Grosse Ile, Michigan
| Grosse Ile Township, Michigan | |
|---|---|
| General law township | |
 Location in Wayne County and the state of Michigan |
|
| Coordinates: 42°7′48″N 83°9′37″W / 42.13000°N 83.16028°WCoordinates: 42°7′48″N 83°9′37″W / 42.13000°N 83.16028°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Michigan |
| County | Wayne |
| Government | |
| • Supervisor | Mr. Brian Loftus |
| Area | |
| • Total | 18.3 sq mi (47.5 km2) |
| • Land | 9.6 sq mi (24.9 km2) |
| • Water | 8.7 sq mi (22.6 km2) |
| Elevation | 594 ft (181 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 10,371 |
| • Density | 1,080.3/sq mi (417.1/km2) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 48138 |
| Area code(s) | 734 |
| FIPS code | 26-35420 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1626407 |
Grosse Ile Township is a general law township of Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The township is situated on several islands in the Detroit River, but the largest island is also referred to as simply Grosse Ile. The name comes from the French Grosse Île, meaning "Fat Island". The population was 10,371 at the 2010 census.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 18.3 square miles (47 km2), of which 9.6 square miles (25 km2) is land and 8.7 square miles (23 km2), or 47.4%, is water.
Grosse Ile is the largest island on the Detroit River. The township of Grosse Ile is actually composed of twelve islands, although the community is most often identified with the main island (which residents simply refer to as "The Island"). Grosse Ile's main island is technically composed of two islands.
The tip of the main island's northern section is named Hennepen Point in honor of the 17th century French explorer Father Louis Hennepin. It is uninhabited and separated from the remainder of the northern section by an unnamed canal that cannot be navigated in a power boat.
The southern section of the main island is separated from the northern section by the Thorofare Canal, which runs on a diagonal course from east to west connecting the main channel of the Detroit River with the Trenton Channel of the river. The southern section of the main island is connected by bridges to Elba Island, Meso Island (also known as Upper Hickory Island), Hickory Island, and Swan Island, which are all inhabited.
Not far from the shoreline of the main island in the river lie Calf Island, Celeron Island (charted as Tawas Island), Dynamite (also known as Powder House Island), Fox Island, Stony Island, and Sugar Island, which are all uninhabited. Stony and Celeron are owned by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Calf Island is owned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a part of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge. The other islands are privately owned. Mamajuda Island lies off the northeastern tip of Grosse Ile and only appears during times of low water level.
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