[anna_b]

Hello,

My name is Anna and I am doing a piece of research on the various subdivisions in some US states. By subdivisions I mean towns and/or townships that are below the county.

What I need to know if people actually recognize these areas and refer to them in their daily business (e.g. when going from a place to another, when referring to they area they live in, when selling/buying a house, when dealing with the local authorities for taxes, and so on).

Or is there any other unit people they refer to when speaking of a certain area (zip codes, landmarks, etc.). Basically, do you recognize townships and know what the townships in your area are? if not, what do you use?

This is a map I made with all the townships in Michigan: https://www.google.com/fusiontables/...d=S1238303LtqE


I would appreciate it greatly if you could clear up some of this stuff for me. And I hope I made myself understood.

Thanks

[aoletsgo]

Anna
I checked out your map and it shows the boundaries for what we call cities or towns. We only use the term subdivision when referring to small housing development within a city, usual a group of similar single-family homes all built by the same developer and they have their own cute subdivision name like "McMansion Meadows".
When someone asks where you live you tell them the name of the city like "Plymouth", you do not say a ZIP Code or landmark. Also local governments can be cities, towns, villages, and townships but you just say the name of city not Redford Township or the City of Southfield. Generally, the only time people refer to a landmark is if they live on a lake as in "I live on Cass Lake".

[magellan]

I rarely say the township I live in, I say "Grand Rapids" (the city line is less than a mile away).

But I know people who live in Southeast Michigan who refer to the township they live in. I think it really depends on what part of Michigan you reside.

And aoletsgo is right. For additional research, I'd drop the term "subdivision." There is actually a classification in Michigan called "subdivision" which was part of the Michigan Subdivision Act of 1967. A subdivision is a neighborhood with homes in it, not a municipality.

Just my $.02.

[Driller1]

Statewide Search for Subdivision Plats

This site is useful to look up information on subdivisions.

[jackmichigan]

Legally, counties, cities, villages and townships are all subdivisions of the state. They only have such powers as are authorized by state law. However, most people don't think of that legal relationship--they more often think of a housing development when they hear the term "subdivision". By the way, the term "town" is not a statutorily defined government entity under Michigan law. It is merely a generic reference some people use in referring to a city or village.

As to the question of whether people refer to their Townships in identifying their locations, I think that depends quite a bit on where the township is located. For more urban townships, such as Redford Township and Canton Township in the Detroit area, they have their own well-recognized identity. They are pretty much indistinguishable from cities, and most people merely refer to them as "Redford" or "Canton". (A lot of people refer to Canton as "one of the ugliest communities in Michigan"--but that's beside the point.)

In more rural areas--and particularly when the U.S. Postal Service uses the nearest city as the mailing address--people oftentimes simply use that city when identifying where they live. Even when they are aware of the local Township government, it seems that most people from outside of that area would not be familiar with its location, so it wouldn't be a good way to try to identify a particular location. Also, for many areas in northern Michigan (cottage country, if you will), many people will use the local lake (e.g. Higgins Lake, Hubbard Lake) to describe their location.

[DTWflyer]

In Michigan, below the County level of government, there are townships, villages, and cities.

Cities are incorporated, autonomous from the county level of government, and typically provide most services to the residents.

Townships are unincorporated, and generally provide very limited services, as most services are provided at county level. There are different classifications of townships based on population size that impact the ability to levy taxes and offer some protections against annexation and incorporation into cities.

Villages, are basically split between the two, as they function like a city but are not fully autonomous from the township. They offer some service, but many of of the services still reside at the county level of government.

Townships in Michigan are generally originally based on the survey plots in 6 x 6 mile (36 sq. mile sections).

There are some exceptions. Bloomfield Township some time ago incorporated as a city but still kept "Township" in the name. Avon Township incorporated as the City of Rochester Hills in the 1980s.

[jackmichigan]

Originally Posted by DTWflyer

There are some exceptions. Bloomfield Township some time ago incorporated as a city but still kept "Township" in the name.

Or one of my favorites: the City of Orchard Lake Village. But despite keeping the quaint name, they're still a city.

As for townships there are General Law Townships and Charter Townships. Charter Townships have more authority and you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between the services of, say, Redford Township or the City of Westland (which used to be Nankin Township until 1966, as were Garden City and the City of Wayne previously).

[Nedibes]

In Lansing, most of the city is the City, but parts are the unincorporated Lansing Township; where my parents live, one street might be in the city and the next the Township, or the break might even happen halfway down the block. It's important to know which is which because parking enforcement is much stricter by Township cops and of course for homeowners there are tax implications. However, anyone asked where they live in that neighborhood will probably just say Lansing...or they might say Groesbeck, which is the neighborhood/subdivision/nearby golf course.