Community Profile
LOCATION
Pittsfield Township has a land area of
27.4 square miles. The Township is located in southeast Washtenaw
County, Michigan. It is bordered on the north by the City of Ann Arbor,
and by the City of Saline to the southwest. The city of Ypsilanti is
less than a mile to the east. The Township also shares borders with the
Townships of Lodi, Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and York. Pittsfield is
transected by I-94 and US-23.
HISTORY
In 1824, Geo. W. Noyes made the first
purchase of the federal land that would later become Pittsfield
Township. This land is located in what is now Section 10 of the
Township; section 10 is located between Platt and Stone School Roads,
bordered by Packard Road on the north and Ellsworth Road on the south.
Most of this area has been annexed by the City of Ann Arbor.
This area, once part of Wayne County, became Ann Arbor Township in 1827.
The population consisted of mostly immigrants from eastern states such
as New York and Pennsylvania. By 1830, the land had been divided between
Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and Saline Townships.
The Township was originally named Pitt
Township for William Pitt, Earl of Chatham. The Sixth Legislative
Council of the Territory of Michigan passed the Act enabling the
organization of the “Township of Pitt” on March 7, 1834. This name was
retained until March 22, 1839 when it was changed to “Pittsfield
Township” by act of the Michigan State Legislature. One hundred and
thirty-three years later in 1972, the residents of Pittsfield Township
voted to become a charter township, at which time, our community became
known, as it is today, as “Pittsfield Charter Township.”
While there has been relatively steady
population growth in Pittsfield since the turn of the 19th century
starting at just over 1,000 residents, there was a tremendous increase
when the population more than doubled between 1980 and 2000 going from
12,986 to 30,167. Between 2000 and 2010 Pittsfield Township’s population
grew to 34,663.
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