Bedford Township, Monroe County, Michigan

There is also Bedford Charter Township, in Calhoun County.

Bedford Township, Michigan
Civil Township
Bedford Township Government Center Bedford Township Government Center
Location of Bedford Township within Monroe County. Location of Bedford Township within Monroe County.
Bedford Township, Michigan Location within the state of Michigan
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Monroe
Area
• Total	39.3 sq mi (101.7 km2)
• Land	39.1 sq mi (101.3 km2)
• Water	0.2 sq mi (0.4 km2)
Elevation	650 ft (198 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	31,085
• Density	731.5/sq mi (282.4/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	48144 (Lambertville), 48177 (Samaria P.O. Box), 48182 (Temperance)
FIPS code	26-06740
GNIS feature ID	1625906

Bedford Township is a civil township of Monroe County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Bedford Township was organized in 1836. The population was 31,085 at the 2010 census, making it Toledo's largest suburb. The unincorporated communities of Temperance, Lambertville and Samaria are located within the township. The township is directly north of Toledo, Ohio, sharing its entire southern boundary with the northern boundary of Toledo. Bedford Township also has strong cultural ties to the Metro Detroit area and Monroe, Michigan.

Communities

• Lambertville is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in the southwest part of the township. The Lambertville ZIP code, 48144, serves the southwest part of Bedford Township.
• Samaria is an unincorporated community in the northern part of the township at . The Ann Arbor Railroad was extended to Samaria circa 1872. Samaria was platted in 1884, and named for Sam and Mary Weeks, early settlers. A post office was established in January 1879. The Samaria ZIP code, 48177, provides P.O. Box service for the area.
• Temperance is an unincorporated community and census-designated place near the center of the township. The Temperance ZIP code, 48182, serves most of Bedford Township outside of the Lambertville area.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 39.3 square miles (102 km²), of which 39.1 square miles (101 km²) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km²) (0.41%) is water.

Education

Bedford Township and a few surrounding areas are serviced by Bedford Public Schools, which includes Smith Road (Closed), Temperance Road (Closed), Douglas Road, Jackman Road, and Monroe Road Elementary Schools, Bedford Junior High School, and Bedford Senior High School. Between 2010 and 2012, facing budget constraints and a declining enrollment, the school board decided to close Smith Road Elementary and Temperance Road Elementary. Students from both schools were absorbed into the remaining elementary schools. Also, Spring Arbor University operates a location geared for adults in Lambertville, and Monroe County Community College operates a branch of its college in Bedford Township named the Whitman Center.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 28,606 people, 10,327 households, and 8,086 families residing in the township. The population density was 731.5 per square mile (282.4/km²). There were 10,659 housing units at an average density of 272.6 per square mile (105.2/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 97.56% White, 0.40% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.41% from other races, and 0.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.93% of the population.

There were 10,327 households out of which 38.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.5% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.7% were non-families. 18.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the township the population was spread out with 28.1% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.1 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $59,835, and the median income for a family was $67,239. Males had a median income of $50,754 versus $31,165 for females. The per capita income for the township was $24,131. About 2.7% of families and 4.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.

Media

Despite being a bedroom community, there are two newspapers that focus on Bedford Township: Bedford Now and the Bedford Press. In addition, the nearby Toledo Blade daily newspaper covers Bedford Township and the surrounding community through its Neighbors Section. Bedford Township also has a radio station, despite being in the Toledo Radio area, WMLZ-LP that is owned by Bedford Public Schools and is a student-run station that went on the air in 2002. WMLZ-LP broadcasts with the power of 100 watts and plays a classic rock format.

Residents of Note

Jeff Myers Jr., Lambertville: A 2015 Bedford High School graduate, Myers was the 2014 ARCA Truck Series Rookie of the Year. Through the first eight completed races of the 2015 ARCA Truck Series season, Myers won four races.

External links

• Bedford Watch
• Bedford Township
• Bedford, Michigan info from Toledo.com
• Bedford Now newspaper
• Toledo (OH) Blade Michigan Neighbors Section
• Bedford Township Facebook Page (a community page, not operated by the township government)