Metro Detroit Macomb County Charter township
Harrison Charter Township
Marinas, beaches and Selfridge, right where the Clinton River meets Lake St. Clair
- People (2025 estimate)
- 23,984
- Land area
- 14.2 sq mi · 36.9 km²
- From downtown
- 21.2 miles · 34 km · northeast
- Incorporated
- 1827
Nothing on our calendar here this week yet.
01 / Why it matters
Why Harrison Charter Township matters
Harrison Township sits on the northwest shore of Lake St. Clair, where the Clinton River empties into the lake. Marinas, canals and the beach at Lake St. Clair Metropark line the shore, and summer here is all about the beach and the boats.
The northern part of the township is taken up by Selfridge Air National Guard Base, which in 1917 became one of only nine military airfields in the country. The 1st Pursuit Group was based here, Charles Lindbergh was assigned here in 1927, and in 1943 the Tuskegee Airmen's 332nd Fighter Group moved in.
The shoreline is full of dreams that didn't pan out: Belvidere, founded in 1835, was flooded out in 1838, and a would-be port town platted as Liverpool in 1856 never took off. What stuck: the lake, the boats and Luigi's the Original, a Detroit-style pizza classic.
02 / Known for
What Harrison Charter Township is known for
Selfridge Air National Guard Base, a military airfield since 1917, named for Lt. Thomas Selfridge, who in 1908 became the first person killed in a powered airplane crash.
The Tuskegee Airmen: the 332nd Fighter Group moved to Selfridge on March 29, 1943, and the 477th Bombardment Group was reactivated here in 1944.
Lake St. Clair Metropark, a Detroit-area beach favorite since 1950 that locals still call Metro Beach.
Luigi's the Original, which GQ critic Alan Richman put on his 2009 list of the 25 best pizzas in America.
The lost villages: Belvidere (1835 to 1838) and Liverpool (1856), which never got off the ground.
03 / What’s on
What’s on in Harrison Charter Township
Nothing on our calendar in Harrison Charter Township right now. Try the neighbors:
04 / Places
7 places on our site in Harrison Charter Township
05 / What to do
If you’re in Harrison Charter Township
Lake St. Clair Metropark
A 770-acre lakefront park at Jefferson and Metro Parkway with a 1,000-foot beach, a pool with slides, par-3 golf, a mile-long shoreline trail and a nature center where 275 bird species have been spotted; skating and cross-country skiing in winter.
Official site ↗Selfridge Military Air Museum
An aviation museum on the base with an outdoor air park; in 2026 it's open Friday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., through October 31, but you need to apply online for base access at least 10 days ahead.
Official site ↗
06 / History
Harrison Charter Township through the years
- 1827
Harrison Township is formed in the Michigan Territory on the shore of Lake St. Clair.
- 1835
The Conger brothers from Cleveland found Belvidere near the mouth of the Clinton River; it floods out in 1838.
- 1917
Pilot training begins at Selfridge Field in July.
- 1943
On March 29 the Tuskegee Airmen's 332nd Fighter Group completes its move to Selfridge.
- 1950
Today's Lake St. Clair Metropark opens, then called St. Clair Metropolitan Beach.
- 1978
On November 13 Harrison becomes a charter township.
07 / Born here
1 people in our lexicon were born here
08 / People
Famous names from here
- Candice Miller In 1980 she became Harrison Township's first woman and youngest supervisor, and later Michigan Secretary of State and a member of Congress.
Sources
Population and area are Census Bureau figures (Harrison charter township).
- 2020 Census, Michigan (PL 94-171)
- Census Bureau population estimates: cities and towns
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrison_Township,_Michigan
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selfridge_Air_National_Guard_Base
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Selfridge
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_St._Clair_Metropark
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit-style_pizza
- selfridgeairmuseum.org
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selfridge_Military_Air_Museum
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candice_Miller
- harrisontownshipmi.gov
Change since 2020, per the Census Bureau estimate: −1.4 percent.
Save the plan. Share the moment.
