Washtenaw County, Michigan
Healthy Home Assessments in Manchester Township
River Raisin mill town and township in Washtenaw's southwest corner whose late-1800s water power built a bustling milling center, still gathered around its village Main Street. One assessment, then a plan you can act on.
Manchester Township, house by house
On the record: Home of the Manchester Chicken Broil, the largest event of its kind, serving about 10,000 dinners in four hours since 1954.
The housing stock
Owner-occupancy sits at 84.8%, and 79.9% of all units are detached single-family homes, per 2023 five-year Census figures. Bachelor's attainment among adults is 36.1%.
Water at July River changes what humidity does, so moisture and condensation get the longest look.
Ground that fixes Manchester Township on the map:
- John F. Schneider Blacksmith Shop. 1877 wagon works turned blacksmith shop, one of Michigan's last intact Main Street smithies, run as a working-forge museum since the historical society bought it in 1982.
- Manchester Mill and waterfall. River Raisin mill site begun in 1832; by 1870 the river's dams powered three flour mills, a woolen factory, and more.
- Chicken Broil pits. Four 100-foot charcoal pits where 500 volunteers broil roughly 10,000 chicken dinners in four hours every July.
- River Raisin village riverfront. Riverside green space around the historic mill and waterfall.
- Manchester Chicken Broil grounds. Community event grounds of the annual broil that began in August 1954 for the athletic field fence fund.
Where the addresses are
Inside Manchester Township sits one named district, Village of Manchester. Village of Manchester: Historic mill village at the township's heart, now a city.