| Official Name: | Porter Township, Michigan |
| Settlement Type: | Civil township |
| Pushpin Map: | Michigan#USA |
| Pushpin Label Position: | top |
| Pushpin Label: | Porter Township |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location within the state of Michigan |
| Mapsize: | 250 |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Michigan |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Cass |
| Leader Title: | Supervisor |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Total Km2: | 141.5 |
| Area Land Km2: | 133.4 |
| Area Water Km2: | 8.1 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 3750 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Elevation M: | 278 |
| Elevation Ft: | 912 |
| Coordinates: | 41.8189°N -85.8272°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code(s) |
| Postal Code: | 49031, 49042, 49061, 49095, 49099, 49130 |
| Area Code: | 269 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 26-65720[1] |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 1626929 |
Porter Township is a civil township of Cass County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,750 at the 2020 census.[2]
Cass County—particularly Calvin, Penn, and Porter townships—was settled by Quakers from Ohio and Indiana and free blacks beginning in 1829. They became a network of people who provided freedom seekers with food, shelter, and transportation along the Underground Railroad to sites in Canada, where slavery was illegal.[3] Wright Modlin, also known as Wright Maudlin, settled in Williamsville in the 1840s.[4] He was a scout, spy, and conductor on the Underground Railroad. He made trips down to the Ohio River and into Kentucky to bring people escaping slavery directly north into Michigan. Angry slaveholders banded together for the Kentucky raid on Cass County of 1847 to recover former slaves.[5] He was also a central figure in The South Bend Fugitive Slave Case of 1849.[6]
Porter Township is located in the southeast corner of Cass County and is bordered to the east by St. Joseph County and to the south by the state of Indiana. The St. Joseph River forms part of the township border, cutting off what would have been the southeast corner of the township.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 141.5sqkm, of which 133.4sqkm is land and 8.1sqkm, or 5.73%, is water.[7]
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,794 people, 1,523 households, and 1,134 families residing in the township. The population density was 73.3sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 2,040 housing units at an average density of 39.4sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the township was 97.36% White, 0.63% African American, 0.53% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.21% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.34% of the population.
There were 1,523 households, out of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.0% were married couples living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were non-families. 20.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the township the population was spread out, with 23.3% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 30.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.1 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $51,320, and the median income for a family was $55,739. Males had a median income of $41,642 versus $27,004 for females. The per capita income for the township was $24,026. About 3.9% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.3% of those under age 18 and 11.6% of those age 65 or over.