52) |
31.16 (791) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 32.0 (81) |
22.3 (57) |
13.4 (34) |
6.8 (17) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.3 (0.76) |
10.4 (26) |
29.3 (74) |
114.5 (289.76) |
| Average extreme snow depth inches (cm) | 12.5 (32) |
13.6 (35) |
11.9 (30) |
3.7 (9.4) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
5.0 (13) |
10.1 (26) |
16.9 (43) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 17.5 | 12.6 | 10.3 | 11.5 | 12.5 | 9.9 | 9.4 | 9.0 | 10.8 | 14.9 | 14.3 | 16.2 | 148.9 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 16.7 | 11.9 | 7.3 | 3.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 6.2 | 13.8 | 59.7 |
| Source 1: NOAA | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service (mean maxima/minima, snow depth 2006–2020) | |||||||||||||
Who Lives in Bingham Township?
Based on the census from 2000, there were 2,425 people living in Bingham Township. These people lived in 944 households, and 731 of those were families.
Most of the people in the township were White (96.74%). There were also smaller numbers of Native American (1.61%), Asian (0.29%), and African American (0.08%) residents. Some people identified as being from other races or from two or more races. About 1.73% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.
About 33.2% of the households had children under 18 living with them. The average household had about 2.56 people. The population was spread out in terms of age. About 24.6% of the people were under 18 years old. About 15.0% were 65 years old or older. The average age in the township was 42 years.
