Click here for a Video: Brief history of Townships

(Click on the triangle in the center of the photo to start the video; click your browser's back button to return here.)

And here's information specific to Pere Marquette:  Pere Marquette Charter Township is located in western Mason County, about halfway up the Lake Michigan shoreline of Michigan’s lower peninsula. The Township surrounds the city of Ludington. Over six miles of Lake Michigan shoreline bless our community with beachfront and recreational dunes. Rolling hills and farmlands, attractive neighborhoods, and inland lakes and waterways also help to define the Township’s character.

Lake Michigan strongly influences weather in Pere Marquette Township. Prevailing westerly winds across the Lake help to moderate seasonal temperatures changes resulting in slightly cooler spring and summer months and slightly warmer fall and winter months. The mean annual temperature in the Township is 46.4 degrees. The average frost-free growing season is 139 days beginning sometime in mid-May and extending until early October. Annual precipitation is 32 inches, including an average snowfall of 83 inches.  (Which may not be accurate any longer, after the winter of 2007-08!)

U.S. 10 runs east and west through the Township. The U.S. 31 highway runs north and is one of the main north/south roads in west Michigan, while the U.S. 31 expressway serves as a modern and efficient transportation link to the south.

Seven people make up the Township Board: three elected officials (the Clerk, the Supervisor, and the Treasurer) and four Trustees.  Each of the three officials has an office at the Townhall.

The Assessor, Micki Heffner, and the Building Inspector, Terry Wahr also have offices in the Township Hall. Township offices are located on South Pere Marquette Highway (Old U.S. 31) about 2 miles south of U.S. 10. Regular office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Many more dedicated people work together to make up your Township staff. You’ll find them on our other web pages, so keep exploring!