Few communities can boast the recreational opportunities or scenic open spaces that exist in
Springfield
Township
. Our
officials and our residents recognize and enjoy the natural resources
of the area and support our land use policies based upon conservation
and preservation of those resources.
Quality housing is nestled among the hills and trees and along the
lakeshores. Beautiful tree lined gravel roads wind throughout our
countryside. Centrally located, just 20 minutes along I-75 from either
Flint
or
Pontiac
,
Springfield
provides easy access to the major
cultural, educational and employment centers of
Southeast
Michigan
.
Springfield
Township
was established on March 2, 1836 by
the Legislature of the State of
Michigan
.
One of the very first settlements was developed along the
Detroit
and
Saginaw Turnpike, now known as
Dixie Highway
. The settlement was
known as
Springfield
.
Andersonville
,
located at the intersection of
Andersonville Road
and Big Lake Roads, was settled shortly thereafter in 1833 with the
Hamlet of Davisburg being settled in 1836.
The first Township meeting was held in the spring of 1837. Early Township
meetings focused on surveying and maintaining roads, organizing and
financing schools and solving problems of a rapidly growing community.
The first post office was located in the
Village
of
Springfield
on the
Detroit
to Saginaw
Trail in 1835. The post office in
Andersonville
operated from 1895 until
1912. The Davisburg Post Office, established
in 1857, still operates today.
The
Detroit
and Milwaukee Railroad now Canadian National was built in 1856.
Springfield
boasted two stations. One was opened in
Andersonville
and another built in Davisburg. The railroad provided a major impetus to
growth in the Township. Agriculture was the mainstay of the local
economy and trains allowed the farmers to ship produce and live stock
to market and to receive supplies and equipment.
In
1924 Dixie Highway
was paved from
Pontiac
to
Flint
. Agriculture
was already declining as a major economic activity in the Township and
this paved road allowed many residents to travel to
Pontiac
and
Flint
for employment in the developing automotive factories. Even more
changes occurred in the 1960’s with the construction of I-75. The
accessibility provided by two interchanges accelerated residential
growth in the late 1960’s and 1970’s.
Springfield
Township
has had
a long-standing commitment to Zoning and Planning dating back to the
early 1950’s. The Township Board adopted an interim Zoning Ordinance in
early 1952. This Ordinance contained five zoning districts. In 1965 an
Ordinance which contained 13 different zoning districts was adopted.
Planning and Zoning functions were coordinated with the adoption of the
Townships first Master Plan in 1972 and subsequently the adoption of an
entire new Zoning Ordinance in 1973. The 1973 Ordinance serves as a
basis for the current Zoning Ordinance.
The Township experienced very rapid residential development in the
1970’s. Between 1970 and 1980 the population nearly doubled. Out of
concern for the growth and its effects on the entire Township, the
Planning Commission embarked on a comprehensive review of the Master
Plan and the Zoning Map in the early 1980’s. As a result the revised
Master Plan and Zoning Ordinance incorporated natural resource
protection information and standards. Another comprehensive review and
update was done in the early 1990’s and again in 2002. The primary
basis for the Township’s Planning, Zoning and Land Use decisions for at
least the last 20 years has been the protection and preservation of our
abundant and very special natural resources.
In 1860
Springfield
’s
population was 1,425. By 1930 our population had diminished to 923. By
1950 our population had increased to 1,825, 1960 to 2,664, 1970 to
4,388. Due to rapid growth a special census was done in 1976 which
resulted in a population of 6,502, which increased to 8,295 by 1980.
Our population in 1990 was 9,927 and 13,338 in 2000.
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