Cohoctah Township was first organized in 1838 with the name of Tuscola Township. It was renamed Bristol Township in 1857 and given its current name in 1867.[4] Boutell Cemetery and Sanford Cemetery are located in the township.[5]
Communities
Farming is the primary use of land, with only three small towns serving as population centers:
Cohoctah Center is an unincorporated community, which despite its name is somewhat to the northwest of the center of Cohoctah Township at 42°45′18″N83°59′13″W / 42.75500°N 83.98694°W / 42.75500; -83.98694.[8] It was settled in 1833 by Lyman Boughton and Gilbert Prentiss. The town was also called "Sprungtown" for Isaac Sprung, one of its more prominent citizens. It is the site of the township hall, but has no retail or commercial establishments.
Oak Grove is an unincorporated community about 6.5 miles (10.5 km) north of Howell and about 4.25 miles (6.84 km) south of Cohoctah, near the intersection of Oak Grove Road and Faussett Road, in the eastern part of Cohoctah Township at 42°42′01″N83°55′55″W / 42.70028°N 83.93194°W / 42.70028; -83.93194.[9] The ZIP code is 48863. It had a general store, but currently no retail or commercial establishments.
Per the 1875 Plat Maps of Livingston County, the community currently known as Cohoctah Center was labeled as Cohoctah and is located in Section 16 of Cohoctah Township. Section 16 was commonly referred to as the school section within the townships due to the practice of placing a rural school near the center of each township in Section 16. There is no community or improvements depicted on the map in the northeasterly area of the township where the current community of Cohoctah is located.
Per the 1895 Plat Maps of Livingston County, the current community of Cohoctah Center is labeled as Cohoctah as it was in the 1875 map. A change from the prior map is that a north–south railroad line is shown running through the easterly portion of the township. There is also a depot depicted with the community of East Cohoctah at the location of the current community of Cohoctah.
Per the 1915 Plat Maps of Livingston County, the community labeled as Cohoctah in the two prior maps is labeled as Cohoctah Center, just as it is currently known. The community located at the railroad depot, that had been labeled as East Cohoctah in 1895, is labeled as Cohoctah, also as it is currently known. Originally the Cohoctah township community was centered at the town of Cohoctah, which was the location of the rural school in Section 16. As the township evolved with the construction of the railroad, the community's commerce center shifted from the location of the school to that of the railroad depot, which then became the predominant community within the township.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 38.4 square miles (99.4 km2), of which 37.9 square miles (98.2 km2) are land and 4.5 square miles (11.7 km2), or 1.18%, are water.[10] The township is drained to the north by the South Branch of the Shiawassee River, running near the eastern border of the township.
Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 3,394 people, 1,124 households, and 938 families residing in the township. The population density was 89.1 inhabitants per square mile (34.4/km2). There were 1,206 housing units at an average density of 31.7 per square mile (12.2/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 97.91% White, 0.06% African American, 0.47% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.38% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.94% of the population.
There were 1,124 households, out of which 41.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.3% were married couples living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.5% were non-families. 13.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.02 and the average family size was 3.30.
In the township the population was spread out, with 29.0% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 6.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.5 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $57,500, and the median income for a family was $63,182. Males had a median income of $51,028 versus $27,750 for females. The per capita income for the township was $21,582. About 1.9% of families and 2.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.0% of those under age 18 and 3.3% of those age 65 or over.
Romig, Walter (October 1, 1986) [1973]. Michigan Place Names: The History of the Founding and the Naming of More Than Five Thousand Past and Present Michigan Communities (Paperback). Great Lakes Books Series. Detroit, Michigan: Wayne State University Press. ISBN0-8143-1838-X. ISBN978-0814318386.
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