Independence Township, Michigan
| Independence Township, Michigan | |
|---|---|
| Charter township | |
 Location within Oakland County |
|
 Independence Township, Michigan
|
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| Coordinates: 42°44′24″N 83°22′59″W / 42.74000°N 83.38306°WCoordinates: 42°44′24″N 83°22′59″W / 42.74000°N 83.38306°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Michigan |
| County | Oakland |
| Area | |
| • Total | 36.3 sq mi (94.0 km2) |
| • Land | 35.2 sq mi (91.2 km2) |
| • Water | 1.1 sq mi (2.8 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,112 ft (339 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 34,681 |
| • Density | 960/sq mi (370/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP codes | 48346 and 48348 |
| Area code(s) | 313 (1947-93), 810 (1993-97), 248 (1997-present), 947 (2002-present) |
| FIPS code | 26-40400 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1626511 |
| Website | twp.independence.mi.us |
Independence Township is a charter township of Oakland County, in the U.S. state of Michigan.
The City of the Village of Clarkston, autonomous and incorporated in 1992, is completely surrounded by the township.
The township is home to Pine Knob Ski Resort, and DTE Energy Music Theater.
Independence Township was named by one of its earliest settlers, Joseph Van Sycle, who came to the area in 1834 from Independence Township, New Jersey.
The first settlers arrived in Independence Township in the mid 1820s and early 1830s, primarily from New Jersey and New York. The first settler to purchase and settle land in the township was John W. Beardslee (b. 1799, d. 1883), from Sussex County, New Jersey.
While initially the township was primarily agricultural, the many lakes in the area were beginning to draw vacationers out of Detroit and other cities. In 1851, the railroad came through Clarkston, which prompted hotels to be built in the township to accommodate the resort vacationers coming to the area.
The invention of the automobile had a tremendous effect on Independence Township. Roads that were once Native American trails were paved and widened for this new mode of transportation. The old Saginaw Trail, now known as Dixie Highway, was paved as early as 1920, and Main Street (M-15) in Clarkston was paved around 1922.
The expanding national highway system brought I-75 through Independence Township 1962, spurring both business and residential development. Many farms gave way to subdivisions and strip malls as Independence Township continued evolving into part of Metropolitan Detroit.
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Wikipedia