Covert 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 (United States), county, most often in the northern and midwestern parts of the country. The term town is used in New England town, Ne ...

of Van Buren County 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 so ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 2,510.

Geography

According to the

US Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the township has a total area of , all land.

History

This township, originally forming part of the old township of Lafayette, was included within the boundaries of South Haven by an act of the State Legislature erecting the latter township, bearing date March 11, 1837. It continued as South Haven until Oct. 8, 1855, when, by the action of the Board of Supervisors of Van Buren County, surveyed township No. 2 south, of range No. 17 west, was organized as Deerfield. Its name was changed to Covert by the State Legislative body, then in session, March 29, 1877. Covert, Michigan was a place of racial integration from its founding in the 1860s. The school had both black and white students starting in the 1860s. Blacks were elected to numerous positions from 1868 on. The Covert cemetery is the final resting place of both black and white

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

veterans.Covert, Michigan: A History in Black and White
/ref>

Demographics

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 3,141 people, 1,118 households, and 763 families in the township. The population density was . There were 1,683 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 51.10%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 35.24%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 1.02%

Native American Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States. Related terms and peoples include: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...

, 0.13% Asian, 7.99% from other races, and 4.52% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 15.22% of the population. There were 1,118 households, out of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.39. The township population contained 31.8% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.1 males. The median income for a household in the township was $22,829, and the median income for a family was $28,586. Males had a median income of $28,929 versus $21,607 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the township was $12,156. About 26.1% of families and 32.4% 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 ...

, including 44.6% of those under age 18 and 24.4% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

''A Stronger Kinship: One Town's Extraordinary Story of Hope and Faith'' by Anna-Lisa Cox
(goodreads)
Covert, Michigan: A History in Black and White
(NPR) {{authority control Townships in Van Buren County, Michigan Kalamazoo–Portage metropolitan area Townships in Michigan