Metro Detroit Wayne County Charter township
Van Buren Charter Township
Belleville Lake, Willow Run Airport and Rawsonville, a village partly lost to the lake
- People (2025 estimate)
- 29,770
- Land area
- 34.0 sq mi · 88.1 km²
- From downtown
- 23.7 miles · 38 km · west
- Incorporated
- 1835
Nothing on our calendar here this week yet.
01 / Why it matters
Why Van Buren Charter Township matters
Van Buren Township was carved out of Huron Township on April 6, 1835, and named for Martin Van Buren, then vice president. It wraps all the way around the city of Belleville, which is why so much around here just goes by "Belleville." The railroad reached Denton in 1838 and Belleville in 1881.
In 1926 Detroit Edison's French Landing Dam turned the narrow Huron River into a long lake, and the area became a resort: city folks came out to swim and fish and built summer cottages on the shore. Part of the old village of Rawsonville went under the water; today only a historical marker at Rawsonville and Grove Roads keeps its name.
World War II sped everything up: the "Bomber Highway," today's I-94, was built, and Willow Run Airport opened on the township's western edge next to Ford's giant bomber plant, which turned out 8,865 B-24 Liberators from 1942 to 1945, some of them as kits. The airport now handles cargo, corporate and general aviation flights, and the township is also home to the headquarters of auto electronics maker Visteon.
02 / Known for
What Van Buren Charter Township is known for
Belleville Lake, formed behind the French Landing Dam in 1926
Willow Run Airport, opened in 1942 beside Ford's B-24 bomber plant
Rawsonville, the old village partly flooded by the lake
Headquarters of auto electronics company Visteon
03 / What’s on
What’s on in Van Buren Charter Township
Nothing on our calendar in Van Buren Charter Township right now. Try the neighbors:
04 / What to do
If you’re in Van Buren Charter Township
Belleville Area Museum
The township's 1875 old hall on Belleville's Main Street, now the area history museum, jointly funded by the township and the city.
Official site ↗Lower Huron Metropark
A regional park along the Huron River: woods, meadows, a bike trail, canoeing and a summer water park.
Official site ↗Belleville Lake
Hundreds of lakefront homes ring the lake, and it's still the area's main playground: fishing, boating and sunsets.
Official site ↗
05 / History
Van Buren Charter Township through the years
- 1835
On April 6, Van Buren Township is created from Huron Township.
- 1838
The railroad reaches Denton.
- 1875
The township's first hall is built for $1,500; until then business was done in private homes.
- 1926
The French Landing Dam turns the Huron River into a lake, flooding part of Rawsonville.
- 1942
Willow Run Airport opens; in September the first Ford-built Liberators roll out of the neighboring plant.
- 1995
The Belleville Area Museum moves into the old township hall.
Sources
Population and area are Census Bureau figures (Van Buren charter township).
- 2020 Census, Michigan (PL 94-171)
- Census Bureau population estimates: cities and towns
- vbtmi.gov/community/about_us/index.php
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Buren_Charter_Township,_Michigan
- vbtmi.gov/community/about_us/martin_van_buren.php
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Landing_Dam_and_Powerhouse
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willow_Run_Airport
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visteon
- vbtmi.gov/community/belleville_area_museum/index.php
- metroparks.com/lower-huron-metropark
- bellevilleonthelake.com/about-us
- vbtmi.gov
Change since 2020, per the Census Bureau estimate: −2.0 percent.
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