Clayton Township, Genesee County, Michigan

Charter Township of Clayton, Michigan Clayton Township
Charter township
Charter Township of Clayton, Michigan Location within the state of Michigan
Coordinates: 42°59′54″N 83°52′41″W / 42.99833°N 83.87806°WCoordinates: 42°59′54″N 83°52′41″W / 42.99833°N 83.87806°W
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Genesee
Settled	1839
Organized	1846
Government
• Type	Supervisor-Board
• Supervisor	Brian Sepanak
• Clerk	Dennis Milem
• Treasurer	vacant
• Trustee	Greg Childers, Rick Caruso, Chris Gehringer, Tammy Kapraun
Area
• Total	34.2 sq mi (88.7 km^2)
• Land	34.3 sq mi (88.7 km^2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km^2)
Elevation	764 ft (233 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	7,581
• Density	221.67/sq mi (88.51/km^2)
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code	48433, 48449, 48473, 48532
Area code(s)	810
FIPS code	26-16260[1]
GNIS feature ID	1626093[2]
Website	http://www.claytontownship.org/

Clayton Charter Township, or more officially Charter Township of Clayton, is a charter township of Genesee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 7,581 at the 2010 census.

Communities

• The Village of Lennon is partially within the township on the western border.

History

In the Northeast area of the township on November 2, 1855, the Valeria post office opened with Andrew N. Felt as postmaster. This PO closed on November 21, 1860.^[3][4]

On November 3, 2009, a successful recall took place removing the township supervisor, Bruce Beatty, and two trustees, Glenn Huffman and Chuck Shinouskis.^[5][6]

Years	Supervisor	Clerk	Treasurer	Trustees
2004–2008	Roderick Shumaker	Sally Lurvey	Beth Perkins Patti Mlynek (Interim)	Greg Childers	Glenn Huffman	Roger Meier	John Sayer
2008–2009	Bruce Beatty^1. (11/3/2009)[5]	Dennis Milem	Natalie Dennings	Greg Childers	Jennifer Henry^2. (5/12/2009)	Glenn Huffman^1. (11/3/2009)[5]	Chuck Shinouskis^1. (11/3/2009)[5]
2009–2010	Roger Meier ^3. (12/10/09)[6]	Dennis Milem	Natalie Dennings	Greg Childers	John Simor^3. (7/09/09)	John Sayer^3. (12/10/09)[6]	Jane Wracan^3. (12/10/09)[6]
2010–2011	Brian Sepanak	Dennis Milem	Natalie Dennings	Greg Childers	Rick Caruso	Chris Gehringer	Tammy Kapraun

1. Recalled. 2. Resigned. 3. Appointed.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 34.2 square miles (89 km²), all land. The southeast corner is separated from the rest of the township by the city of Swartz Creek. Misteguay Creek has its headwaters in the township.^[7]

The Central Michigan Railway runs northeast toward Flushing and, ultimately, Saginaw, and southwest through Lennon toward Durand.

In the late 1980s, the township's land was mostly dedicated to farming. A few subdivisions existed on the north and east sides of the township, closer to urban areas, as well as one in the middle of the township. The Village of Lennon and Swartz Creek Meadows, a mobile home park near the village, were the other built-up areas.

Since then, several large farms have been turned into subdivisions, and large houses have been constructed in more rural sections.

Government

Clayton has a Supervisor-Board style township government with elected supervisor, clerk, treasurer and four trustees.

The township and Swartz Creek cooperate in operating the Swartz Creek Area Fire Department, which has one fire station in each of the two municipalities. The Clayton Township Police Department was formed in 2002 after the passage of a public service property tax by residents.

District	Number	Officeholder
U.S. Representative	5	Dan Kildee
State Senate	27	Jim Ananich
State Representative	48th	Richard E. Hammel
	49	Vacant
County Commissioner	8th	Ted Henry
School District	Swartz Creek	Multiple: see article
	Flushing
Community College	C.S. Mott
Polling Locations

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1870	1,047		—
1960	2,680		—
1970	5,305		97.9%
1980	7,269		37.0%
1990	7,368		1.4%
2000	7,546		2.4%
2010	7,581		0.5%
Source: 1873 Genesee County Atlas.[8] Census Bureau. Census 1960- 2000, 2010.

At the 2010 census,^[1] there were 7,581 people, 2,897 households and 2,198 families residing in the township. The population density was 221.67 per square mile (88.51/km²). There were 3,097 housing units at an average density of 90.56 per square mile (34.92/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 93.2% White, 3.2% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.1% from Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, 0.8% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.8% of the population.

There were 2,897 households of which 20.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.7% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.1% were non-families. 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.01.

References

1. "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Clayton Township, Genesee County, Michigan
3. Romig, Walter (October 1, 1986) [1973]. Michigan Place Names: The History of the Founding and the Naming of More Than Five Thousand Past and Present Michigan Communities. Great Lakes Books Series (Paperback). Detroit, Michigan: Wayne State University Press. p. 568. ISBN 081431838X. ISBN 978-0814318386.
4. Genesee and Shiawassee Counties Map 1855. Currently replicated at Swartz Creek City Hall.
5. Bryn Mickle. Voters recall supervisor and two trustees in Clayton Township. November 03, 2009 (retrieved on 11/16/2009). Flint Journal: (Booth Newspapers), Flint, Michigan.
6. "Supervisor gets wish -- a Pay Cut." Page A9. December 13, 2009. Flint Journal: (Booth Newspapers), Flint, Michigan.
7. The National Map Archived 2012-04-05 at WebCite, accessed 2015-08-21
8. Beers, Frederick W. (1873). Atlas of Genesee Co., Michigan. New York: F.W. Beers & Co. p. 8.

External links

• Clayton Charter Township
• Swartz Creek Area Fire Department