Commerce Township, Michigan
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Commerce Township is a charter township located in Oakland County, Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township had a total population of 34,764. The terrain is rolling hills but there are large expanses of flat land on which farms and, more recently, subdivisions are built. The Huron River runs mostly north-south through the township. Commerce was formerly a weekend and summer resort for Detroiters because of the area's small inland lakes and peaceful seclusion, but due to recent development the cottages are now all permanent homes. There has been a sharp increase in population in the last few years, mostly on or near the several lakes and golf courses. Much of Proud Lake State Recreation Area is within the township. The northern terminus of Michigan State Highway 5 is in Commerce. The busy highway would have continued north to I-75, but because of the area's high property value and the many lakes that dot the landscape such a project would have been far too costly. Commerce Township shares borders with West Bloomfield, White Lake, Milford Township, Walled Lake, Wolverine Lake, Novi, and Wixom.
In 1995, David Hahn, a 16-year old Eagle Scout, constructed a makeshift nuclear reactor in his backyard in Commerce Township, exposing himself and his neighbors--and maybe even as many as 40,000 people in the area--to radioactive materials and drawing the attention of the EPA. The event became a short-lived media sensation, and a book by Ken Silverstein called The Radioactive Boy Scout was written about the incident and published in 2004.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 77.3 km² (29.8 mi²). 71.4 km² (27.6 mi²) of it is land and 5.9 km² (2.3 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 7.61% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 34,764 people, 12,379 households, and 9,754 families residing in the township. The population density is 486.9/km² (1,261.1/mi²). There are 12,924 housing units at an average density of 181.0/km² (468.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the township is 96.73% White, 0.50% African American, 0.19% Native American, 1.31% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 0.95% from two or more races. 1.16% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 12,379 households out of which 42.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.4% are married couples living together, 7.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 21.2% are non-families. 17.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 4.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.81 and the average family size is 3.19.
In the township the population is spread out with 29.5% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 34.1% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 101.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 99.0 males.
The median income for a household in the township is $72,702, and the median income for a family is $79,976. Males have a median income of $61,087 versus $36,125 for females. The per capita income for the township is $33,104. 3.4% of the population and 2.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 3.8% of those under the age of 18 and 4.4% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
External links
- Charter Township of Commerce (http://www.commercetwp.com/)