Vergennes Township, Michigan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vergennes Township, Michigan
Civil township
Location within Kent County
Vergennes Township, Michigan Location in Michigan Show map of Michigan Vergennes Township, Michigan Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Kent
Settled	1836
Established	1838
Area
• Total	35.39 sq mi (91.66 km2)
• Land	34.49 sq mi (89.33 km2)
• Water	0.90 sq mi (2.33 km2)
Elevation	791 ft (241 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	4,741
• Density	133.96/sq mi (51.724/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes	48809 (Belding) 49301 (Ada) 49331 (Lowell)
Area code(s)	616
FIPS code	26-081-81920
GNIS feature ID	1627193

Vergennes Township is a special kind of local government area called a civil township in Kent County, Michigan. In 2020, about 4,741 people lived there.

This township is part of the larger Grand Rapids metropolitan area. It is located about 15 miles (24 km) east of the city of Grand Rapids.

Places to Know in Vergennes

Vergennes Township has a few interesting communities within its borders.

Fallasburg: A Historic Spot

• Fallasburg is a small, unincorporated community on the eastern side of the township.
• It started way back in 1839. A man named J. Wesley Fallass built a grist mill there. A grist mill is a building where grain is ground into flour.
• The community was first called Fallassburgh, but the name was shortened to Fallasburg in 1893.
• It even had its own post office from 1851 to 1901.
• A famous landmark here is the Fallasburg Bridge. It's a cool covered bridge that crosses the Flat River.

Fox's Corner: An Early Settlement

• Fox's Corner began around the home of James S. Fox in 1836.
• A schoolhouse was built there in 1870, helping to educate the local children.

Vergennes Township's Past

Vergennes Township has a rich history, with settlers arriving nearly 200 years ago.

Early Settlers and Organization

• The first person to settle in this area was Sylvester Hodges from New York in 1836.
• A post office was first set up on August 12, 1837, but it closed pretty quickly on November 1, 1837.
• The area officially became Vergennes Township in 1838.
• Over time, parts of Vergennes Township were used to create other townships nearby. For example, a part was split off in 1840 to help form Caledonia Township. Later, this part became Bowne Township in 1849.
• The post office reopened on October 9, 1848, and stayed open until April 14, 1871.
• Another nearby post office, called Alton, was moved and renamed Vergennes from June 11, 1900, to December 31, 1909.

The Belleville Bridge Story

• Vergennes Township is home to a very special bridge called the original Belleville Bridge.
• This bridge was first built in 1925 in Wayne County, where it crossed Belleville Lake in the city of Belleville.
• In 1985, the bridge was moved all the way to Vergennes Township!
• It now crosses the Flat River and replaced an older bridge called the Burroughs Street Bridge.

Where is Vergennes Township?

Vergennes Township is located in a beautiful part of Michigan, with both land and water features.

Land and Water Area

• The township covers a total area of about 35.39 square miles (91.66 square kilometers).
• Most of this area, about 34.49 square miles (89.33 square kilometers), is land.
• The rest, about 0.90 square miles (2.33 square kilometers), is water. This means about 2.54% of the township is covered by water.

The Flat River

• The Flat River flows through the eastern side of Vergennes Township.
• This river is a branch, or "tributary," of the larger Grand River.

People of Vergennes Township

Let's learn about the people who live in Vergennes Township.

Population and Homes

• In 2000, there were 3,611 people living in the township.
• There were 1,142 households, which means 1,142 different homes where people lived.
• Most of these households, 970 of them, were families.
• About 48.1% of the households had children under 18 living with them.
• Most families (76.7%) were married couples living together.
• The average household had about 3.13 people, and the average family had about 3.39 people.

Age Groups

• The population in the township is spread out across different age groups.
• About 33.5% of the people were under 18 years old.
• About 32.8% were between 25 and 44 years old.
• The median age was 34 years old, meaning half the people were younger than 34 and half were older.

Income Information

• In 2000, the median income for a household in the township was $61,500. This is the middle income for all households.
• For families, the median income was $62,313.
• The average income per person in the township was $21,339.
• About 6.2% of all the people in the township lived below the poverty line. This included 5.7% of those under 18 and 17.6% of those 65 or older.

Learning in Vergennes

Students in Vergennes Township attend schools in a nearby district.

• The entire township is served by Lowell Area Schools. These schools are located to the south in the city of Lowell.

See also

In Spanish: Municipio de Vergennes (Míchigan) para niños