About Us
Raisin Charter Township
Raisin Charter Twp, located 45 minutes south of Ann Arbor and Detroit Metro Airport, and 45 minutes north of Toledo. A quiet suburban, rural community, that will allow you, your family, and your business to flourish.
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A Great Place to Live!
The government of Raisin Charter Township was organized in 1826. Earlier, Raisin Township was a creation of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. The geographic features of the Township was a forest of large trees with pockets of rich soil and the River Raisin. The River Raisin was the dominant geographic and economic feature to the earlier settlers. The first Township settlers were hardy, God-fearing farmers who traveled west from the States of New York, Pennsylvania, and several other New England states. The two major early churches organized by the settlers were the Raisin Valley Friends Church and the Presbyterian church of Raisin. These settlers were politically and social active members of their community, county, and state. Shortly after the first settlers built their homes, public schools were built and system of formal education began.
Elizabeth Margaret Chandler, (1807 – 1834) was a noted poet and writer of Pennsylvania and Michigan and was the first women writer in America to make the abolition of slavery her principle theme. She relocated to Raisin Township, Michigan in 1830 with her Aunt and Brother, in order to start a farm which they called Hazlebank. She became an active participant along with other township residents, in the Underground Railroad, which provided safe passage of escaping southern slaves to the Northern States and Canada.
You can visit the Historical Chandler Cemetery here in RaisinTownship during normal Park and Cemetery Hours.
From the Township’s sound beginning, it has progressed under the laws of the State of Michigan to the status of being chartered in 1978 by resident voters. The population has grown to officially 6705 as of the 2000 census. The 2020 census showed our numbers to be 7900.
In fact, during the economic downturn of 2007 through 2009, Raisin Charter Township continued to grow, with new construction, home improvements and that continues to the present day.
The good farmland in the southern part of the Township has stayed in the hands of descendants of the first families and the northern part of the Township has taken on a more settled, urbanization. The two areas complement one another. The River Raisin remains a reminder of the Township’s rich heritage.