Best Web Design in Muskegon Charter Township, MI (2026)

Web Design for Muskegon Charter Township, Michigan

Muskegon Charter Township is a suburban township on the west side of Michigan that wraps around the north and east sides of the city of Muskegon in Muskegon County. Organized in 1837, it proudly claims to be the oldest township in the state, and its Apple Avenue corridor and "Orchard View" schools nod to the region's fruit-growing past. Drained by the Muskegon River and set within Michigan's famous Lake Michigan fruit belt, it is a residential and commercial extension of the Muskegon lakeshore community.

AppWT serves Muskegon Charter Township and the surrounding Michigan area from Livonia, Michigan.

About Muskegon Charter Township

Also known as. Self-proclaimed "oldest township in the State of Michigan" (a disputed claim). The Orchard View community (after its longtime school district).

History. Organized in 1837, the same year Michigan achieved statehood, as one of the first legislatively recognized townships in the new state. At creation it was enormous, originally including parts of what are now Ottawa and Oceana counties before those areas were split off. The township claims to be the oldest in Michigan as the first officially recognized after statehood, though the claim is disputed because other townships were created earlier. The Orchard View School district traces to a one-room schoolhouse built in 1895 at Apple Avenue and Harvey Street. Population was 17,596 at the 2020 census across roughly 24 square miles, after peaking near 17,840 in 2010.

Local economy. A residential and commercial suburb of the city of Muskegon, with retail and business development along the Apple Avenue (M-46) and US-31 corridors. Part of the greater Muskegon County economy, historically built on the fur trade and a booming 19th-century lumber industry powered by mills on the Muskegon River. The county sits in the middle of Michigan's Lake Michigan "fruit belt," and apples, peaches, pears and other fruit shaped the area's agricultural identity (reflected in local names like Apple Avenue and Orchard View). Modern Muskegon County leans on advanced manufacturing, healthcare, its "blue economy" lakeshore tourism, and agribusiness. Public school districts (Orchard View and Reeths-Puffer) serving the township are among its largest institutional employers.

Culture and community. Local identity is tied to the Orchard View schools and community, whose name preserves the area's fruit-orchard heritage. Sits within the Muskegon lakeshore cultural scene, close to Lake Michigan beaches, Muskegon Lake and the county's summer tourism economy. Reeths-Puffer and Orchard View high-school athletics anchor community sports in the township. West Michigan agricultural traditions of apple orchards and cider are woven into the surrounding county's fall culture. Bordered by outdoor recreation on the Muskegon River and nearby inland lakes.

What makes Muskegon Charter Township distinct. The township boldly claims to be the oldest in all of Michigan, even though historians note several townships predate it. When first created in 1837 it was vast enough to include land now in Ottawa and Oceana counties, later carved away into separate jurisdictions. Its road and school names, Apple Avenue and Orchard View, are living reminders that this was prime fruit-belt orchard country. Though it carries the Muskegon name and hugs the city, it is governed independently as its own charter township.

Muskegon Charter Township Landmarks and Local Life

• The Muskegon River and its tributaries - which drain most of the township
• Apple Avenue (M-46) - the township's historic east-west commercial spine, and the US-31 corridor
• The Orchard View School district - whose roots go to an 1895 one-room schoolhouse at Apple Avenue and Harvey Street
• Bear Lake shoreline area on the township's western edge near North Muskegon.
• Township parks maintained by Muskegon Township Parks and Recreation.