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Waterford Township, Michigan facts for kids

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Waterford Township, Michigan
Charter township
Charter Township of Waterford
Welcome sign to Waterford Township
Welcome sign to Waterford Township
Location within Oakland County
Location within Oakland County
Waterford Township, Michigan is located in Michigan
Waterford Township, Michigan
Waterford Township, Michigan
Location in Michigan
Country United States
State Michigan
County Oakland
Established 1834
Area
 • Charter township 35.3 sq mi (91.4 km2)
 • Land 31.3 sq mi (81.2 km2)
 • Water 4.0 sq mi (10.3 km2)  11.22%
Elevation
948 ft (289 m)
Population
 • Charter township 70,565
 • Density 1,999.0/sq mi (772.0/km2)
 • Metro
4,296,250 (Metro Detroit)
Time zone UTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code(s)
48327–48330, 48346, 48387
Area code(s) 248
FIPS code 26-84240
GNIS feature ID 1627218

Waterford Township is a charter township in the geographic center of Oakland County, Michigan, United States.

In 2020, the population of Waterford Township was 70,565.

Communities

Waterford Township has five unincorporated communities:

  • Clintonville (42°41′25″N 83°21′22″W / 42.69028°N 83.35611°W / 42.69028; -83.35611) is located on Walton Boulevard between Clintonville Road and Sashabaw Road.
  • Drayton Plains (42°41′03″N 83°22′38″W / 42.68417°N 83.37722°W / 42.68417; -83.37722) is located at Dixie Highway on the west end of Loon Lake.
  • Elizabeth Lake (42°38′14″N 83°23′18.0″W / 42.63722°N 83.388333°W / 42.63722; -83.388333) is an historic resort community located on Elizabeth Lake.
  • Four Towns (42°37′04″N 83°24′49″W / 42.61778°N 83.41361°W / 42.61778; -83.41361) is located at Lochaven Road and Cooley Lake Road.
  • Waterford Village (42°42′08″N 83°24′10″W / 42.70222°N 83.40278°W / 42.70222; -83.40278) is an historic village located at Dixie Highway and Andersonville Road.

History

Lewis Cass, the third governor of Michigan Territory, established the boundaries of Oakland County in 1819. Waterford Township was organized in 1834.

In 1818, Oliver Williams selected land in Oakland County which he purchased for two dollars an acre. Archibald Phillips and Alpheus Williams purchased 161.40 acres (653,200 m2) in what later became Waterford Village.

In 1818, Oliver Williams and his family established the first farm settlement in the county on the banks of Silver Lake.

In 1819, Alpheus Williams and Archibald Phillips continued on to where the Clinton River crossed the old Saginaw Trail (now known as Dixie Highway). They settled at the site of the present Waterford Village. Here the first house of Waterford Village was built by Alpheus Williams on the north bank of the river. Archibald Phillips built his home across from the south corner where Andersonville Road meets Dixie Highway.

Williams and Phillips also built the first dam where the Clinton River crossed the Saginaw Trail and erected the first sawmill.

The township was named Waterford because of the vast number of lakes covering the township.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 35.3 square miles (91 km2), of which 31.3 square miles (81 km2) is land and 4.0 square miles (10 km2), or 11.22%, is water.

Climate

Like the rest of Southeast Michigan, Waterford Township has a continental climate. It has a higher elevation than Detroit (982 feet (299 m) compared to 585 feet (178 m)), and therefore the township is somewhat cooler than Detroit and other nearby cities. It is moderately cold in the winter with varied snowfall throughout. Spring varies from warm by day to cool at night. The township's warmest weather occurs in the summer with temperatures in the eighty to ninety degree range and typically high humidity. Summer is also the wettest season in the area. In recent years, Waterford Township has seen a few 100-plus degree days. Fall starts warm, but November ends with high temperatures barely above freezing.

Lakes

Cass Lake (Michigan) boats Wednesdays (514873849)
Cass Lake, the largest and deepest lake in Waterford Township

Waterford Township is home to 34 named lakes.

Lakes in Waterford Township
Lake Size in acres Depth in feet
Baldwin Lake 9 10
Cass Lake (part) 1,280 123
Clam Lake 21 10
Crescent Lake 90 40
Eagle Lake 19 20
Elizabeth Lake 363 72
Fiddle Lake 9 10
Geneva Lake 19 35
Huntoon Lake 42.5 15
Lake Angelus (part) 477 88
Lake Oakland (most) 255 64
Lake Goodrich 4 10
Leggets Lake 25 10
Lester Lake (most) 12 25
Loon Lake 243 73
Lotus Lake (most) 179 65
Maceday Lake 234 117
Mohawk Lake 23 33
Morgan Lake 28 25
Otter Lake 74 50
Pleasant Lake 92 52
Pontiac Lake (part) 612 34
Rainbow Lake 5 15
Schoolhouse Lake 37 49
Scott Lake 77.5 35
Silver Lake 101 73
Sylvan Lake (part) 532 71
Upper Silver Lake (part) 35.5 30
Van Norman Lake (part) 66 90
Watkins Lake 238 25
White Horse Lake 8 10
Williams Lake 155 45
Woodhull Lake (most) 135 56
Wormer Lake 27.5 24

Demographics

According to the 2020 U.S. Census, Waterford Township had a population of 70,565.

2020 Census

According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the racial makeup of the township was:

  • 85.2% White alone
  • 5.7% Black or African American alone
  • 0.5% American Indian and Alaska native alone
  • 2.1% Asian alone
  • 0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone
  • 4.9% Two or More Races alone
  • 7.0% Hispanic or Latino
  • 81.4% White alone, not Hispanic or Latino

2010 Census

According to the 2010 Census the racial and ethnic makeup of Waterford's population was 83.7% non-Hispanic White, and 4.8% African-American, 0.4% Native American, 1.9% Asian and 6.6% Hispanic.

Transportation

Oakland County International Airport is located in Waterford Township. The airport is a hub for the airline Lakeshore Express, a local commuter airline to Pellston, and Chicago-Midway

Education

Public schools

The Waterford School District operates public schools in most of Waterford Township (the Pontiac School District serves a small portion of the township).

In 1961, Kettering High School opened and Mott High School opened in 1969. Kettering's address is now 2800 Kettering Drive in Waterford. In 2012, Durant High School, an alternative school, opened in the township at 501 N. Cass Lake Road in Waterford. All three Waterford Township public high schools were named after automobile industry pioneers; William C. Durant, Charles F. Kettering, and Charles S. Mott. Waterford Township High School was located in Waterford Township, Michigan at the corner of Highland Rd. and Crescent Lake Rd. It was closed as a high school in 1983, but the Board of Education continued to use the building for several years for various purposes. (Waterford Township: Year Opened: 1947, Year Closed: 1983).

In 1957, John D. Pierce Junior High School opened at 5145 Hatchery Road in Waterford, and Stevens T. Mason Junior High School was opened in 1965 at 3835 West Walton Blvd. in Waterford. Both junior high schools originally included grades 7 through 9. Today, both Pierce and Mason are middle schools, which include grades 6 through 8.

As of the 2015–16 school year, the Waterford School District has nine public elementary schools located within the township; William Beaumont Elementary School, Thomas M. Cooley Elementary School, Donelson Hills Elementary School, David Grayson Elementary School, Laura S. Haviland Elementary School, Douglass Houghton Elementary School, William S. Knudsen Elementary School, Riverside Elementary School, and Henry R. Schoolcraft Elementary School.

Private schools

Opened in 1960, Our Lady of the Lakes School is a private Catholic K-12 school also located in the township at 5495 Dixie Highway, just south of Waterford Village.

St. Benedict School in Waterford was in operation until circa 2003, when the campus became the lower (elementary school) of Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy; this occurred in a time when other Catholic elementary schools in the area closed. The lower school moved to the common Pontiac campus in 2013.

Community College

Waterford Township is home to the Oakland Community College Highland Lakes Campus. The campus, which opened in 1965, is located at 7350 Cooley Lake Road in Waterford.

Oakland Schools, the intermediate school district serving Oakland County, has its offices in Waterford Township.

Notable people

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Municipio de Waterford (Míchigan) para niños

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