Ray Township is a

civil township A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States that is subordinate to a county, most often in the northern and midwestern parts of the country. The term town is used in New England, New York, and Wisconsin to re ...

Macomb County Macomb County ( ) is a county located in the eastern portion of the U.S. state of Michigan, bordering Lake St. Clair, and is part of northern Metro Detroit. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 881,217, making it the third-most populous co ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. As of the 2020 census, the township population was 3,780, which makes Ray Township the least populated township in Macomb County.

Wolcott Mill Metropark Wolcott Mill Metropark is a Huron-Clinton Metropark located in rural Ray Township, Michigan. The northern branch of the Clinton River The Clinton River is a river in southeastern Michigan in the United States. It is named in honor of DeWitt C ...

, a park is located entirely within the township. The park is home to the Wolcott Mill, built in 1847.

Communities

There are no incorporated villages within the township, but there are several

unincorporated communities An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

: *Davis, originally called Brooklyn and renamed Davis in 1876 (to avoid confusion with

Brooklyn, Michigan Brooklyn is a village in Jackson County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,206 at the 2010 census. It is located in the Irish Hills region of southern Michigan, just north of U.S. Route 12 along M-50. The village is located w ...

in Jackson County), is located in the southwest corner of the township at Romeo Plank and 27 Mile Roads ( ; Elevation: 653 ft./199 m.). Davis was a thriving small community for several decades, peaking in the 1940s. Today, it houses a party store (Vince and Joe's), a Baptist church, a Masonic Temple & banquet hall, a cemetery, Heritage Oaks-Gift and Garden Shoppe and two tax/accounting businesses. *Meade is located in the southeast portion of the township at on the boundary with Macomb Township at 26 Mile Road and North Avenue. *Ray Center is located east of center of the Township at Hartway and 29 Mile Roads west of Indian Trail ( ; Elevation: 643 ft./196 m.). *Wolcott Mills is located at Wolcott Road and Indian Trail ( ; Elevation: 682 ft./208 m.).

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the township has a total area of 36.6 square miles (95.4 km), all land.

Demographics

As of the 2020 census, the population of Ray Township was 3,780. As of the 2010 census, the population was 3,739. There were 1,404 households and 1,112 families. The population was 96.4% non-Hispanic white, 0.4% African-American, 0.3% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.5% reporting two or more races and 1.7% Latino. As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 3,740 people, 1,305 households, and 1,062 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 1,349 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 97.78%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 0.16%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.29% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.45% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.94% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.18% of the population. There were 1,305 households, out of which 36.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.0% were married couples living together, 4.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.6% were non-families. 15.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.17. In the township the population was spread out, with 25.7% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 28.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.2 males. The median income for a household in the township was $70,081, and the median income for a family was $76,880. Males had a median income of $51,261 versus $26,830 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the township was $26,604. About 1.4% of families and 1.8% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 1.7% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Ray Township is governed under state statute by an elected board of trustees with 2 trustees and includes a supervisor, clerk and treasurer. The three of which serve as executive officers of the township with the supervisor, chairs the board and is in charge of assessing and general all other matters outside the clerk's and treasurer's authority. For public library services, the Township runs the Ray Township Library in Wolcott Mills.

School district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations. North America United States In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, wh ...

serving the Township residents are Armada Area Schools, New Haven Community Schools, Romeo Community Schools and

Utica Community Schools Utica Community Schools (UCS) is a public school district located in Macomb County, Michigan in the Metropolitan Detroit area. UCS serves the city of Utica, the majority of Shelby Township, the northern portion of Sterling Heights, and parts ...

. Road maintenance is handled by the Macomb County Department of Roads.

References

External links

Ray Township Library
{{authority control Townships in Macomb County, Michigan Townships in Michigan