| Official Name: | Solon Township, Michigan |
| Settlement Type: | Civil township |
| Pushpin Map: | Michigan#USA |
| Pushpin Label Position: | right |
| Pushpin Label: | Solon Township |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location within the state of Michigan##Location within the United States |
| Mapsize: | 250 |
| Coordinates: | 43.2436°N -85.6122°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name1: | Michigan |
| Subdivision Name2: | Kent |
| Leader Title: | Supervisor |
| Leader Name: | Robert Ellick |
| Leader Title1: | Clerk |
| Leader Name1: | Dorothy Willoughby |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Established Date: | 1857 |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Total Km2: | 93.96 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 36.28 |
| Area Land Km2: | 89.92 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 34.72 |
| Area Water Km2: | 4.04 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 1.56 |
| Elevation M: | 261 |
| Elevation Ft: | 856 |
| Population Total: | 6496 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | auto |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code(s) |
| Postal Code: | 49319 (Cedar Springs) 49330 (Kent City) 49343 (Sand Lake) 49345 (Sparta) |
| Area Code: | 616 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 26-081-74460[1] |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 1627088 |
Solon Township is a civil township of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 6,496 at the 2020 census,[2] a notable increase from 5,974 at the 2010 census.[3]
It is part of the Grand Rapids metropolitan area and is located about 15miles north of the city of Grand Rapids.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 36.28sqmi, of which 34.72sqmi is land and 1.56sqmi (4.30%) is water.[3]
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,662 people, 1,682 households, and 1,310 families residing in the township. The population density was 130.1sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 1,778 housing units at an average density of 49.6/mi2. The racial makeup of the township was 96.31% White, 0.26% African American, 1.16% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.60% from other races, and 1.39% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.74% of the population.
There were 1,682 households, out of which 38.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.4% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.1% were non-families. 18.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the township the population was spread out, with 28.8% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.5 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $44,814, and the median income for a family was $50,439. Males had a median income of $36,736 versus $27,451 for females. The per capita income for the township was $17,540. About 2.5% of families and 5.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 2.2% of those age 65 or over.
Nelson Township is served by four separate school districts. The majority of the township is served by Cedar Springs Public Schools. Portions of the western side of the township are served by Kent City Community Schools. A very small portion of the northeast corner of the township is served by Tri County Area Schools, and another very small portion of the northwest portion of the township is served by Grant Public School District to the north in Newaygo County.[4]
Mary Welch, 10-month old infant murdered by her parents[5]