A township in some states of the United States is a small geographic area.
50-675: Burns Harbor is a town in Westchester Township , Porter County , Indiana , United States on the shores of Lake Michigan in Northwest Indiana . It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area . The population was 1,156 at the 2010 census. Burns Harbor is located adjacent to the Indiana Dunes, an area that conservationists have fought hard to preserve. Burns Harbor was founded in 1966. The town took its name from
100-768: A county . The township is identified by a name, such as Penn Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania . The responsibilities and the form of the township government is specified by the state legislature . The most common form of township government has an elected board of trustees or supervisors. Some additional offices, such as clerk or constable , may also be elected. The most common governmental responsibilities of townships include oversight of such things as road maintenance, land-use planning , and trash collection. Many townships in Ohio, Michigan, New Jersey and Pennsylvania provide police and fire protection, similar to what an incorporated city would provide. In most midwestern states ,
150-427: A local port which was named for the harbor's promoter Randall W. Burns. According to the 2010 census, Burns Harbor has a total area of 6.78 square miles (17.56 km), of which 6.66 square miles (17.25 km) (or 98.23%) is land and 0.12 square miles (0.31 km) (or 1.77%) is water. As of the census of 2010, there were 1,156 people, 456 households, and 305 families living in the town. The population density
200-418: A civil township often corresponds to a single survey township, although in less populated areas, the civil township may be made up of all or portions of several survey townships. In areas where there are natural features such as a lake or river, the civil township boundaries may follow the geographic features rather than the survey township boundaries. Municipalities such as cities may incorporate or annex land in
250-501: A household in the town was $ 53,929, and the median income for a family was $ 57,188. Males had a median income of $ 43,393 versus $ 22,143 for females. The per capita income for the town was $ 23,344. About 4.2% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line , including 5.4% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over. Burns Harbor benefits from close access to many major forms of transportation. Airports Commuter Rail Ports Highways Burns Harbor
300-430: A separate type of government to allow greater flexibility for township governments to serve urbanized populations. In Michigan, as in other states with like systems (though sometimes different names), a township is an administrative division of a county, which is an administrative division of the state. Counties and townships are local organs through which state law and public policy are administered, adapted to local need to
350-508: A side with cardinal boundaries conforming to meridians and parallels, containing 36 sections of one square mile (2.6 km ) each. The northern and westernmost tier of sections in each township are designed to take up the convergence of the east and west township boundary lines or range lines, as well as any error in the survey measurements, and therefore these sections vary slightly from being one square mile or 640 acres (260 ha). Survey townships exist in some form in most states other than
400-435: A township, which is then generally removed from township government. Only one state, Indiana , has township governments covering all its area and population. In other states, some types of municipalities, like villages, remain a part of the township while cities are not. As urban areas expand, a civil township may entirely disappear—see, for example, Mill Creek Township, Hamilton County, Ohio . In other expanding urban areas,
450-634: Is Westchester Intermediate School, and its elementary schools are Baily, Brummit, and Yost Elementary Schools. Westchester Township is served by the Westchester Public Library in Chesterton. Westchester Township is the home of Indiana Dunes State Park and a large portion of Indiana Dunes National Park . The land that is now Westchester Township was once completely covered by the Wisconsin Ice Sheet . Later, it
500-499: Is divided into townships and ranges. In Tennessee, the entire state is surveyed into townships and ranges that make up 13 survey districts of the Tennessee State Survey. In extreme northern Maine there is an area divided into townships and ranges oriented to true north. A region in the central part of the state, made up of 17 surveys, is divided into townships, but these are not oriented to true north. The remainder of
550-526: Is not surveyed into townships, but is still a gridded survey. Portions of the Texas State Survey use square townships. Sizeable portions of Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington, are unsurveyed. Substantial swampy areas in Florida and Louisiana are also unsurveyed. Both New York and Pennsylvania have metes-and-bounds surveys, but in the western parts of these states,
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#1732775558363600-600: Is one of twelve townships in Porter County, Indiana . It is included in the Calumet , Northwest Indiana , and Great Lakes regions. It is located on the southern shore of Lake Michigan , about 50 miles (80 km) southeast of Chicago . It stretches from the famous Indiana Dunes on its northern border, south to the Valparaiso Moraine , a ridge of rolling hills left by the last glacier to pass through
650-556: Is served by Duneland Schools ( http://www.duneland.k12.in.us ) providing education for grades Kindergarten through 12, and is in close proximity to many higher education facilities including: The unpopular rock band Turnerjoy practiced in the basement of a mobile home company in Burns Harbor. The band is the subject of the 2020 documentary Get Out of Home and scenes from the movie take place in Burns Harbor. Westchester Township, Porter County, Indiana Westchester Township
700-599: The Detroit metropolitan area . Towns and townships are sometimes considered minor civil divisions of counties by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. According to the Census Bureau, in 2002, town or township government applied to 16,504 organized governments in the following 20 states: This categorization includes governmental units officially designated as "towns" in
750-1078: The New England states, New York, and Wisconsin, some plantations in Maine and locations in New Hampshire. In Minnesota, the terms town and township are used interchangeably with regard to township governments. Although towns in the six New England states and New York, and townships in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, are legally termed municipal corporations, perform municipal-type functions, and frequently serve densely populated urban areas, they have no necessary relation to concentration of population, and are thus counted for census purposes as town or township governments. Even in states beyond New England, townships often serve urbanized areas and provide municipal services typically provided by incorporated municipalities. The count of 16,504 organized township governments does not include unorganized township areas (where
800-791: The Sacs , Mascoutin , Miami , Potawatomi , and the Illiniwek of the region, but also connected these peoples to eastern tribes, like the Ojibwe and the Iroquois , and western tribes, like the Cheyenne and Sioux (Lakota) . The first written records of European exploration in the area are those of Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet in 1673. Marquette again passed through the area in 1675 with Pierre Porteret and Jacques Largilliers. Undoubtedly though, there were many undocumented explorers of
850-537: The Township of the Borough of Verona or Township of South Orange Village , changed their names to qualify for additional federal aid at the expense of municipalities of other types. Utah and Nevada have areas called townships, but they are not the same as civil townships. These areas are not separate governments, but have been granted some degree of self-rule by a county. Michigan has created charter townships as
900-869: The Chicago Road). Though no major north–south trails cut through what is now Westchester Township, just west of where the Indiana/Illinois state line now runs stretched the Potawatami Trail (later called the Vincennes Trail). This trail was the only major north–south trail to serve the Westchester Township area. This trail could be reached by taking a smaller north–south trail to the great Sauk (Sac) Trail , which ran through present day Valparaiso, Indiana . All these trails served as primary trade and transportation routes for
950-527: The PLSS survey system, but on the older metes and bounds survey system. A New Jersey township differs only in name from other municipalities: its boundaries are fixed, it is an incorporated body, and it is free to adopt another form of government. The federal government formerly had a revenue sharing arrangement that separately allocated funding for townships and other minor civil division types such as cities or boroughs; some New Jersey municipalities, such as
1000-769: The Potawatami by creating a great Indian Reserve, which ran from what is now Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. As of 1775, the region was still part of the British Empire's immense Indian Reserve. During the American Revolutionary War , the Potawatami of the area fought on the side of the English, against the American colonists. In 1776, the newly formed American government claimed nominal control of
1050-793: The Potawatomi came to the region, the area's abundant natural resources fed many other native peoples and animals. Among the Potawatomi and the first settlers, these abundant resources proved more than adequate for subsistence and very lucrative for trade. There were the cranberry marshes, from which bushel upon bushel was hauled to early market. There were numerous other sorts of berries and fruits as well, including mulberries , huckleberries , blackberries , strawberries , whortleberries , raspberries , roseberries, gooseberries , wintergreen berries, currants , sand hill cherries, red and yellow wild plum , crabapple , paw paw , haw , sassafras , and wild grape . In addition to corn, early gardens in
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#17327755583631100-485: The Swanson-Lamporte Ditch, and Johnson Ditch. Westchester Township is home to Billington Lake, Morgan Lake, Chubb Lake, and Pratt Lake. A notable wetland in the area is Cowles Bog, a fen named after a University of Chicago researcher who became famous for his study of geophysical conditions and ecological succession in the dunes. By far the most notable geographic feature in Westchester Township are
1150-412: The adjacent land (approximately 20 to 30 days behind the rest of northern Indiana). The lake also delays the warming of the area in spring. "Lake effect precipitation," or slightly heavier precipitation due to the evaporation of water from the lake, is very common to the area. The areas east and south of the lake usually experience the heaviest snow and rainfall. The area now known as Westchester Township
1200-427: The age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.1% were non-families. 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.10. The median age in
1250-495: The area contained beans, peas, squash, tobacco, and melons. Quite often, several varieties of herbs were cultivated for both ceremonial and medicinal use. Both Native American and settler also made maple sugar or syrup from the sap of the sugar maples in the area. The combination of woodland, marsh, and prairie proved very conducive to all sorts of wild fowl. Wild turkey , grouse , prairie chicken, quail , and duck were all found in abundance. A few varieties of hops are native to
1300-506: The area, in what is now southern Michigan . The fort served as the nearest trading center for the peoples in and around the land that is now Westchester Township up until the establishment of Fort Dearborn in 1803. Petite Fort, located at the mouth of Fort Creek (now Dunes Creek) in what is now the Indiana Dunes State Park, also served as a collection point for the fur trade in the area until 1779. Probably even before
1350-528: The area. As of the 2010 census , its population was 19,396. Westchester Township includes the communities of Chesterton , Porter , Dune Acres , and Burns Harbor . Former communities in the township include Baillytown , City West , and Tremont . Westchester Township is served by the Duneland School Corporation . Its high school is Chesterton High School , its middle school is Chesterton Middle School, its intermediate school
1400-408: The area. It is estimated that about half of these are only seasonal residents. Other notable wildlife include deer, bear, wolves, foxes, mink, muskrat, wild ducks and geese. Due to the presence of Lake Michigan, which remains relatively cool even in summer, the average summer temperatures are lower in this area than in the rest of Indiana. In autumn and winter, the lake causes a delay in the cooling of
1450-492: The area. There was wild rice in abundance, and in some of the dry prairies, hay grew remarkably well. According to the Potawatomi, buffalo and elk were native to the region until the winters became increasingly harsh. Township (United States) The term is used in three ways. Survey townships are generally referred to by a number based on the Public Land Survey System (PLSS). A reference to
1500-461: The dunes once again came "alive" and began to shift and move with the wind, weather, and human traffic. Westchester Township, thanks to its sand dunes and marshes, is home to over 1,300 species of flowering plants and ferns. Plants of the desert grow in the same vicinity as plants of the woodland and plants of the prairie. The area is known internationally for this diversity of plant life. More than three hundred varieties of birds have been found in
1550-643: The extent the law allows. A charter township is a township that has been granted a charter, which allows it certain rights and responsibilities of home rule that are generally intermediary in scope between those of a city (a semi-autonomous jurisdiction in Michigan) and a village, which (unless it is a home-rule village) is subject to the authority of the township(s) in which it is located. Charter townships may also reorganize themselves into municipalities, as can be seen in Wayne County, Michigan , and elsewhere in
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1600-445: The great hills of sand strung along the shoreline of Lake Michigan. These great hills of sand are approximately 50 to 100 yards back from the water and can range from three quarters of a mile to a mile in width. They were first formed by the northwesterly winds which continue to blow across the lake and carry with them sand that washes up on the shore of Lake Michigan. The sand dunes begin to form around trees and clumps of grass that block
1650-402: The metes-and-bounds form square townships many of which are also civil townships. Besides these, nearly every state has areas of metes-and-bounds that were never included in the grids (like along major rivers) or were removed from the grid, usually due to surveying mistakes. The township government is a unit of local government, often rural. Townships are geographic and political subdivisions of
1700-536: The original Thirteen Colonies , Kentucky , Tennessee , Vermont , and Maine . Irregular or fractional townships with fewer than a full 36 sections are created where full townships cannot be laid out due to existing senior boundaries, such as Spanish/Mexican ranchos , Indian reservations , state boundary lines, etc. In Kentucky, the Jackson Purchase (the area west of the Tennessee River)
1750-555: The region. For a time the territory was part of what the French referred to as New France . The area now known as Westchester Township, along with the surrounding areas, remained under French jurisdiction until the close of the French and Indian War in 1763, when it passed into English hands. The Potawatami, who fought on the side of the French, defended the territory so fiercely that when the English assumed control, they attempted to pacify
1800-668: The region. Until the early 19th century, however, the Potawatami remained the dominant force in the area and remained on good terms with the English. The last time the Potawatami of the area took up arms against the United States was in the War of 1812 . The land now known as Westchester Township was included in what Americans referred to first as the Northwest Territory , then the Indiana Territory , and finally
1850-680: The state is on metes and bounds . Similarly, Vermont and New Hampshire are mostly metes-and-bounds states, but have areas in the north that are surveyed into townships not oriented to true north. Most of Ohio is surveyed using the Public Land Survey System, but several sizable areas are metes-and-bounds, including the Virginia Military Reserve, Donation Tract, French Grant and the three Moravian grants (Gnadenhutten, Schoenbrunn and Salem). A 150,000-acre (61,000 ha) area in southern Indiana ( Clark's Grant )
1900-678: The state of Indiana. It was not until 1832 that the American federal government formally extinguished the claims of the Potawatami to the land that is now Westchester Township. Native American trails criss-crossed the land which is now Westchester Township. The east–west trails include the Lake Shore Trail (later called the Fort Dearborn-Detroit Road), Calumet Beach Trail, the Tolleston Beach Trail, and Trail Creek Trail (which later became known as
1950-485: The territory that is now Westchester Township prior to these more famous persons. The first known European to settle in the area was fur-trader Joseph Bailly , who built his trading post on the north bank of the Little Calumet River in 1822. For quite some time the area that is now Westchester Township had close ties with St. Joseph Mission and Fort St. Joseph , both of which were located northeast of
2000-549: The town was 34.6 years. 26.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 31% were from 25 to 44; 25.6% were from 45 to 64; and 10.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 50.8% male and 49.2% female. As of the census of 2000, there were 766 people, 303 households, and 219 families living in the town. The population density was 112.1 inhabitants per square mile (43.3/km). There were 323 housing units at an average density of 47.3 per square mile (18.3/km). The racial makeup of
2050-539: The town was 94.26% White , 0.26% African American , 1.17% Native American , 1.04% Asian , 0.39% from other races , and 2.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.31% of the population. There were 303 households, out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.4% were non-families. 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.3% had someone living alone who
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2100-506: The township may exist in name only, but has no organized government) or where the townships are coextensive with cities and the cities have absorbed the township functions. It also does not include the townships in Iowa (see Iowa townships ), which are not separate governments, but are classified as subordinate agencies of county governments. Of the 16,504 town or township governments, only 1,179 (7.1 percent) had as many as 10,000 inhabitants in
2150-525: The township may incorporate itself into a city; this can be seen in the numerous square cities of Hennepin , Anoka , and Washington counties in Minnesota . The Montgomery County, Ohio , cities of Trotwood (1996, formerly Madison Township), Huber Heights (1980, Wayne Township), and Kettering (1955, Van Buren Township) are further examples of townships incorporating into cities. Pennsylvania and New Jersey have civil townships that are not based on
2200-620: The township will look something like "Township 2 North Range 3 East", or "T2N,R3E" and such a notation is used in property descriptions based on the PLSS . Townships were originally surveyed and platted by the United States General Land Office, using contracted private survey crews, and are marked on the United States Geological Survey maps of the United States. Townships are normally a square approximately six miles (9.7 km) on
2250-403: The wind's path and continue to shift in size and shape depending on weather patterns and human interference. These great hills have been found to move as much as 10 to 15 feet per year. Before settlers came to the region, the dunes had reached a stable, or "dead" point, as they were completely covered by a forest of white pine. As the settlers began to remove the white pine for lumber, many areas of
2300-431: Was 173.3 inhabitants per square mile (66.9/km). There were 495 housing units at an average density of 74.2 per square mile (28.6/km). The racial makeup of the town was 95.4% White , 1.8% African American , 0.3% Native American , 0.3% Asian , 1.1% from other races , and 1.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.8% of the population. There were 456 households, of which 37.3% had children under
2350-451: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 2.95. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.7% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 28.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.4 males. The median income for
2400-596: Was once home to peoples that archaeologists now classify into the Oneota division of Upper Mississippian cultures . The Read Dunes House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011. At the time of French contact in the early to mid-17th century, the area served as seasonal hunting grounds for both the Potawatami and Miami cultures, though the Potawatami were the dominant people of
2450-812: Was part of a vast wetland marsh that stretched across the Calumet Region. Today as little as 6.6% of Porter County is wetland habitat, most of which is located within Westchester Township. Westchester Township is within the Great Lakes Watershed , which eventually empties into the Atlantic Ocean. Westchester Township is home to the Little Calumet River and several streams, including Dunes Creek (previously named Fort Creek), Willow Creek and its tributaries, Salt Creek and its tributaries, Sand Creek, Coffee Creek, Damon Run,
2500-414: Was submerged beneath Lake Chicago during one other notable period of the ice sheet's retreat from around Indianapolis to the arctic region where it currently resides. Known for its sand dunes, wetlands, and forests, Westchester Township gives evidence of the dynamic geographical and ecological circumstances brought about by the glacier's last passage. As recently as the 1700s, most of Westchester Township
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