There are seven townships (Bates, Crystal Falls township, Hermatite, Iron River township, Mansfield, Mastodon, and Stembaugh) and four cities (Caspian, Crystal Falls, Gaastra, and Iron River) in Iron County, Michigan.
Bates Township has a population of right around a thousand and covers 131.3 square miles. About 5.9 square miles are water, or just under 4.5%. This is a lightly populated predominantly white rural area. Chrystal Falls township has a population of around seventeen hundred. The city of Crystal Falls is autonomous of the township. The township covers 235.2 square miles with 6.4 square miles being water. The majority of the rural population here is white with large Finnish and German background. Hematite township has a population of 352 as of 2000, many of which live in the unincorporated community of Amasa. The township covers 155.8 square miles with 2.3 square miles of water. The largely white populated township is named for the hematite iron ore that make up a lot of the rocks in the area. Over a third of the population claims a Finnish ancestry.
Iron River township has a population just under sixteen hundred. The city of Iron River and the unincorporated community of Beechwood exist within the boarders of the township. Iron River City is self administered while Beechwood is not. The township covers 243.9 square miles of which 4.4 square miles are water (1.8%). The population is mostly white with a noticeable African American group also. The whites here are mostly of German ancestry. Mansfield township has a population of 243 and covers an area of 107.7 square miles of which 8.4 square miles are water. Much of this is the Michigamme River. There are two unincorporated communities, Colony Corners and Mansfield Location, within the township borders. Most of the population was white or mixed race, with Polish, English, and Swedish leading the ancestry.
Masodon township is home to 668 people, many of which live in the village of Alpha. The Brule River divides this township from Wisconsin, and it has 135.3 square miles of territory with 8.8 square miles being water. The population here is nearly completely white, with over two fifths being Polish and German decent. Stambaugh has a population of around twelve hundred and fifty, and covers over 190 square miles. Existing communities include Caspian and Gaastra as well as the unincorporated Elmwood. The predominant white population is largely German and Italian decent.
Caspian has a population of about a thousand, is mostly white (Italian ancestry) with Native American. Crystal Falls, population around 1800 is the county seat. Those living here are mostly white with Finnish and Italian background. The town hosts two major festivals, the Annual Fisheree in February and the Humungus Fungus Fest. Gaastra, population under 350, mostly white and Italian background. Surprisingly nearly 3% speak Polish as their first language. Iron River has a population just over 3000 due to the merger of Stambaugh and Mineral Hills with the city. Most of the population is German, Swedish, or Italian based white with nearly 2% being Native American.
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