Canton Township dates to 1825, and 13 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 58% of U.S. towns · #299 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Most of Canton Township was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1991. 13 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 11 buildings between them. Below: maps from 1905 on and the census since 1850.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1852.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Canton Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Canton Township is more historic than 58% of U.S. towns, #299 of 701 in Michigan. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Canton Township’s overall grade.
Few Michigan towns list much on the Register (a typical Michigan town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Canton Township’s 2.4 sits above most of its state (71% of Michigan towns have fewer) while its 24 historic buildings outnumber those of 80% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1825.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share (±0.4 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Canton Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Earlier, on October 20, 1829, the legislature had passed a bill creating the townships of Lima and Richland out of Bucklin Township. Governor Lewis Cass returned the acts unapproved, citing a conflict under the law. The names conflicted with post offices in existence, contrary to a territorial law from April 12, 1827, which prohibited incorporation of a new township bearing the same name as any existing post office. The legislature thus had to substitute the names of Nankin and Pekin after the cities of Nanjing (Nanking) and Beijing (Peking) in China. The name of Pekin was extinguished when it was renamed Redford in 1833.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Canton Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1905Plymouth sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Canton Township.
People over time
Canton Township, census by census
Grew from 1,333 people in 1850 to 98,659 in 2020, more than tenfold.
18 censuses, 1850–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Canton Township’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
14 famous people were born in Canton Township
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
In 1825, according to Wikidata. Canton Township’s post office opened in 1852, and the census of 1850 counted 1,333 people here.
How does Canton Township rank for history?
Canton Township is more historic than 58% of U.S. towns, #299 of 701 in Michigan. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Canton Township?
13 listings: 10 buildings, 2 historic districts, the John and Edna Trusdell Fischer Farmstead and the Cherry Hill Historic District, with 11 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 24 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Canton Township?
1% of Canton Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1991.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikidata (4), the National Register of Historic Places (13), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
