Long Rapids Township, Michigan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Long Rapids Township, Michigan
Civil township
Long Rapids Township Hall in Lachine
Location within Alpena County
Long Rapids Township, Michigan Location in Michigan Show map of Michigan Long Rapids Township, Michigan Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Alpena
Established	1873
Area
• Total	54.67 sq mi (141.6 km2)
• Land	54.19 sq mi (140.4 km2)
• Water	0.48 sq mi (1.2 km2)
Elevation	709 ft (216 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	977
• Density	17.871/sq mi (6.900/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code(s)	49744 (Herron) 49753 (Lachine) 49776 (Posen)
Area code(s)	989
FIPS code	26-49360
GNIS feature ID	1626641

Long Rapids Township is a local government area in Alpena County, Michigan. It is a "civil township," which means it has its own local government. In 2020, about 977 people lived here.

Communities in Long Rapids Township

Long Rapids Township is home to several small communities. Each has its own interesting history.

Godfrey

• Godfrey was once the name of a post office in this area. It operated from 1883 until 1912.

Lachine

• Lachine is a small, unnamed community. It is located near the southern border of the township. You can find it on M-65.
• This community started in 1909. It was a station on a branch of the Detroit and Mackinac Railway.
• A railroad conductor named it after Lachine, Quebec, in Canada.
• A post office opened here in March 1910.
• The Lachine ZIP code, 49753, covers much of the southern part of Long Rapids Township. It also includes parts of other nearby townships.

Leer

• Leer is another small, unnamed community. It is located near the northern border of the township.
• This rural settlement was named after Lier, Norway. Norwegian immigrants who settled here chose the name.
• A post office operated in Leer from March 1901 until April 1910.
• Leer and the northern part of Long Rapids Township use the Posen ZIP code of 49776.

Long Rapids

• Long Rapids is an unnamed community in the middle of the township. It is where M-65 and Long Rapids Road meet.
• The name comes from the long stretch of rapids in the nearby Thunder Bay River.
• This settlement grew around a sawmill owned by Albert Merrill. It was first known as "Merrillville."
• A post office named "Long Rapids" was open from October 1873 until August 1933.

Geography of the Township

Long Rapids Township covers a total area of about 54.67 square miles (141.6 square kilometers). Most of this area is land.

• About 54.19 square miles (140.3 square kilometers) is land.
• Only a small part, about 0.48 square miles (1.2 square kilometers), is water. This means water makes up less than 1% of the township's total area.

People of Long Rapids Township

Let's look at who lives in Long Rapids Township. This information comes from the census.

Population and Homes

• In 2000, there were 1,019 people living in the township.
• There were 404 households, which are groups of people living in one home.
• Out of these, 300 were families.
• Most households (66.1%) were married couples living together.
• About 32.4% of households had children under 18 living with them.
• The average household had about 2.52 people.

Age Groups

The population in the township is spread across different age groups:

• About 24.5% of the people were under 18 years old.
• About 6.8% were between 18 and 24 years old.
• About 27.4% were between 25 and 44 years old.
• About 25.3% were between 45 and 64 years old.
• About 16.0% were 65 years old or older.
• The average age of people in the township was 40 years.