Kalamazoo Township, Michigan

Kalamazoo Township, Michigan
Charter Township of Kalamazoo
Location within Kalamazoo County and the administered CDPs of Eastwood (1), Westwood (2), and portion of Comstock Northwest (3)
Location within Kalamazoo County and the administered CDPs of Eastwood (1), Westwood (2), and portion of Comstock Northwest (3)
Kalamazoo Township is located in Michigan
Kalamazoo Township
Kalamazoo Township
Location within the state of Michigan
Kalamazoo Township is located in the United States
Kalamazoo Township
Kalamazoo Township
Location within the United States
Coordinates: 42°18′40″N 85°35′17″W / 42.31111°N 85.58806°W / 42.31111; -85.58806
CountryUnited States
StateMichigan
CountyKalamazoo
OrganizedJuly 30, 1830
Area
 • Total11.79 sq mi (30.54 km2)
 • Land11.68 sq mi (30.25 km2)
 • Water0.11 sq mi (0.29 km2)
Elevation
771 ft (235 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total22,777
 • Density1,900/sq mi (750/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
Area code269
FIPS code26-42180[1]
GNIS feature ID1626548[2]
Websitekalamazootownship.org

Kalamazoo Charter Township is a charter township of Kalamazoo County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 22,777 at the 2020 census.[3]

The cities of Kalamazoo and Parchment are adjacent to the township and have annexed much land that was formerly within the township, such that the township now consists of two non-contiguous sections of land and one small section that is connected by a narrow point across Riverview Drive. Two census-designated places (CDPs) are within the township: Eastwood and Westwood. These are defined for statistical purposes and do not have any legal status as municipalities. However, both have an identity as communities, although the areas defined by the CDPs may not precisely correspond to local use of the terms. The CDPs can include nearby areas that locals might not consider as part of the community with the same name.

Kalamazoo Township was initially organized under the name of "Arcadia Township" by an act of the Territorial Legislature on July 30, 1830. A separate act on the same day organized the government of Kalamazoo County. Initially Arcadia Township consisted of all eight of the northern tier of townships in Kalamazoo County. In June 1832, Richland Township was set off, consisting of Richland, Ross, Charleston, and Comstock townships. On March 2, 1836, Arcadia Township was renamed as Kalamazoo Township, the same day that the village of Bronson was renamed as Kalamazoo. On March 11, 1837, Cooper Township was set off, consisting of Cooper and Alamo townships. On March 22, 1839, Oshtemo Township was set off from Kalamazoo.[4][5]

  1. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  2. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Kalamazoo Township, Michigan
  3. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  4. ^ A Brief History of the County, by George Torry, from the 1876 meeting of the Pioneer Society of the State of Michigan Archived February 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Chronology of Township, Village and City Formation, Kalamazoo County, MI Genealogy and Local History Archived February 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine