SUBDWESION TRENDS lN
SOUTHWESTERN MICHIGAN

Thesis for fin Dawn 0" M. S.
MECHRGAN STATE UNWERSITY

John E. Hostetler
1957

. r... (g .,
3.x ‘ ~

 

SUBDIVISIonk mamas
IN SOUTHWESTERN MICHIGAN

By
JOHN E. HwTETLER

AN ABSTRACT
Submitted to the College of Agriculture of Michigan

State University of Agriculture and Applied
Science in partial fulfillment of th

requirements for the degree of
MASTER OF SCIENCE
Department of Agricultural Economics
1957 l,;
\ 0

Approved by% éa/m E:
) W

John E. Hbstetler

ABSTRACT

This study deals with the effects of the subdivision boom which
followed'WOrld War II on agriculture in a six county'area in south_
western.Michigan. Building booms have touched off epidemics of excess
subdividing on frequent occasions in the past history of the united
States. This study considers the extent to which this has happened
during the past decade.

Data were collected and analyzed for 689 subdivisions platted in
Allegan, Berrien, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph, and Van Buren counties
between l9h6 and 1956. Of the 689 subdivisions, 280 may be characterized
as prematurely platted. They were layed out in reaponse to intense
demands for building lots, and in many instances, they show little or
no planning on the part of the land developers. However, most of the
more recent subdivisions are in better locations and are building up ‘
rapidly - an indication of better planning. Subdivision trends in
each of the six counties is steady to upward. Current trends in popu-
lation growth and demand for building sites suggest that the peak of
the boom has not as yet been reached.

The 689 subdivisions studied account for a total of 11,h76 acres,
an average of 16.65 acres per subdivision. 'When classified according
to type of farm land before platting, it was found that 1,607 acres were
never farmed, h,070 acres were idle or poor farm land, 5,097 acres were
fair farm land and 702 acres were good farm land. ‘Much of the land

\
clasSified as idle or poor is fair to good land yet for one reason or

John E. Hostetler

another had been left idle.

There has been an upward trend in the anount of small tract develop-
ment within the areas Many farms have been split up to make 5-, 10-,
and ZO-acre part-time farm units. Although proposed new highways are
expected to take only 5,8h0 acres in the area, they will contribute to
further subdivision and small tract development. These developments
leawamany farmers with isolated holdings of uneconomic size. Some of
these areas will be purchased by subdividers and Speculators and then
contribute further to the declining importance of agriculture in.the
area.

If agriculture is to be retained in these six counties, an education-
al program indicating the benefits from land use planning, zoning, new
systems of taxation and subdivision regulation must be presented to the
people. A revision of the Plat Law is needed.which will clarify certain
details in the law and Spell out the specific duties of the local of-
ficials who administer the law. A test case should be taken through
the courts so that all concerned will know where they stand. Perhaps
appointed county officials might better be able to execute the duties
of office than elected officials.

Agriculture has and will be moving northward in Michigan. Some
funds should be channeled into research on new technology developing
the strains and varieties needed to produoe most efficiently in the

changing environment.

SUBDIVISION TRENDS

IN SOUTHWESTERN MICHIGAN

By

JOHN E. HOSTETLER

A THESIS
Submitted to the College of Agriculture of Michigan
State University of Agriculture and Applied

Science in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of

MASTER OF SCIENCE
Department of Agricultural Economics

1957

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The author wishes to express his gratitude to the many peeple who
helped with the development and completion of this study and the pre-
paration of the manuscript.

Special thanks are expressed by the author to Dr. Raleigh Barlowe
for providing much of the incentive and inspiration necessary in com-
pleting the study and for the supervision and interest which he has
given to this study.

The author wishes to thank his fellow graduate students for the
many helpful suggestions made during the preparation of this thesis.

Financial assistance provided by Dr. L. L. Boger, Head of the
Agricultural Economics Department, made it possible for the author to
complete this study.

Thanks are expressed to Mrs. Dorothy Hart, of the secretarial
staff of the Department of Agricultural.Economics, fer the typing of
the final manuscript.

The authors deepest appreciation is expressed to his wife, Beverly,
whose helpful suggestions, constructive criticisms, and encouragement
made the completion of this work a reality;

Full responsibility remains with the author for any omissions or

mistakes that are found in the manuscript.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter Page
I, INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Reason for This Study. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Previous Studies and Investigations. . . . . . . . . . 3
Objectives of This Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
II COLLECTION OF THE DATA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Nature and Source of Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Characteristics of the Area Studied . . . . . . . . . 1h
Processing of the Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Methods of Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Limitations of the Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
III SUBDIVISION'TRENHS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Growth From 19h6 to 1956 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
PrematureSubdivision................27
PoorTypeSubdi‘Visions................36

The Plat Law -- How it Operates in the Area
UnderStudy.....................38

Agricultural Importance ofthe Area . . . . . . . . . bl
Iv TIPEOFIANDSUBDIVIDED 1.5
Introduction..................... 1.5
Estimated Acreage SubdiVided . . . . . . . . . . . . . NS

Classification of Land Subdivided . . . . . . . . . . ha

Chapter Page

Land Quality of the.Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

V FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO DEVELOPMENT OF SUBDIVISIONS . . 69
Small Tracts and Highways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Pepulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Work Off-Farms and Age of Farmers . . . . . . . . . . 7?

VI SLM'IARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOI-TZEJ‘JDATIONS . . . . . . . . 824
'Summary and Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8h
Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
.APPENDIX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9O

BIBLIQ’I'ID'IAP“LIY . . . . O O . O Q . O O O . O O O O O O O I 102

Table

II

III

VI

VII

VI II

XI

XII

XIII

IIST OF TABLES

Number of Lots Subdivided in the Six County Area by
Month and Year for the Period 19116 to 1956 . . . . . . .

Number of Subdivisions in the Six County Area by Month
andIearforthe Periodl9h6 tol956 . . . . . . . . . .

Percentage Build-Up of Subdivisions by County, Year
andTOWnSMPIJIWhiChSI-‘bdivided e e e e e e o e e e e 0

Agricultural Importance of the Six Counties Under Stuch'
in the United States and Michigan over the ten Year
Per10d19h6t019560.0000000000000000

Classification of the Types of Land SubdiVided, in Acres,
for the Six County Area of Michigan during the Period
19h6t0195600000000000000eeeeeeee

Changes in the Acreage for Kalamazoo County and the Six
County Area as a Result of Comparing the Unclassified
Acreage with the County as a Whole . . . . . . . . . . .

Changes in the Acreage for Kalamazoo County and the Six
County Area as a Result of Comparing the Unclassified
Acreage with the Four Surrounding Townships . . . . . .

Classification of the Types of Land Subdivided, in
Percentages of the Acreage Subdivided, for the Six
County Area of Michigan during the Period 19146 to 1956 .

Estimated County Land Area in Acres as a Result of
Subtracting Estimated Lake and Stream Acreages From
CountyTotalAreaS...................

Agricultural Land Classes in Michigan by Counties . . . .

Estimated Acreages of the Four Classes of Land in the
SixCountiesUnderStudy................

Percentages of Each of Three Land Classes Subdivided
by County for the ten Year 191:6 to 1956, in the.
Area under Stum- O O O O O O O O O O O C O O O C O O O .

Percentage Change in Population by Five Year Periods
From 19ho-1955 With Projections From 1955—1970 . . . . .

26

29-3b

1:3

50

63
6S

66

67

75

Table Page

XIV Number and Percentage of Michigan Farm Operators Having
Off-Farm Work during 191.0, 1950, and 1951., by
Economc Area 0 0 O 0 O O O O O O O O O O O O O O I O O 79

XV Number and Percentage of Farm Operators Ether Working
on or off the Farm by Age Group and Making Over
$2500F‘romFaminginl956............... 82

XVI Number and Percentage of Farm Operators Either Born on
or Ewing Present Farm by Age Group and Making Over
$2500 From Farming in 1956 e e e e e e e e e e e e o e e 82

XVII Number of Lots Subdivided in Allegan County by Month
and.Iear for the PeriOd 19h6 to 1956 e e e e e e e e e e 90

XVIII Number of Lots Subdivided in Berrien County by Month
andYear for the Periodl9h6 tol956 . . . . . . . . . . 9O

XIX Number of Lots Subdivided in Cass County by Month
and Year for the Period 19h6 to 1956 e e o e e e e e e e 92

XX Number of Lots Subdivided in Kalamazoo County by Month
and Year for the Period 19h6 to 1956 e e e e e e e e e e 92

XXI Number of Lots Subdivided St. Joseph County by Month
andYearfdrthePeriod19h6tol956 . . . . . . . . . . 9h

XXII Number of Lots Subdivided in Van Buren County by Month
andrearrortherer-iod19h6tol956 . . . . . . . . . . 9h

XXIII Number of Subdivisions in Allegan County by Month and
Year for the PeriOd 19h6 to 1956 e o e e e e e e e o e e 96

XXIV Number of Subdivisions in Berrien County by Month and
Year for the PeriOd 19h6 to 1956 o e e o e o e o o o e e 96

XXV Number of Subdivisions in Cass County by Month and
Year fbr the Period.19h6 to 1956 e e e e e e e e e e e o 98

XXVI Number of Subdivisions in Kalamazoo County by Month and
Year for the Pericd 19h6 to 1956 e e e e e e e e e o e e 98

XXVII Number of Subdivisions in St. Joseph County by Month and
YearforthePeriodl9h6tol9S6 . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

XXVIII Number of Subdivisions in Van Buren County by Month and
Year for the Period 19146 to 1956 . . . . . . . . . . . . lOO

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure Page

1 Six County Area.Location with Respect to the Remainder
Of the State 0 e e e e e e e e e e e e o e e e e o e e e 17

2 Enlargement of the Six County Area Showing County Seats
and Major Towns and Cities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

3 Number of Lots Subdivided in the Six County Area by Year
for the Period 19h6 to 1956 e e e e e e e e e e o e e 0 2h

h Number of subdivisions in the Six County Area by Year for
the PeriOd 19h6 to 1956 e e e e e o e o e e o e e o e e 26

S POpulation Estimates 1939-1955, Six County Area . . . . . 7h

6 ' Pepulation Estimates 19hO-1955, Projections to 1970 by
Five Year Periods for the Six County Area . . . . . . . 76

7 Percentage Change in POpulation by Five Year Periods
l9hO-l97o, PrOjeCtions from 1955 g e g e e e e e e e e e 78

8 Number of Lots Subdivided in.Allegan County by Year
for the Period 19h6 to 1956 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

9 Number of Lots Subdivided in Berrien County by Year
for the Period l9h6 to 1956 ; . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

10 Number of Lots Subdivided in Cass County by Year
for the PBriodrl9h6 to 1956 e e e e e e e e e e e e e e 93

ll meber of Lots Subdivided in Kalamazoo County by Year
for the Period l9h6 to 1956 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

12 Number of Lots Subdivided in St. Joseph County by Year
for the PeriOd 19h6 to 1956 o e e e e o e e e e o e e o 95

13 Number of Lots Subdivided in.Van Buren County by Year
for the Period 19h6 to 1956 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

1h Number of Subdivisions in Allegan County by month and
Year for the Period 19h6 to 1956 e e e e e e e e e e e o 97

15 Number of Subdivisions in Berrien County by Month and
Year for the PariOd 19h6 to 1956 o O 0 e e e e e e o e o 97

Figure
16 Number
Year
17 Number
Year
18 Number
Year
19 Number

Year

of Subdivisions in Cass County by Month and

for the Period 19116 to

1956 O O O O O O O O O O O

of subdivisions in Kalamazoo County by Mbnth and

for the Period 19b6 to

of Subdivisions in St.
for the Period l9h6 to

of Subdivisions in Van
for the Period l9h6 to

1956.00.00.0000

Joseph County by Month and
1956 C O O O O O O O O C C

Buren County by Month and
19% O O O O O O O O O O O

Page

99

99

101

101

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION

Everyone in the united States has an interest in land. This in-
terest may have been built up over many generations of farming or
through the ownership of residential or business property in some
metropolitan area. Since nest European countries are much more depend-
ent upon agriculture than the United States, those people who have
emigrated fron.these countries also have a love for the land.

Those who own their own homes are keenly aware of the area bounded
by their lot lines. Similarly, farmers run line fences or place mariners
to establish their boundries. Every day, arguments over boundry lines
are settled by engineers and surveyors. The reason for the interest in
land and the arguments over it stem from the land tenure systsn of the
United States. This tenure system, which is characterized by a desire
of individuals to own their own land, has developed in this country ever
since its discovery.

In a tribal society such.as that which the colonial settlers found
in America, problems of land ownership did not exist as we know them
today; There were some arguments between tribes when one would eneromda
on the hunting grounds of another. But the arguments were not over the
ownership of specific land areas as such as thethere over the game
which roamed these areas. As the society progresses in complexity and
the population increases, the problem of subdivision of the available
land presents itself. First in the forn.of land divided into areas

suitable to crops, pasture, and forest; later following a division of

labor the use of land. is required for a wide and growing variety of
purposes.

In a dynamic society, however, the correct solution of the problem
of what constitutes at a certain time the highest and best use of a
given piece of land is never a permanent solution. As population in-
creases or declines, as new methods and ferns of production and trans-
portation evolve, and as standards of living change, additional variables
are introduced into the complex formula which determines the highest and
best use. Certain lands now located within the larger cities have passed
by rapid stages from forestry through general farming, specialised form-
ing, suburban residence, and urban residence, to intensive retail, office
and banking uses. In some of our larger cities office buildings, ware-
houses, and multiple type housing units which, formerly were considered
as the highest and best use, are now being torn down to make way for a
new higher and better use 3 in the form of parks and recreational areas,
limited access super highways, and multi-level parking garages.

Throughout the history of the United States there has been an
abundance of land for all uses. Every major war has been followed,
however, by an inflationary period characterised by high prices and ex-
panded business activity which has contributed to the growth and ex-
pansion of towns and cities. These periods have been accompanied in
many instances by terrific booms and busts. Many people have speculated
on the future value of land ard many have been ruined, losing large
fortunes as the peak of the been passed.

These early periods of growth were of no great consequence to the
rural segment of America since there was still much good farm land

3
undeveloped. Of late, however, with the almost complete disappearance

of the frontier there remains much less land to be converted into crop-
land. Since the land with the lowest development cost, assuming equal
accessibility, was converted to use first, that which remains requires

a much larger investment to bring it into cultivation.
Reason for This Study

The need for building and other raw materials during world War II
was so great that it necessitated the refusal of building priorities to
almost everyone. Only the most urgent building needs were net and for
the most part these did not include residential housing. It is not
surprising then that we find a growing need for new housing as we approach
the end of the Iar.

With 191:6, came a building boom, touched off by the end of World
Her 11 and the release of building controls. Suburbs around our large
cities expanded rapidly and our small towns grew. The need for this
growth was implemented by the increased birth rate, earlier marriages,
backlog of unfilled demands from the 19303, and the curtailment of
normal expansion during the War period.

The availability of credit coupled with the capital reserves
accmnulated by factory workers and salaried employees, during the War
period added to the ever increasing rate of building. Only recently,
with the onset of the "tight money" policy in Washington, has there
been any real check in the rate of new home building. Yet this has not
seemed to decrease the amount of new subdivisions as land developers
anticipate continued high demand for building lots.

h

A direct result of this building boom has been the removal of farm
land from agricultural uses. Such growth as that experienced between
l9h6 and 1956, has created real problems. Some counties in Michigan,
whose agricultural importance was recognised throughout the United States,
have declined in importance with the sale of farm land to residential
subdividers or speculators who have no intention of continuing the farm
as a producing enterprise. Some areas are affected more than others.
These feeling the greatest impact are areas near industrial locations,
large cities, and lakes. They are now becong known as resort areas
and industrial centers rather than important agricultural regions.

' Rising property tastes and new and improved highways which allow
rapid movement to and from work are giving urban people the incentive to
relocate in rural areas or at least on the suburban fringe. Farm in-
comes are down and the average age of farmers is increasing. This
situation adds to the subdivision of farms and the future problems of
agriculture as well as the indirect implications that it holds for the
whole economy.

As urban people move into the farming areas the farmers are forced
to pay higher taxes to provide school facilities for the new children
and police and fire protection for the new and scattered properties.

18 it any wonder that the older farmers, who have no sons interested in
continuing the farm, sell out to acne subdivider or speculator for more
money than the farm is worth? Farmers in southern Michigan, who are in
favorable locations are being attracted by the possibilities that sub-

dividing offer over and above farming.

Previous Studies and Investigations

There is no available infomation of recent nature which is con-
cerned with the area under study. That which is available deals with
the rise and fall of subdividing usually following all the major wars.

In most cases there has been an overabundance of subdividing relative
to the available demand of the period. However, the eventual population
expansion, though not expected, has overcome these problems.

Comick, in a study of New Iork State, indicates what transpired
in New Iork City during the I313 Boon of 183631 Th. m- ama], was
opened in 1825, and this event provided the incentive to premature sub-
division; lots began to grow in numbers faster than the population.
Cornick estimates that eighty per cent of the population of New York
State lived on a relatively narrow strip of land running beside the
Canal from one end to the other in 1838.2

Following are accounts fran the diary of Philip Hone, a distinguish-
ed businessman of the time. In January, 1835, he reports the sale of a
country place in the form of lots for $225,000, which was purchased two
years before for between $50,000 and $60,000. In August, l835, he
comments surprisedly that the prices are still holding up. Two pieces
of property on the banks of the Hudson River - six miles from the City --
sold for $688,310 which wouldn't have brought $140,000 fifteen years

before. In April of 1837, Hone reports on the collapse.

 

1'Gornick, Premature Subdivision and its Consequences, Columbia

University Press, New York, 15%, p. 6.
21nd, p. S.

"All the local bank stocks have fallen below par. Railroads

and canals will not bring, in many instances, more than half

their value of a year ago. . . As to lots which have been

the medium of enormous speculations, the following fact will

tell their story: lots at Bloomingdale, somewhere about

One Hundredth Street (for the whole island was laid out in

town lots) which cost last September $1380 a lot, have been

sold within a few days at 350. The immeme fortunes which

we heard so much about in the days of the speculation have

melted away like the snows before our April sun."3

It can be seen from the above that great fortunes were both made
and shortly lost in this city. However, New 101']: was not the only spot
in the State which experienced this weird phenomena. Auburn and Buffalo
were caught in the same grip which, Cornick, chooses to call an epidemic.
Abundant evidence is available to show that the sane "epidemic" extended
far beyond the limits of the State. Since the Great Lakes formed the
western extension of the great trade route of which the Erie Canal was
only one link, existing townsites along the shores were greatly expanded.
Among these townsites which experienced booms like those in New York
were Cleveland, Toledo, Detroit, and Chicago.

Often land, which is unsuited, is subdivided in areas where no
demand exists, until through false advertising and misrepresentation the
land development scheme is perpetrated on the public. Data assembled
through land utilisation studies in New Jersey indicate that there have
been at least h00 land development schemes in the New Jersey Pine area.
Lee states that no less than 200,000 of the States h,80h,570 acres have

been involved in these schemes.h Lee's bulletin was concerned with one

311:“, p. 7.

1‘Alvin T. N. Lee, A Land Develo nt Scheme in the New Jerse Pine
Area, New Jersey Experiment Station, New Brunswfclc, New Jersey. 5%. ES ,

913-7-

 

of these development schemes which took place in the late 1800's.
Paisley, "The Magic City,"'was composed of l,h00 acres in the heart
of the New Jersey'Pines.
"Only about six per cent of the land within the boundaries of
Paisley was adapted to the growing of general farm crops. An
additional six per cent of the area, comprised of low swampy
land, was adapted to tie growing of cranberries. Fully eighty-
eight per cent of the land in Paisley was too sandy and infertile

for the growing of any agricultural crops or for the maintenance
of decent lawns and gardens."

Yet, newspapers of the day carried advertisements indicating that the
finest farming land in Central New Jersey was at Paisley.

A8 a further inducement to people they were told that their
neighbors were arm officers, great artists, authors, comosers, medical
men, lawyers, etc. The promoter even advertised that he would buy back
as many lots as possible sold the first year, 1887. However, selling
of Paisley lots did not start until June 21;, 1888.6 Despite the fact
that there were 3,122 known purchasers of lots and farm plots in Paisley,
by 1890, the peak of its development, "The Magic City" had only twelve
dwellings and one small one-story factory building?

Once a boom gets under way it is quite difficult to bring it under
control. The end results while good for afew, "who got out while the
getting was good," are disasterous to many and wasteful for society in

general. From 1909 to 1931 the city of Grand Rapids had a ratio of

 

slbid, p. 11.

6md, P. ute
71b1d, p. 18.

vacant lots to total lots ranging from 38.7 per cent (1922) to 115.8
(1928); in 1931 the ratio was 133.9 per cent.8 In 1909 Grand Rapids had

21,320 vacant lots and an additional hh,12h lots were subdivided through
1931, making a total of 6%th available for development. Actually only
25,301; lots were put into use during this period -— about h,ooo more
than the surplus in 1909. Practically all subdividing activity in
Grand Rapids between 1909 and 1931 was superfluous.

A study reported by Colean,9 and conducted under the direction of
the Michigan Planning Conmission, indicates that during the 1920's and
1930's the outskirts of Detroit were subdivided in part as far as Pontiac
and Flint, twenty to fifty miles away. A sample stuck of the Detroit
metropolitan area in 1938 revealed that four near—by townships contained
12h,h85 platted lots, of which only 5,1112, or 13.3 per cent, were utilized.

In a second study by the Conmission the state was covered in general
and eight counties were analyzed in detail. A good deal of difference
was noted between the tw° areas of the state. The two areas were broken
up by a line extending across the state at about the level of Bay City
so that )1? counties were in the northern area and 36 counties in the
southern area. On November 3, 1939, all the land acquired in the 1938
Tax Sale reverted to the state. This brought the total state-owned
rural and forest lands in the northern area to h,6h9,58h acres, 2,217,161

acres or 117.6 per cent of which reverted to the state as of that date.

 

8E. N. Fisher and Raymond F. Smith, "land Subdividing and the Rate
of Utilization," mcggan Business Studies, University of Michigan,
Ann “bar, 1932, 0 e , 0e , pe e

91111” L. Colean, American Housing, The Twentieth Century Fund,

New York, 191:9, p. 15.

Similarly, 59.2 per cent or 97,1133 out of 1611,529 platted lots and urban
parcels reverted also as a result of the 1938 Tax Sale.10

The volume of all state-owned lands in the southern area prior to
November 3, 1939, was practically negligible. However, on that date in
these 36 counties there reverted to the state, 520,890 property de-
scriptions, £139,320, or 8h.3 per cent of which were in the urban
counties of Name, Oakland, and Macomb. At the time the report was
published a break down of rural acreage and platted lots was not avail-
able for the entire southern area. However, in the eight counties
covered in detail by the report,11 68,210 unplatted rural acres, and
132,128 platted lots and urban parcels reverted to the state as a result
of the 1938 Tax Sale. In the three counties of Nayne, Oakland, and
Macomb alone, 335,977 platted lots and urban parcels reverted. These
figures are exclusive of the city of Detroit, and municipalities within
its borders.12

The land pattern surrounding the periphery of every American City
varies according to local conditions, but regardless of locality, certain
characteristics remain in common. Nearly every state in the union has
the problem of premature subdivisions. Thousands of acres of farms and
woodlands cut up in the decade ending in 1929 and in earlier land booms ,

lie vacant and unused, in weeds and brush, a broken sidewalk, a run-down

 

loTax Reverted Lands, Michigan Planning Comssion, Lansing,

Michigan, 19111, p. 12.

11
Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Genessee, Nuskegon, Washtenaw, St. Clair,
and Livingston.

1’zTax Reverted Lands, 0 . cit., p. 11;.

10

curb, the only evidence of someone's wasted effort.

Hundreds and thousands of these lets have been virtually abandoned.
Their owners are either unable or unwilling to bother about retaining
clear title to a piece of land for which there is no proSpect of either
satisfactory use or future sale. As a result, the debt on these lands
in the form of unpaid assessments - special, city, county and state -
mmst be shouldered by the municipality. The financial cost of uncon-
trolled subdividing has been enormous. Not only has money been Spent
for the installation of unused facilities such as streets, sewers, and
water mains, butkin addition more money has been uselessly expended
because of high tax delinquency, the need for police and fire protection
for widely scattered residences and for the upkeep of the utilities.

It is obvious from the above that premature subdivisions could be
condemned on grounds of municipal finance alone. In addition, the
private losses are immeasurable, for every one of these delinquent lots
means the loss of the downpayment by the purchaser at the very least;
while many of them include the payment of installments, interest, and
taxes over a period of years before all hope in the future of the develop-
ment was finally given up.

The past decade has been characterized by a rapid building rate
and the development of a considerable number of new subdivisions. One
can not help but notice this trend while driving to and from work or
with the family out fer a drive in the country on some sunny Sunday.
The question is, can we expect continuous subdividing after the demand
has been met? 'lill the same ruinous conditions prevail, both for agri-

culture and the rest of the economy, in the near future as they did

11

following most of the major wars in the past? What are the trends —-
has the demand already been met? ‘Will land be subdivided, roads and
sewer and water systems put in only to stand idle and unused for ten,

fifteen, or twenty years?

Oblectives of This Study

 

Due to the nature of the problem of trying to provide answers for
these questions it is beyond the scope of this study to cover an area
as large as the State of'uichigan. This is the reason why a small com-
pact six county area in southwestern Michigan was chosen for the study.
The objectives of this study are: (1) to provide information on current
subdivision trends in southwestern.uichigan; (2) to analyze the probable
impact of these trends on the future of agriculture in this area; and
(3) to suggest possible steps for a more orderly and beneficial growth
which may help to solve the problem of the declining availability of

farm.land.

CW II

COIJECTI ON OF THE DATA
Introduction

This study was prompted in part by our need for more information
concerning the impact of the post-World War II subdivision boom on
lichigan agriculture. Information was also desired relative to the
possible excess subdividing of land. A research project was accordingly
initiated in the spring of 1956, the field work to be done that same

8MP.

Nature and Source of Data

 

A small six county area was chosen in southwestern Michigan in
which to conduct the study. The area is composed of the following
counties: Allegan; Berrien; Cass; Kalamazoo; St. Joseph; and Van Buren.
Originally the study area was to be composed of only four counties;
Allegan, Berrien, Ottawa, and Van Buren but, for reasons to be discussed
later in this chapter, the change was made.

Considerable time was spent collecting information on every sub-
division platted during the period l9h6 to 1956. In doing so the records
in the Register of Deeds office for each county was relied upon quite
heavily. After assembling this information all county officers were
interviewed to determine the type of subdividing that had taken place
in the past ten years within each county. Each was asked his personal

opinion of the Plat Law and how it was working in his county.

Following the interviews with the county officials, all township
supervisors with, in most cases, three or more subdivisions in their
township during the past ten years were questioned. Each subdivision
was gone over carefully in the interview to determine the kind of land
platted, the type and number of homes that had been erected since its
beginning, and to see if there was anything unusual about the subdivision.
After the subdivisions were covered, each supervisor was asked general
questions about his townships agriculture, type of land, number of farm
operators working off the farm,and the presence of residential building
other than subdivisions within the township.

In some of the counties the health officer, who is not a member
of the Plat Board, was interviewed to get his impression of the type of
subdividing going on within the county. He was also asked about problems
developing from the subdivisions and his opinion of the Plat Law and
other subdivision restrictions was sought.

Each county agent was visited and asked general questions about
the type of agriculture dominant in the area and any problems arising
from the subdivision of farm land. The agents aided the author in find-
ing many of the supervisors and with other pertinent information.

Special help in familiarizing the author with the county area and pro-
viding him with much related data was given by almost everyone he met.
Reference will be made to the many interviews throughout the body of

this thesis. However, since much of the information was given in
confidence no indication will be made to the exact township or individual

from which the information was derived.

Characteristics of The Area Studied

 

There are a total of 3,577 square miles in the area under study:
833 in Allegan, 569 in Berrien, h93 in Case, 562 in Kalamazoo, 503 in
St. Joseph and 617 in Van Buren county. This area, like most others in
Michigan, has been left with a varied assortment of soil types and
topography. Some of the land still grows the virgin forest that once
covered most of the state.

A lowland area exists on the west side of the state bordering
lake Michigan and extends from Muskegon county southward to the Indiana
line. It is from 3 or b to 15 to 25 miles in width and extends up the
valleys of the Muskegon, Grand and St. Joseph rivers. The surface con-
sists of flat, pitted, wet, and dry, sandy plains, flat clay plains,
low clay ridges, and lake shore dunes. The elevation of most of these
lands is probably no more than 150 feet above Lake‘Michigan, although
some of the higher dunes along the shore may exceed 200 feet. These
dunes comprise a narrow strip of land occurring directly along the
shores of Lake Michigan and represent sand heaped by wind into ridges,
knolls, and peaks. Most of the land is forested. The nature of the
topography, the looseness of the soil, and its tendency to blow, pre-
clude any extensive agricultural use. The dunes are found in Berrien,
Van Buren and Allegan counties.

As we go inland from the dune area in Berrien county we find level
sand plains and dry sandy valleys, followed by level to rolling clay
upland. Further inland we strike level plains, terraces, old beach

ridges, extensive gravelly plains level to pitted and gently rolling.

1?

This area has lakes and muck swamps associated with it and covers the
greatest portions of Cass, St. Joseph and Kalamazoo counties.

Moving northward from the lower tier of counties up through
Van Buren, ridges and plateau-like upland is encountered and further
hilly to smooth rolling upland. Some of the land is very steep in
spots but throughout the whole area of these land types are lakes, muck
swamps and dry depressions. Further on are level sand plains again as
is found along the shore of Berrien, fellowed by gently rolling upland
clay plains, lakes, and muck swamps. The remaining county, Allegan, is
almost completely unlike the other five. The land in this county is of
the type primarily found in the northern part of the southern peninsula.
Level to slightly or hilly upland, locally rough broken tOpography, in
spots still covered by original forest.13

The type of farming being carried on in the area under study is
somewhat varied between counties. In Allegan county the townships along
Lake Michigan are primarily used for fruit and vegetable production.
An area in the northwest part of the county is mainly poultry and cash
crops and the rest of the area is devoted to general crop and livestock
farming. Fruit and vegetable production is of primary importance in
Berrien county. However, some general farming and livestock raising
is carried on in the eastern and southern_most townships. Cass county
has some fruit and vegetable production but is primarily general farming
and dairy. A large number of swine are farrowed on pasture during the

summer in a one litter system, pastured until fall then fattened to

13J. 0. Veatch, Soils and Lands of Michigan, Michigan State College

Press, East Lansing, 1953, ppifi2—2h.

 

16

hit the market between the regular spring and fall pig crops.

A cash grain area exists in the southern townships of Kalamazoo
county but the rest of the area is comprised of general farming and
dairy'with some fruit and livestock feeding also being done. St. Joseph
county is nearly the same as Kalamazoo with maybe less cash grain rais-
ing. Nearly every type of farming is being carried on to some degree
in Van Buren county. On the muck areas are mint, wormwood, celery and
onions, corn, and bulb production. Tree and small fruit production is
abundant. Vegetables are grown centrally around Paw Paw, and dairy,
small grain, livestock and general farming are carried on throughout
the rest of the county.

The latest population estimates, 1955, for Michigan show these
six counties ranked in the following manner: Kalamazoo th,6SO;
Berrien lhh,500; Allegan SS,h70; Van Buren 51,050; St. Joseph hl,570;
and Cass 3h,000. An analysis of the population of this area will be
developed in a later chapter.

The location of the area studied and the principal cities and
villages within the six counties are shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Originally the study was to include only four counties; Allegan,
Berrien, Ottawa, and Van Buren. This was due to the opinion that the
extent of the subdividing being done was limited.to the area along
Lake Michigan and around the many lakes of these four counties. In
order to make a more compact area and provide a needed contrast to the
counties bordering Lake Michigan, Ottawa was dropped from the study
and Cass, Kalamazoo, and St. Joseph counties were added. It was be-

lieved that the greater portion of the subdivisions were going to

 

 

 

Figure 1. Six county area location with respect to
the remainder of the state.

18

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Enlargement of the six county area showing

county seats

Figure 2.

19
provide summer residences, however, this did not prove to be true.

Processing_of the Data

Following the collection of any data, there necessarily must be a
careful study made to determine just which data is complete and which
is not. There may be other reasons why some of the data should not
be included in the analysis. All such data which is incomplete or in
any way faulty is therefore removed in this pre-analysis study.

Data were collected on 758 subdivisions; but the records on 69 of
these were discarded in the processing stage. This leaves records for
689 subdivisions. Some of the discarded records were dropped because
the subdivisions were annexed by contiguous municipalities, while others
were discarded because of incomplete interviews. For the most part
supervisors of townships having only one or two subdivisions were not
visited and so these subdivisions were not included in the analysis.

Another source of information which the author relied upon quite
heavily was the Agricultural Census data for the years 1910, 19145, 1950,
and l95h. Extensive data was derived concerning the agricultural
importance of the six counties in the study.

The author drew upon the data collected for another study in the
same area in which farm operators were interviewed. Considerable in-
formation was assembled on the age of farm operators, off-farm work,
and how long it had been since the farms had last changed hands. Two
townships from each of three counties were chosen and the farm Operators
in every third section were interviewed. The townships were chosen

for a purpose other than subdivisions and consequently these six only

have had lb areas subdivided in the past ten years. There were a total
of 237 schedules taken in the six townships, of interest in this study,
and seven of these were incomplete leaving 230 to be used in the analyses

to follow.

Methods of Analysis

 

‘Uhen analyzing data, it is important to consider the purpose of
the study and the use that is to be made of the results. With respect
to the present study, the analysis should furnish figures of use to
officials of local, county, and state government, land use planners, and
county agricultural agents.

This is a descriptive and informative study to determine the type
and extent of subdividing in southwestern Michigan and as such con-
siderable emphasis will be placed on comparisons between the six counties
under study. Due to the short period of time covered by the study the
use of percentages will be employed.wherever possible. It is felt that
in this way a much truer picture of what is occuring will be presented.
Other methods of analysis will be described as they are introduced

throughout the thesis.

Limitations of the Study

The author realizes the difficulty of presenting a truly objective
picture unadorned with personal biases and without overemphasizing
certain data to indicate his point of view. However, in every way
possible the data has been screened to remove exceptional data of

limited quantity to enable a representative presentation.

Whenever an assumption is made it is always open to adverse
criticism, many times well founded.lhroughout the body of this paper
several assumptions have been drawn upon to enable the explaination of
certain points under discussion. 'lherever possible these assumptions
have been based upon a maximum of fact and a minimum of supposition.

A considerable amount of data used in this thesis has been derived
through personal interview of many people of different type and temper-
ment. The author knows that considerable differences exist between in-
dividuals and has tried to keep the data as objective as possible. It
is therefore felt that considerable good can be derived from the use
of the information here presented if these limitations are known and

understood.

22

CHAPTER III
SUBDIVISION THEME

Introduction

An idea will be given here of the potential demand that faced the
new housing market at the end of'World‘War 11. Considering only popu-
lation pressure, on the one hand, and existing badly deteriorated hous-
ing, on the other, 820,000 non-farm units a year is a minimum estimate
of the potential demand for new housing during the postwar decade by
Colean.1h However, when considering that only about half of the demand
for new housing was met during the thirties, and the present depreciation
of existing housing, there are still the replacements necessary to catch
up with past deterioration. Therefore, Colean feels no strain is re-
quired to build up an estimate of potential new housing demand amounting
to 1,300,000, or even more, non-farm units a year during the first

decade after the war.15
Growth From l9h6 tofil956

‘lith this tremendous backlog of demand for new housing many new
subdivisions had to be laid out and platted. Following the Second
Wbrldfllar and the release of controls the building boom was on,

accompanied by land deals in which speculators and subdividers bid for

 

1"‘Miles L. Colean, American Housing, The Twentieth Century Fund,
New Ibrk, 19b9, p. 6.

1slfbid, p. 7.

a large portion of the land contiguous to large cities and areas ex-
pected to expand. By 19b6, the area under study had begun to develop
as can be seen from.Table I and Figure 3.

The large number of lots in June of 19h6 is a result of one ex-
tremely large subdivision which has 766 lots. ‘we will notice that the
months preceeding June l9h6 and following June 1956 have not been re-
corded. The reason for this is that the study began and ended in June.
Therefore, the low figures for 19h6 and 1956 are not true representations
of what actually has taken place. For the most part the figures of l9h6
are much closer to being right than are those from 1956, since in 19h6
the subdividing boom had not yet really gotten under way. Another reason
is that the figures of 19h6 represent the last half of the year and
seven months while the figures of 1956 are for the first half of the
year and represent only six months. Anozner observation which can be
made is that for the most part in these six counties the greatest amount

of lots subdivided have been in the last half of each year.16

For this
reason the figures of 19h6 and 1956 will be doubled and projected for
only half a year to indicate the trend.more clearly.

Over the ten year period the number of lots subdivided in the first
four months has been relatively stable with 1,223 in January, 1,057 in
February, 1,239 in March, and 1,685 in April. For the most part the
remaining months have a considerably larger number of lots. Beginning

with 2,621 in May, we find 3,763 in June, the month with the largest

 

16The Tables and Figures for each of the six counties can be

found in the Appendix.

TABIE I
NUMBER OF LOTS SUBDIVIDED IN THE SIX COUNTY

BY MONTH AND YEAR FOR THE PERIOD 191.6 TO 1956

 

 

1956

19h9 1950 1951 1952 1953 l95h 1955

Menth 19h6 19h? 19h8

 

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To 1735 1859 1798 2353 206t 215h 3337 2h36 30h3 282h 1310

 

 

1952 1953 195k 1955 1956

19h6 19h? 19h8 19h9 1950 1951

Number of lots subdivided in the six
county area by year for the period

Figure 3.

25

number, 2,662 in July, 2,L31 in August, 2,128 in September, 1,532 in
October, 1,938 in November, and 2,201 in December. When graphed by year
these lots show a decided upward trend for the ten year period and if
the figures for the full year of 1956 were shown it is believed that the
trend would still be continued.

Allegan county's figures on the number of lots subdivided indicate
an erratic fluctuation with a downward trend until 1953 when the trend
turned upward and continued in this way. For Berrien county the peak
was reached in 19h? with 937 lots and the low point of 155 in 19h8,
from.there the trend was upward to 7&2 lots and from this point it con—
tinued steady.

The trend for the subdivided lots in Cass county is quite steady
at between 200 and 300 with radical yearly fluctuations. Kalamazoo
county shows the most decided upward trend of all the counties. After
a large increase in 19h8 the number of lots subdivided continued at a
high and increasing rate throughout the whole period. The trend for
St. Joseph county is quite even and moderately upward continuing through-
out the period. For Van Buren county the trend of subdivided lots is
steadily upward until 1952 when it took a down turn to 1955 and gives
evidence of beginning an upward turn again.

Though the number of lots presents a good picture of the area being
subdivided it is not as representative of the subdividing activity as
is the number of subdivisions laid out and platted each year. Table II
and Figure h show the number of subdivisions in the six county area by

month and year for the ten year period.

pd

TABLE 11
NIMBER 0F SUBDIVISIONS IN THE 511 COUNTY
AREA BY MONTH AND YEAR FOR THE PERIOD 19116 TO 1956

1956

 

 

Month 19116 19h? 19118 19119 1950 1951 1952 1953 19511 1955

 

3,06h,buu930535

1 11 l
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9142658058 9.0m

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2 353r23562 161.14
362125865h53

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JFMAMJJASOND

50 115 53 59 86 65 911 107 53.

148

 

Totals 33

 

 

area by year for the period 19h6 to 1956.

Number of subdivisions in the six county

Figure h.

27

As with the number of lots subdivided each month of the year the
number of subdivisions are low for the first four months then from May
until December they remain high. For the most part the number of sub-
divisions each year for the six county area shows an increase or a
decided upward trend.

A look at the six counties making up the area under study reveals
that Allegan, which showed a decided downward trend in lot numbers,
shows a steady to upward trend after 1953 in the number of subdivisions.
All the other counties show upward trends of varying degrees and no
indication of leveling off or declining. These trends indicate that
those doing the subdividing in the six county area under study believe
that the demand for building lots still exists or, in fact, may be

Stronger now than at the end of World War II.
Premature Subdivision

In order that we may more fully understand the significance of
the trends presented in the preceding section a look at how rapidly
these subdivisions are building up is now necessary. For if the sub-
CL:ivisions are not being built upon, this indicates that the subdividers
1"ere premature in their land development projects which can only result
in social and economic waste.

Subdividers are businessmen and as such they seek to make a
moderate profit on their efforts. Farm land has a quite low per acre
a“ssessment when compared with city property and justly so. However, as
SOOn as farm land has been subdivided into lots the value of the land

I'ises and so does the assessment. In fact, one township supervisor

28

indicated that he automaticaly set the assessment on all unimproved lots ‘
at $50 no matter if the whole subdivision before platting had only been
assessed at 850. V

It is obvious then that the subdividers will try to sell their lots
as soon as possible since they have to pay the taxes on the lots until
they are sold. The slower they sell the lots the more taxes they have
to pay, hence the less profit will be made on their investment and the
longer their money will be tied-up in the subdivisions. Most subdividers
try to have their lots sold within about three years. They may let a
remaining few go for as long as six years, but the prices on these last
few will be made as attractive as possible to enable their sale.

Since information on the number of lots sold in each one of the
subdivisions is not available, let us assume that if a subdivision were
located where there was a reasonable need for one, it should be built-
up at the end of ten years. CorreSpondingly, at the end of six years
we will assume that it should.be at least one half built-up. Since
there are people who desire a larger yard or extra room for a garden
and buy two lots instead of one, we will expect that 90 per cent of the
lots in subdividions ten years old will be.built upon and NS per cent
of the lots in those six years old. It is felt that the percentages
set up for this analysis are quite liberal and that any subdivisions
falling much below them should be classified.as prematurely subdivided.

Table 111 provides us with a very complete picture of how rapidly
the subdivisions are being built-up within each county and township of
the area under study. Of the 689 subdivisions, 280 or no.6 per cent

are classified as premature. However, the greatest incidence of

29

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I

premature subdividing has come in the earlier years of the period under
study and there is a great deal of evidence that the subdivisions less
than four or five years old are building up more rapidly than would be
expected.

For the most part the townships near or contiguous to the larger
towns and cities have built-up more rapidly than the other townships.
Nevertheless, there are Some problem areas: all of Allegan county,
Niles township in Berrien county, several of the townships in Cass
county, one or two in St. Joseph and Van Buren counties, and only one
real problem area in Kalamazoo county - Schoolcraft township where a
large portion of the best land in the county lies. But as was mention-
ed earlier these problems vanished in the younger subdivisions which
are building up rapidly.

It would seem from the foregoing that, in their hurry to be the
first to profit from the expected building boom, the early subdividers
chose their sites unwisely. These sites began to build—up since there
were no other available subdivisions upon which to build. However,
as new and more properly located subdivisions were platted the earlier
ones ceased to grow as rapidly and the newer subdivisions prospered.as
they began to fill the demand. The rapidity with which these newer
subdivisions are filling up would indicate that the land developers
new subdividing land in these six counties have correctly foreseen the
demand.

The trends indicated in the preceding section give no cause for
alarm at this time3however, subdividers who incorrectly estimate where

the demand lies will create again the situation existing in the early

part of the period under study.
Poor Type Subdivisions

Throughout the whole ten years from 19% to 1956, there have been
those who subdivided land unsuited to residential use, areas that have
and will go tax delinquent, creating subdividions with little or no re-
striction over the type and character of the buildings to be erected,
resulting in devaluation of surrounding property and a loss to society
in general. Often these subdivisions ironically prevent any further
occurrence of another of their character by driving the people of the
township to adopt building codes or zoning ordinances.

Following are parts of interviews with township supervisors con-
cerning poor type subdivision. One supervisor, talking about a 37 lot
premature subdivision said; "It was on land that had never been farmed
because it was too low and wet. Yet they platted it without any drain-
age." Another subdivision of eleven long narrow lots was not classified
as premature because of five homes worth about $1,000 apiece. "These
are the reason for a zoning ordinance. Three of the families are con-
tinually on.welfare." "Here is a real problem, 60 acres and 350 lots
most of which are only to feet wide; and there are only about five
cottages, if you can call them that, worth $200 to 3600." Another
supervisor said about a 23h lot subdivision; "we created zoning in the
township because of this plat - its a cheap development."

‘Ihile in the Allegan county'Register of Deeds office the author
encountered a Chicago woman who was quite disturbed over some property

she and her husband owned in the county; It seems that they had been

37

buying lots sight unseen for some fifteen or twenty years as an in-
vestment since oil had been found in the area. The woman found that
they had been paying taxes on subdivided land which was practically
inaccessable. There were no roads since they had grown up to trees and
brush. One of the lots was under Lake Michigan. The proprietor of the
plat had been selling the lots for years to people who had not bothered
to investigate their purchases. As the lots went on sale for tax de-
linquence the proprietor bought them up for resale to others.

Many other subdivisions were cited as examples of poor develop-
ments. A large number of subdivisiors have been platted with what is
called a roadside plan. This type is nothing more than a number of
lots laid out one deep along an existing roadway. The reason this type
of subdivision is so popular is because of its low expense of develop-
ment. No roads are required and all the land can be sold. However, this
type is one of the biggest offenders as far as poor subdivision standards
are concerned. Most of the lots are one hundred feet wide. There is
no complaint with this; but many developers sell fifteen to thirty
lots without reserving access for a road which can be built later to
serve the remaining land behind the subdivision when and if this area
later ripens for development.

These developments may also be characterized as poor because of the
excessive depth of the lots. In their effort to avoid building roads,
some developers have laid out lots'whiCh are from 900 to 1,500 feet deep.
These are a disadvantage to the purchaser and a waste of land in general
since the back part of the lots are often.left idle and grow up to weeds

and brush.

k.)

The Plat Law -— -
How it Operates in the Area Under Study

 

Now it is important to note what type of control there is over the
subdividing that is being done in the six county area. According to the

most recent amendments of the Plat Act17

the governing body of the town-
ship in which the subdivision has been platted is required to inspect
the area. The governing body shall determine whether the lands are
suitable for platting purposes and has the right to require that all
streets and private roads be graveled or cindered, be prOperly drained,
and that bridges and culverts be installed where necessary. The pro-
prietor of any lands desiring to have a plat approved may be required
to provide for the expense of inspection, but not to exceed the sum of
$60.00.

In such cases where the proprietor of any land has sold five or
more lots by metes and bounds description, and has failed or neglected
to have a plat made of the area and recorded, the governing body can
authorize the assessing officer, in most cases the township supervisor,
to make an assessors plat of the area. The assessor's or supervisor's
plat when recorded is treated the same as if it were made by the pro-
prietor.

Section 77 states:

"Any person, firm or corporation who shall hereafter sell any

lot, piece or parcel of land, without first having recorded a

plat thereof when required by the provisions of this Act, shall
be deemed quilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be

 

17
Act 186, Public Acts of 19% which amends Act 172, Public Acts
of 19514 (The Plat Act).

(0

punished by a fine of not more than 25 per cent of the con-

sideration involved or $500, whichever is the greater amount,

for each lot, piece or parcel of land so sold. It shall be

the duty of the prosecutingaattorneys of this state to prose-

cute all such Violations."

The duties of the County Plat Board, which consists of the register
of deeds as chairman, county clerk, county treasurer, and county drain
commissioner, are to examine all plats to see that they conform with
the rules of the Plat Act and any rules that the Board may have enacted
and that the streets, alleys, and names do not conflict with any other
plat in the county. Lots may be 50 feet wide at the building line only
where public sewage and water facilities are installed. Otherwise they
must be no less than 60 feet at the building line.

How do the various county officials react to and work under the
Plat Law? All individuals concerned were interviewed separately and
considerable contradictions were found in some counties. In one of
these the register of deeds said the Flat Board did not inSpect plats
since no money was made available for this expense. The clerk of the
same Board agreed stating that money would be made available if asked
for but it never had been requested. He felt that the whole process
was haphazard duplication since the work had already been done by the
township concerned. He added quite sincerely that he had no idea what

the Plat Board's function really was and that he did not see why he had

to be a member of it.

 

18This means that everyone who sells five or more lots, less than
'ten acres in size, without first making and recording a plat thereof,
is subject to prosecution and fine for each lot sold over four. How-
ever, there has been no such case recorded in the history of Michigan
even though every day in open violation of this law such action is being
carried on.

to

In another county the register was quite animated and vocal in his
defense of an indiViduals rights, feeling that no one had the power to
direct an individuals actions. ‘When the author entered the treasurers
office in this same county he found an elderly man and his granddaughter
talking to the treasurer about subdividing. He was telling them how
they could evade the Plat Law. The treasurer continued by overemphasizing
what might happen to them if they failed to subdivide. He later admitted
that he had been bluffing peogle in this manner in order to keep the
plate and subdivisions in the county as good as possible. However, he
wonders how far the Board should go in saving people from themselves.

One of the more progressive registers of deeds observed that:

"Platting, as I see it, is for one purpose only -- the correct
measurement of land for tax purposes and transfers. Since the
legislature has taken the power of determining the suitability
of an area for platting and given it to the township concerned,
the Plat Board of this county no longer concerns itself with
such matters. It does not believe that a health officer should
be one of its members but does think that the health officer
should be called in at the township level. The health depart-
ment should be interested in the people from a zoning point of
view rather than from the platting angle. The way to stop the
platting of unsuitable areas is by zoning.

"The greatest problem facing the Plat Board is lack of
platting. There is one simple sure way of correcting this
but it is so revolutionary that it will not be accepted in the
near future. It is just this; take every ten acre square tract
and when there has been ten divisions upon it anywhere, compel
it to be platted. For example, a farmer sells lots on the corner
of his farm along a road, as soon as he has sold nine lots on
the road he is compeled to plat the whole ten acres in this manner;
the nine lots are surveyed and numbered one through nine and the
unsold area as lot ten. Lots one through nine will be assessed
as subdivision property and lot ten as it was previously. The
cost of platting will be assessed over time to the land platted
and not charged to the township."

In

Two county officials reported problems arising from faulty surveys.
in example was given of a church that owned land upon which a house had
been built because of a faulty survey. As a result the church had to
give an area thirty by four hundred feet to the home owner. Consequent-
ly, the members of the Plat Board feel that the surveyors should be
responsible for their own work. One member feels that they should be
made to post a bond which in case of poor work will go to pay the ex-
pense of "undoing the wrong." The question of the county surveyor as
a member of the Plat Board was then raised. It was felt that this would
be a good thing if he was not a practicing surveyor for if he was he
could make it hard on his competitors.

It Was felt in all but one of the counties that the Plat Law
needed its teeth sharpened to the extent that the duties of all con—
cerned be Spelled out. The one county that seemed to be having little
trouble was Operated in a slightly different manner than the others.

The officials of this county felt that the people would obey the laws if
they had an understanding of them and so the Plat Law has been described
in the local paper. The results have been quite satisfactory according

to the officials of this county.
Agricultural.1mportance of the Area

At this time an analysis of the agricultural importance of the six
counties under study may reveal what influence the amount of subdivide
ing has had upon the agriculture of the area. Prior to the field work
in this study it was hypothesized that a large part of the subdividing

occurring was due to the platting of areas along Lake Michigan and

IL"
[‘0

around the inland lakes. This was later disproven. It was understood
that some of the productive orchards of the area were being subdivided.
This was found to be true.
In Table IV we see at the bottom that Berrien county ranks first
in the state in total value of all farm products sold in l95b. Allegan
county was next most important in the six county area, followed by
Van Buren, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph, and Case in that order. Each of
these counties has moved upward in rank except Allegan which has re-
mained in seventh place. More revealing still is a look at the remainder
of the Table which shows how the six counties under study rank with the
top one hundred counties of the United States.
In small fruits, Allegan and Berrien have remained steady while
Van Buren has moved up sixteen places. Berrien drapped from sixt to
tenth in apples while Allegan increased four and Van Buren remained
steady. In peaches, Berrien, first in the county ten years ago, dropped
to sixth, Van Buren remained steady and Allegan climbed five places. All
three of these counties climbed in plumb and prune production, Berrien
by five, Allegan by nine, and Van Buren by fifteen places. In cherry pro-
duction Berrien remained in sixth place while Allegan and Van Buren climbed
three and nine places respectively and Cass and Kalamazoo entered the top
one hundred counties for the first time in ten years. All six were active
in grape production, St. Joseph entering the top one hundred.in l9Sh, the
others remained steady or climbed. Finally, in strawberry production Allegan
drapped, Van Buren rose, Berrien remained steady while Cass entered in l95h.
It is important to note that Allegan and Van Buren counties have in
almost every case improved their position in the top one hundred

counties of the united States while at the same time Berrien county,

TABLE IV

AGRICULTURAL IMPORTANCE OF THE SIX COUNTIES UNDER
STUDY IN THE UNITED STATES AND MICHIGAN

OVER THE TEN YEAR PERIOD l9b6 to 1956

hB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

o .6

Importance in the q a g f; 5

United States by years 2}, E g 3 g

.33 x. 3'3 .53 "3' ‘39

Categories Years :1. £3 3 £2 3’, g

19Sh - 13 -— —— -- -

Tomatoes harvested 19h? -- 30 -- -- —- -
l9hh -- hh -- -- -- -
l95h 8h 20 -- -— —- jfifi

Fruits - small, berries & nuts 19h9 89 22 -- - -— 38
_ 19th 83 21 -- —- he
l95h 33’ IO - -- -- 13

Apples 19b? 35 6 -- - - 15
19hh 37 6 -- -- l7
l95h 30 6 -- - - 28—

Peaches 19h? 26 3 -- - -- 2S
l9hh 35 1 -- -- - 28
19Sh 52 22* -- - - £5“

Plums & prunes 19h? 55 20 -- - - h?
l9hb 61 27 -- - - 60

T931? 22 6 6h 476 -— 16

Cherries l9b9 2h 5 -- -- - 17‘
19hh 25 6 -- -- - li-
195h 13 ll -- -- -- 23—

Pears 19k: it 13 -- - -- 22
_ 19 -- -- — 23
I935 53 16 68 3; 98 1;

Grapes 19h9 78 18 76 38 -- 15
_ 19m. 67 18 76 £41 -- 15

I??? 66 h 93 - -

Strawberries l9h9 86 6 - - -- l6
_ 191;); 142 3 -- -- -- 23
1955» —- 25’ -- 39 - -

Nursery & greenhouse products l9h9 -- 60 -- 98 -- -
__¥ l9hh - 23 -~ -- - --
1955' 1k - -- - -- -

Chickens - h months &.over 19b? 27 -- —- -- -- -
___ l9hh 30 -- - -- -- ~-
, 1955 15 -- -- -- -- --

Value of eggs sold l9h9 25 -- -- -- - -
__ 19M. 3h -- -~--- - -- -
T9317 5 -- - -- -- --

Peultry & products 19119 57 -- - -- -- --
___k liéfi 73 - -- -- -- --
19 1 3h 27 27 IUD

EEEportance within Michigan l9h9 7 3 35 29 32 15

 

SOiurce:

Agricultural Census for the years 19h5, 1950 and 195b-

once one of the most important of all, has been slipping in importance.
Cass, Kalamazoo, and St. Joseph counties entered the top counties for
the first time in ten years in some of the categories. Therefore, it
would appear that as Berrien county became subdivided and more poyue
lated the surrounding counties which had a smaller amount of subdividing

began to produce more and more of the fruit in this area.

55

CHAPTER IV

TYPE OF LAND SUBDIVIDED

Introduction

After estimating the total nunber of acres transferred from non-
residential subdivision uses into residential use during the ten year
period June l9h6, to June 1956, the total acreage was broken into four
parts. In talld.ng with the various township supervisors each sub-
division was classified as to the type of land it had been previous to
being laid out. The classification consisted of four major divisions,
namely: good farm land; fair farm land; idle or poor land; and land
Which had never been farmed. Once the estimated acreage was broken
down into four categories it still afforded little indication of its
significance. Not until a classification of all the land within each

of the counties was found was it possible to really see the trends.
Estimated Acreage Subdivided

The estimates for the acreages of the different subdivisions have
been arrived at by comparisons of each subdivision with the appropriate
township plat map wherever possible. When it was not possible to
determine the exact acreage from the maps reliance was then placed upon
the detailed description of each subdivision and the acreages estimated
in this manner. For the most part lots in the subdivisions under study
are approximately one half acre in area. Whenever the lots in any

8‘libdividion varied significantly from this average the exact dimensions

346

of the lots were recorded.

In most instances the average sized lots were slightly in excess
of one half acre, however, those under this size are easily brought up
to one half acre since roads and easements were not included in the
calculations. An example will illustrate the point. Assuming a sixty
lot subdivision of one half acre lots, there would be thirty acres of
lots plus six acres of streets and slightly more than two acres for
utility easements or nearly forty acres. But, this hypothetical sub-
division which is actually thirty-eight acres in area would only be in-
cluded at thirty acres. Such a system of calculating the acreages
more than makes up for any over-estimation that may have crept in and
leaves us with very conservative figures.

For the six county area the acreage of the 689 subdivisions was
calculated as being 11,1176 acres.” This acreage consisted of cropland,
lake frontage, woodland, and pasture that was removed from these uses

20

and transformed into a higher and better use. The average sized

subdivision for the total area was 16.65 acres with four of the six

counties having averages less than this figure.

1

9This does not comprise the total number of subdivisions for the
period 191:6 to 1956, since mm of the subdivisions were annexed by
bordering municipalities and were not counted. Other records were in-
complete and necessarily were left out of the study. Still others were
laid-out within corporate limits and these were disregarded also.

20
In some instances this is not the case since some of the sub-

divisions are expected by local people never to develop. In these
instances the subdivisions are definately premature and represent an
obvious waste to society.

h?

Allegan county with 17h subdivisions and 896 acres had an average
subdivision size of 12.11 acres. Cass county with 106 subdivisions
and 1,516 acres had an average of lh.3 per subdivision. Kalamazoo
county had the largest nunber of subdivisions, 230 and the greatest
acreage subdivided with 3,729 acres for an 11.8? acre average, while
St. Joseph county with 75 subdivisions and 1,235 acres had a 16.31;
acre average. It is quite interesting to note that the two remaining
counties, which characteristically have small sized high value fruit
and vegetable farms, have the largest average sized subdivisions.
Berrien county has 151 subdivisions, 2,810 acres and an average size of
18.61 acres while Van Buren county has only 53 subdivisions, 1,290 acres
and an average size of 211.31; acres per subdivision.

I Although there was no first hand information collected in this
study in connection with specific subdivisions in Berrien and Van Buren
counties, there are indications that will lead us to a conclusion on
the matter. Fruit and vegetable raising are highly labor intensive
enterprises requiring a great deal of managerial ability to handle the
large labor force. As these farmers grow older they would like to
ease-up on the intensity of their operations and maybe even get out of

21

farming altogether. Especially if the farm is near areas being

 

2:I'Quite often when interviewing county officials and township

supervisors, the author has been told the sans thing in connection with
older farmers selling productive farms to subdividers. "W shouldn't
old man I sell out, he's been worlc'm' hard and he's got a right to take
it easy the rest of his life. It would be different if he had someom
who was going to take over for him and had some interest in the place
but the oldest boy has a good Job in Chicago and the other isn't in-
terested in farming. W should he break his back to clear $50 to $100
an acre when he can sell the place for $1000 an acre and sit back and
rock on the front porch." Almost always it is stated in an apologetic

subdivided, the farmers may be influenced by offers of $1500 to $2000
per acre which would even look good to a young farmer with a long and
bright agricultural future ahead of him. On the other hand the younger
and smaller farmers, many of whom.are working part time off their farms,
have wives and children at home to do much of the work. The ten,
fifteen or twenty acre fann is their home and a place to raise the
"kids", not a potential subdivision site as is the larger farm belong-
ing to the older farmers.

Of course, all subdivisions do not fall into the above class.
Another reasonnwhy'meny of these larger subdivisions occur is found in
the relative frequency in which farms are "tied-up" in an estate. Quite
often the heirs are scattered over a large area with none of them want-
ing the farm as such. If the farm is located in an area favorable to
subdividing the heirs will no doubt receive an offer in excess of what
the farm would bring for agricultural purposes. waever, this type of
subdividing is characteristic of all six counties not Just Berrien and

Van Buren.

Classification of Land Subdivided

Following the estimation of the number of acres subdivided in the
six county area an attempt was made to categorize the subdivided acreage
according to four different types of land. In so far as the author
knows, this type of classification has not been duplicated and any
resemblance between it and any official classification is purely
coincidental.

 

or rationaliZing way as if it were felt that the farm should not be sub-
divided but there was nothing to be done about it.

The classification was conceived after interviewing all township
supervisors in the six county area who had a significant number of sub-

divisions within their townships.22

Every supervisor was asked to
evaluate each subdivision with reference to the type of land it had
been prior to platting.23 Following this, each subdivision was classi-
fied according to whether it had been regarded as: good farm land; fair
farm land; idle or poor farm land; and land that had never been farmed.2h
A special "not classified" category applies for Kalamazoo township in
Kalamazoo county. No information was obtained concerning land types
within this township.

Table V shows how the subdivided land within the six county area
was classified. Allegan county has more land that has never been farmed

than in any other category. The next largest class is idle or poor

land with 322 acres. Allegan is the largest of the six counties,

 

2

In most instances no attempt was made to contact supervisors in
whose townships there were only one or two subdivisions unless there
‘was something decidedly different about the township or the subdivision.

2
3For the most part the supervisors are lifetime residents of the

area and have been in office for a considerable length of time. They
have come to know each farm and its history within their jurisdiction
as well as its productivity. Being farmers themselves, the supervisors
are easily able to compare subdivisions and farms within their township.

2hThe highest value farm land in each township is classified as
good and the rest of the land being farmed, which is returning a satis-
factory living to its operator and which should not be retired, as fair.
Any land being farmed which is not suited to farming because it is worn
out or of poor quality along with any land which has been idle for the
past ten years, no matter if it is the best land in the township, is
classified idle or poor. The land classified as never farmed com-
prises woods, swamps, marshes, lake frontage, steep hills and rocky
gravelly areas.

TABIE V

CLASSIFICATION OF THE TYPES or LAND SUBDIVIDED,
IN ACRES, FOR THE SIx COUNTY AREA or
MICHIGAN DURING THE PERIOD 19h6 to 1956

 

 

 

C t Never Ior ii; 3'23: N°t Total
oun y farmed poor land land classified
----------- acres-----------

Allegan 330 322 209 35 0 896
Berrien 65 1,157 1,1196 92 0 2 ,810
Case 55h uhz the 78 0 1,516
Kalamazoo 19h 7M: 1,138 268 1,385 3,729
St. Joseph 172 1155 516 92 0 1,235
Van Buren 191 hhs 597 59 0 1,290

 

Totals 1,506 3,563 h,398 62h 1,385 11,h76

 

standing nineteenth out of eighty-three in the state, yet the 35 acres
of subdivided good farm land is the smallest of the six counties for
this class.

Berrien county, third in size of the six, has the smallest amount of
subdivided land classed as never farmed, only 65 acres. Almost three
times as much good land was subdivided in Berrien as in Allegan, 92
acres. However, the bulk of the subdividing in Berrien comprised land
in the middle two classifications with the greatest amount of idle or
poor farm land, 1,157 acres, being in this county.

Cass county, smallest of the six, has the largest acreage sub-
divided in the never farmed class, 5511 acres, and an equal amount in
both the idle or poor and fair farm land classes, 11112 acres. St. Joseph
county, like Berrien, has the largest amount of subdivided land in the

middle two classes, [:55 acres idle or poor and 516 acres of fair farm

51

land. Both Cass and St. Joseph have a fair amount of good farm land
subdivided, 78 and 92 acres respectively.

The second largest of the six counties, Van Buren, has a moderate
amount of land in each class except good farm land with 59 acres. Fair
farm land comprises 597 acres, idle or poor hh3 acres, and 191 acres
have never been farmed.

Kalamazoo county, fourth in size, has the largest number of acres
subdivided and only 19h acres never farmed which is quite low consider-
ing the nunber of acres subdivided. For the classification idle or
poor farm land there are 7th acres which is second only to Berrien
county. Fair farm land with 1,138 sores is again second to Berrien
however, the fourth category, good farm land, is first with 268 acres.
There remains 1,385 acres which are not classified in Kalamazoo county
because of the lack of information about Kalamazoo township's 66 sub-
divisions.

The largest number of acres were subdivided in Kalamazoo county
3,729, next 2,810 acres in Berrien, 1,516 acres in Cass, 1,290 acres in
Van Buren, 1,235 acres in St. Joseph, and the smallest number of acres
896 were subdivided in Allegan county, the largest of the six. 80 the
totals for the six county area are 1,506 acres never farmed, 3,563
acres idle or poor, h,398 acres of fair farm land, 62h acres of good
farm.1and, and 1,385 acres not classified for a total of ll,h76 acres.

Now the problem facing us is to determine Just what kind of land
the unclassified 1,385 acres is from Kalamazoo township in the county
of the same name. So by removing the unclassified acreage from the

total for the county we have 2,3hh acres left not including Kalamazoo

township. Then by determining what percentages the remaining classi-
fications are of the 2 ,3hh acres and applying these percentages to the
unclassified 1,385 acres we arrive at an answer based on the county as
a whole. The results show that 116 acres were never farmed, 1:39 acres
were idle or poor, 672 acres are fair farm land, and 158 acres fall in
the good farm land classification. This changes Kalamazoo county's
acreage figures drastically and also alters the six county areas figures

somewhat, as can be seen from Table VI.

TABLE VI

CEIAMES IN TNE ACREAGE FOR WOO COUNTY AND THE
SIX COUNTY AREA AS A RESULT OF C(MPARING THE
UNCLASSIFIED ACREAGE WITH THE COUNTY AS A WHOLE

 

 

Idle Fair Good

 

Never Not
County or fans farm . Total
__ farmed poor land land classified
Kalamazoo 19h 7H: 1.133 268 1, 385 3 , 729
Kalamazoo after 310 1,183 1,810 L26 0 3,729
Area totals 1,506 3,563 14,398 62h 1,385 11,1776
Area totals after 1,622 11,002 5,070 782 0 ll,h76

The change gives good farm land a decided junp until now, by this
analysis, Kalamazoo county has over half of the acreage in this category.
Previously the county contributed only about a third. Fair farm land
and idle or poor land have also made sizable increases but nothing com—
pared to good farm land. Before we accept the results of this analysis
one further attempt will be made at arriving at the character of the
subdivided land in Kalamazoo township. This time the area of comparison

will be narrowed to the four surrounding townships of Cooper, Comstock,

Oshtemo, and Portage. In this manner it is believed that a truer
picture of the actual character of the land will be presented.

Since the four townships used in the comparison comprise a goodly
sized portion of the area subdivided in the county, we can not expect
a large variation from the preceding analysis. The four townships are
composed of 1,627 subdivided acres broken down in the following manner:
118 acres never farmed; 595 acres idle or poor; 822 acres fair farm land;
and only 92 acres of good farm land. The results of the comparison can
be observed from.Tab1e VII.

TABLE VII
CHANGES IN THE ACREAGE FOR KALAMAZOO COUNT! AND THE SIX

COUNTY AREA AS A RESUDT OF COMPARING THE UNCLASSIFIED
ACREAGE WITH THE FOUR SURROUNDING TOWNSHIPS

 

 

 

Dials Fair Good’

 

Never Not
Count or farm. farm| . Total
y' farmed poor land land claSSIfied

---------- acres - — - - - - - - - - -
Kalamazoo 19h 71414 1,138 268 1,385 3,729
Kalamazoo after ' 295 1,251 1,837 3h6 0 3,729
Area totals 1,506 3,563 h,398 62h 1,385 11,h76
Area totals after 1,607 h,070 5,097 702 0 11,h76

Difference between
the two analyses — 15 68 27 - 80 0 0

 

Now the questions are, what is the reason for the differences
between the two analyses, and how, if so, is the second any superior to
the first? It is believed that these questions can best be answered by
a short history of land development patterns in the united States and

Michigan.

The early settlers of this country came from Europe where they'
were used to the village systan of farming where everyone lived in a
village in which all the farm buildings were located and the livestock
kept at night. During the day farmers went out to their fields, of all
shapes and sizes, which were often scattered on all sides of the village.
However, in this country aided by the rectangular survey system the
settlers were able to lay out farms of reasonable size and shape being
all in the same unit.

'lhen the settlers came to Michigan it was impossible to know where
the best farm land lay since the whole state was covered by forests,
swamps, and lakes. The flat land along the banks of streams, rivers,
and lakes was cleared first. A report of the finding of good farm land
was nearly the same as the news of a gold strike. New settlers would
pour into the areas reputed to have good farm land, large areas would
be cleared and soon a town would spring up to meet the needs of the
new settlement.

This observation has been verified for the six county area, at
least, by some of the older township supervisors who were born on these
early farms and observed the development as it took place. It is now
easier to understand why there is less land classified as good farm land
under the second analysis than the first. As the towns grew in area
with increasing populations they necessarily had to expand over the
surrounding good farm land. Thus, it is obvious that for any area with
a limited amount of top grade land, and top grade land is not overly
abundant anywhere. And if much of this land was already built upon

before l9h6, less remains to be subdivided later.

The city and township of Kalamazoo and the four surrounding town-
ships comprise just such an area as compared to the whole county. That
is why the analysis using a contiguous area to Kalamazoo township
represents a much truer picture. For the same reason we expect to find
an.increase in the amount of fair farm land if it is true that towns
were originally located in areas favorable to farming. There still
remains to be answered the question of considerable increase in the
acreage of idle or poor farm land.

It is true that poor farm land is not as easily sold as good farm
land but in an area such as this there should not be an overabundance
of this type of land. Such an area, as close as it is to the city, has
a large number of commuters who live outside the city, some on small
acreages and some on large, who drive back and forth to work. Some
of these commuters try to keep up their farms in the evenings after
work and on weekends and holidays. On the other hand many let their
fields lie idle growing nothing but needs which blow over into their
neighbors crops or lawns. Another and probably the most important
reason why there should be an abundance of idle land contiguous to
metropolitan areas lies in the competition between land uses.

0n the death of a farmer near a metropolitan area the farm, if
not willed to someone specifically, becomes the joint property of all
the heirs to the estate. The estate may take anywhere from a few months
to several years to settle during which time the farm usually remains
idle. Assuming an agreement is reached to sell the farm, in a short
time offers are received from farmers, industrial site seekers, specu-

lators, subdividers and others. The farmers can not economically afford

to offer as much.for the farm as the others due to the low per acre
income received in a general agricultural use. The others are therefore
able to out bid the farmers. Quite often they are in no hurry to develop
the land and this is the reason it is not unnatural to find an increased
amount of idle land near cities, towns, and metropolitan areas.

Now that the subdivided acreage of Kalamazoo township has been
analysed and classified, we will see from Table VIII the changes,
percentagewise, which have occurred as a result of the new classifi-
cation. The percentage breakdown of the other counties under study can
also be seen and easily compared.

TABLE VIII
CLASSIFICATION 05' no: TYPES OF LAND susmvmsn, IN PERCENTAGES"

OF M: ACREAGE SUBDIVIDED, FOR THE 31x COUNTY AREA
OF MICHIGAN DURING THE PERIOD 19h6 TO 1956

 

 

 

County Never 13:6 52:2. 32:: ,th azgzgée
farmed poor land land classified subdivided
-------- - percent - - - - - - — - -

Allegan 36.8 35.9 23.3 3.9 O 896
Berrien 2.3 h1.2 53.2 3.3 0 2,810
Cass 36.5 22.5 22.5 5.1 0 1,516
Kalamazoo* 7.9 33.6 h9.3 9.h 0 3,729
St. Joseph 13.9 h6.e h1.8 7.5 0 1,235
Van Buren 1b.9 3h.3 h6.3 h.6 0 1,290
Totals* 1h.o 35.5 hh.h 6.1 o 11,h76

 

f Percentages may not equal 100 due to rounding off at one decimal
place.

*‘Results after the analysis and classification of the 1,385 acres
from Kalamazoo township.

U1
- J

Only a slight increase in land never farmed and good farm.1and,
2.7 per cent and 2.1 per cent reapectively, is observed. ‘While a big
change of 18.8 per cent results in fair farm land, a 13.7 per cent inr
crease in idle or poor land occurs. We now can begin to see the
importance of Kalamazoo township, for it contributes 37.1 per cent of
the county total and amounts to 12.1 per cent of the whole six county
subdivided area.

In four of the six counties the greatest proportion of land falls
in the classification of fair farm land while in the other two, Allegan
and Cass, more has never been farmed than any other category. It is
well to note that a sizeable percentage of the land in every county is
found in the idle or poor class. In order that we may more fully
understand this situation, reference is here made to some of the many
interviews with township supervisors.25

In Allegan county one supervisor in telling about a 21 lot sub-
division built along‘M-bo said, "There's only one house worth about
$6,000 on it. The land was bought with the idea of making it into an
airfield, after that failed they tried this. I don't think it will ever
be developed. The land is sandy and hasn't been farmed in sixty'years."
In another township the supervisor, talking about a 32 lot subdivision
on 31-89, said, "This is a bad mess -— there are 17 houses if you can
call them that, not a one worth over $1,500. The land is light sand

and has not been farmed fer the last twenty years." Here we have a

 

25Since those who were interviewed were led to believe that their
information would be held in the strictest confidence, no reference will
here be made to the supervisor or township from which the information
was drawn.

58

good indication of the type of land classed as idle or poor in Allegan
county. It is light sandy soil which has been farmed until it stopped
producing and then left idle to grow brush or "oak grubs" -— small oak
trees so named by the people of the area.

The idle land in Berrien county that has been subdivided is quite
different from that in Allegan as can be seen from the following des-
criptions of several plats. "They had been farming the rest of the
place but this area was fenced off." "This was an old orchard that had
not been kept up." "A cheap subdividion on idle land that used to be
a nice grape vineyard." "The last time they farmed this place was in
1952 then it got tied up in the estate. Now they have seven or eight
$25,000 to 330,000 homes going up and all the lots are sold to con-
tractors." These statements typify much of the idle land in Berrien
county. However, some worn out and poor land has been subdivided here
also.

Cass county follows more closely the type of idle land subdivided
in Berrien. Following are a few statements by supervisors in this
county. "This used to be a farm.but the land was hilly and when they
subdivided it was idle." "This was farm land but it had been idle -—
mostly pastured." "Idle farm land." "Now here is a farm that once
had been good land but they wore it out." It can be seen from‘rable VII
that in this county there is as mudh idle or poor land subdivided as
fair farm land. It is the authors belief that a large portion of the

idle land could easily be placed in the fair farm land class.

In Kalamazoo county 33.6 per cent of the subdivided land has been
classified idle or poor, a few statements about this land will help us
to understand more fully the situation in this county. "It used to be
an eight to ten acre orchard but was net kept up." "Nothing here but
twenty acres of run down farm land." "Once this was a good farm but
now it is idle." Almost every supervisor interviewed had several sub-
dividions about which he said, "It was farm land that had been left idle."

An idea of the idle land in St. Joseph county is given from the
following statements. One supervisor talking about a 71 lot subdivision
said, "This is idle farm land that was not too good." Another said,
"The land had been farmed but was idle before they subdivided." "That
thirty acres has not been farmed in the last twenty years." "That was
expensive land but it had not been farmed for fifteen years." "This
subdivision has the cheapest homes in the township. It was built on
farm land that was left idle." A large portion of the land classified
idle or poor in this county was originally fairly good farm land but for
one reason or another it had been left idle until it was again put to
another use.

Van Buren has 314.3 per cent of its subdivided acreage in idle or
poor land. Three subdivisions in a township with ten were platted on
land that was, at the time, being farmed although it was not very good
land. In another township the supervisor states: "This farm' was used
for pasture mostly but it was idle when subdivided." Another said,
"There are sixty-five or seventy acres in this plat, the center of which
is low. Most of the land was run down and in grapes, some of it was

swampy. "

A good share of the idle subdivided land in Van Buren like Allegan
was poor, run down, light, low or hilly land. This type of land, under
its present condition is not too well suited for intensive farming.
However, in the other four counties a large percentage of the idle
land could easily be classified as fair farm land. With the use of
accepted farming methods, the land could once again be made to yield a
satisfactory income. It is the author's considered opinion that for
the six county area as a whole, more than one half of the subdivided

idle land could well be classified as fair farm land.

Land Quali’gg of the Area

 

Now we know approxir ately how many acres of each type of land was
subdivided in the six counties during the period 19146 to 1956. However,
knowing only this does not give us a clear indication of the true trends
primarily because each county is different. We can not expect all six
of the counties to have the same amount of good farm land nor the same
amounts of land in the other classifications. Each county has a
different land area, topography, soil type, and surface water area.
What is needed now is a classification for each county indicating the
various proportions of different land types found in that county.

Such a classification has been made and may be easily adapted to
our use in further analyzing the subdivided acreage in the six counties
under study. The classification was developed in 1933, and was made

public in a special Experiment Station Bulletin by J. O. Veatch.26

 

26J. O. Veatch, A ricultural Land Classification and Land Types of

Michigan, Agriculture Experiment Station B7111. 231, East Lansing, 1933.

 

61

A portion of the authors foreward is here presented as an indication,
in the author's own words, of the scope and limitations of the classi-
fication.

"This publication is a contribution to the agricultural geography
of Michigan. It is designed to have an educational value inasmuch
as it constitutes a reference, in a single publication, for
definitions and appraisals of all of the soil types to date which
have been officially recognized in surveys of the state, and
which are coming into more and more general use by name as a
convenience for referring to different kinds of land. The
economic classification of the land on an agricultural basis,
which is shown on the included map is, not, merely the personal
opinion of the author, but in a sense is a resume of the ex-
perience of land users. However, since basic inferences have
also been drawn from the natural character of soil and land
types, doubtless, in some locations, the author's estimates of
the quality of land.will run counter to local opinion and

further may not everywhere be in harmony with local assessed
values and may not be in complete agreement With the land values
given by the U.S. Census. This classification, although
necessarily emperical and subjective to a degree, should have

a value in land planning work and in the formulation of broad
land policies by governmental administrators."

Veatch's classification consists of first, second, third, and
fourth class land with the estimated acreages expressed in a percentage
of the total acreage of the specific counties. Beginning with an ideal
type of land, all the land in the state was given an economic rank
according to the way in which it deviated from the ideal in any one or
all of the five conditions. These conditions of the ideal type of land
are: "(1) relatively high fertility of soil and durability expressed in
sustained plant growth or yield; (2) relative unifbrmity of soil over
a considerable area; (3) physical character favorable fbr good title -
a loam in texture in the plow soil and free from large stones; (h) level
or but gently undulating topography; (5) intermediate amounts of‘mois-

ture in the soil -- neither excessively wet nor excessivelydry."27

 

27Ibid, p. 57.

First class land includes land types on which the dominant type
of agriculture at the time of classification can be carried on as a
business, and under ordinary intelligent management will produce a
profit during normal times. 'Second class land includes land slightly
inferior to the first due to lower fertility, less durability, or less
favorable topography. It was regarded as usable land at the time of
classification. The third class land is marginal. At the time of
classification it was considered adapted only to a purely subsistence
type of farming or no agricultural use at all depending upon its location
or other unfavorable factors. The fourth class is generally submarginal
and comprises the driest sands, most of the peat swamps, the wet sands
of lowest fertility and durability, the steepest slopes, and rock
outcrop.28

Due to the nature of fourth class land it will not figure in the
analysis of the subdivided land since none of the subdivisions have been
built on this type land. However, fouith class acreage will be sub-
tracted from the total county areas to determine just how much of the
land area is relevant to the study. But befcre this can be done the
lake and stream acreage will have to be removed fran each county since
it is included in the total county area.

Statistical estimates of the state's lake areas frun ten acres
on up have been compiled by the Rand McNally Company.29 However, no

estimates are known to be available for the areas of streams and rivers

 

28Ibid, p. 58.

22Michigan Fishing and Hunting Guide, Rand McNally and Company,

ChicagoTIIlinois, Third Edition, 1955.

 

or lakes and ponds under ten acres in size. Therefore, it is assumed by
the author that there should be approximately as much area in rivers,
streams, and lakes and ponds under ten acres as there is in lakes of
ten acres or more. It is further assumed that a county with a large
number of lakes would necessarily need a proportionately larger number
of rivers and streams to drain the area than a county with a few lakes.
The results of subtracting the lake and stream surface area from
the area of the respective counties can be seen in Table II. It 18‘lell

TABLE II

ESTIMATED COUNTY LAND AREA IN ACRES AS A RESULT OF SUB'IRAC'IING
ESTIMATED LAKE AND STREAM ACREAGES FROM COUNTY

 

 

 

 

TOTAL AREAS

m... 52:32:: E23322:
--------- acres - - - - - - - - -

Allegan 533,120 8,u16 52mm.
Berrien 3611460 8,790 355,370
Cass 315,520 27,906 287,61h
Kalamazoo 359,680 16,280 3h3,h00
St. Joseph 321,920 8,820 313,100
Van Buren 39h,880 18,230 376,650
Area totals 2,289,280 88,hh2 2,200,838

 

*1950 Census of Agriculture.

to note that those counties having the largest.estimated acreage of water
area are also the leading counties with respect to the amount of sub-
divided land classified as never farmed. Reference is here made to

Table V. Cass with 55h acres never farmed has 27,906 acres of water
area, Van Buren 191 acres and 18,230 acres respectively, while Kalamazoo

with 19h acres of land never farmed has 16,280 acres of water area.

In explanation, it is assumed that a county having more lake and
stream area will also have a greater acreage of wooded and low wet
acreage contiguous to the water than a county with less lake and stream
area. If the assumption is true it explains why more subdivided acre-
age never farmed is found in counties with greater water areas than in
counties with less. Famers with this type of land on their farms are
least likely to develop it since the cost involved in clearing or fill-
ing in these areas far outweighs the expected return to be derived
from general farming. However, since a residential area is a much
higher use of the land, in most cases, than is farming, the subdivider
can afford the needed capital to bring the land into use.

One question still remains to be answered with respect to the
foregoing assumption. Why is it then, if the assumption is true, that
the largest county of the six, Allegan, with the second largest acreage
of land never farmed 330 acres, has the least estimated water area
8,1416 acres? In order that we might understand the situation more fully
two more facts met be mentioned. The first is the presence in Allegan
county of the only State Forest this far south in Michigan. The forest
covers an area somwhat larger than 10,000 acres of which 32,1115 acres
is state owned, the remainder is privately owned and primarily the same
type of land as the forest. This gives us an indication of the extent
of this type of land within Allegan county. The second fact, discussed
more fully in Chapter III, is the abundance of this type of land which
has been prematurely subdivided in Allegan county. For example, the.
author knows of a sixty acre tract of sand and trees subdivided into

510 lots in 19119, which today has only one shack on it which is lived

in only part of the year.

Now that we have the estimated land area in acres for each of the
six counties it is time to use veatch's percentages to determine the
number of acres in each classification. Conseqmntly, the six counties
are divided into their component parts in Table I and the results ob-
tained are then presented in Table XI.

As was indicated earlier in the chapter, we will disregard the
fourth land classification due to its characteristics. This leaves us
with three classes of which the first two are the largest and most im-
portant. It will be remembered that Veatch placed in his first class
all those land types on which the then present, dominant type of agri-
culture could be carried on as a business, and with a profit during
normal times, under ordinary intelligent managemnt. In Veatch's words,
“A very considerable amount of land not in use is included in the first

TABLE 1

AGRICULTURAL LAND CLASSES IN LECI‘EGAN BY COUNTIES

 

fl
-:—

 

 

 

 

Classifi- Percent” of estimated land area in county

cation Allegan Berrien Cass Kalamazoo St. Joseph Varffiuren
First 25 39 26 M: 15 22
Second 38 39 35 3h 58 ’42
Third 19 16 27 13 22 27
Fourth 18 6 12 9 5 9
Estimated

 

w
Source: J. 0. Veatch, Agricultural Land Classification and Land

Types in Michigan, pp. 63-65.

 

TABLE XI

ESTIMATED ACREAGES OF THE FOUR CLASSES OF LAND IN
THE SIX COUNTIES UNDER STUDY

 

 

 

 

 

 

Classifi- Estimated acreages by counties

cation Allegan §e_rr1en Bass Kalamazoo fit. Joseph VanBuren
First 131,176 138,59h 7u,779 151,096 h6,965 82,863
Second 199,387 138,59h 100,665 116,756 181,598 158,193
Third 99,63u 56,859 77,656 bh,6h2 68,882 101,695
Fourth 9h,hb7 21,323 314,511: 30,906 15,655 33,899
__Total
estimated 52h,70h 355,370 287,61h 3h3,b00 313,100 376,650

area

1030

class on the basis of potentialities.

The second class was considered slightly inferior to the first and
regarded as usable land or at least what constituted the best reserve
after the exhaustion or complete use of the first class. The third class
was marginal, adapted only to a purely subsistence type of farming, or a
home and a partial living for the family.

Veatch's classification differs somewhat fran the classification
developed in this thesis and so to facilitate further analysis the two
classifications must be adapted to one another. Such a move, it is
realized, may be open to wide and varied criticism. However, it is
believed that under the circumstances that such a move is fully justified.

First class land more nearly resembles the subdivided acreage
classified as both good and fair farm land.

Second class land resembles

the subdivided idle or poor farm land since a good share of it could be

 

0
3 Veatch, o . cit., p. 57.

classed as fair farm land. The remainder of this type of land through
prOper management would be fairly productive. The third class land
corresponds to the subdivided acreage never farmed which night well pro-
vide much more than a subsistence living if cleared, drained or filled
in and farmed.

To complete the analysis we will determine just what proportion of
these three classes of land have been subdivided in the past ten year
period. It is expected that the resulting percentages will be quite low
since a ten year period represents such a short span of years when we
consider both the length of time since tin settlers came to this country
and all the years remaining in the future. Table XII shows the results
of the computations along with an estimated number of years for each

county before all three classes of land will be subdivided.

TABLE XII

meanness or EACH 01“ mm mm CLASSES SUBDIVIDED
BI comm FOR THE TEN YEAR 19h6 'no 1956,
IN nu: m1 UNDER STUD!

 

 

 

Percent of land subdivided P°r¢°nt Years
y t d , (1 three class .subdivide

Firs Secon “111' total, ”68*

-------- percent---------
Allegan 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.2 500
Berrien 1.2 0.9 0.1 0.6 162
Cass 0.7 0.11 0.7 0.6 162
Kalamazoo 1.5 1.1 0.7 1.2 83
St. Joseph 1.3 0.3 0.3 0.1; 250
Van Buren 0.8 0.3 0.3 0.11 250

at
Ame refers to acres of first, second, and third class land in each
county.

.It should be obvious from Table XII that Kalamazoo county has been
subjected to the greatest amount of subdividing in the past ten years. 31
However, it is important to note that Berrien and Cass are next with
approximately the same proportion of their area subdivided. St. Joseph
and.Van Buren are third and Allegan is last due to its large size and
the lighter demand for subdividions in this county.

The number of years needed to subdivide the total acreage of first,
second, and third class land in each county is based on the assumption
that subdividions will continue at the rate of Speed developed during
the ten year period 19h6 to 1956. The estimate is made from the present
assuming no existing subdividions, cities, roads or other uses of the
land. Since there are such uses existing today it is quite evident
that the significance of the subdivided area in the six counties under

study is considerably greater than is indicated by Table III.

 

l
3 Eighteen subdivisions were annexed by the city of Kalamazoo.

These were subdivided during the period l9h6 to 1956 and annexed after
they had begun to build up. The combined area of these eighteen sub—

divisions amounted to approximately 3b0 acres which has not been counted
in this analysis.

I
1'“
49

CHAPTER V

FACTCBS CONTRIBUTING T0 DEVEIDPMENT OF SUBDIVISIONS

Small Tracts and Highways

 

Subdividing is not the only activity in the six counties that
leads to a removal of farm land from agriculture or which contributes
to the residential development of farm areas. One need only look at a
county plat book for the area, showing the detailed area for each town-
ship, to see the numerous groupings of small tracts. Small tracts,
as they are called, are residences of from one to five or ten acres
that have not been platted or recorded in Subdivisions. Since the law
states that a proprietor may sell four such parcels without platting,
numerous developments of this type have taken place in the six counties
since the end of World‘war II.

In Allegan county quite a few small tracts have been developed in
the corners of'the county due to the proximity of large cities in other
counties. A large part of the small tract growth in Berrien county is
due to movement out of the many towns and cities in the county. Many of
the southern most townships and areas along the state and federal high-
ways are experiencing growth from sources outside of the state.

One of the supervisors in Cass county indicated that the lakes in
the township are pretty well built-up. About one half of the people
around these lakes are from.Indiana and Illinois, and it is expected
that they will begin development along the highways of the township.

In another, almost completely rural, township in Cass county the

-4
(D

supervisor stated that there were not many small tracts near the lakes
but along the roads it is building up. This year the growth has slowed
down but it has caused a school problem and a new $h7,000 school is
being built. Another township supervisor reported an increase in small
tract areas in his Cass county township. He indicated that most of the
buyers are from Chicago, South Bend, and Elkhart and that they drive

to work in these cities.

The small tract development in Kalamazoo county is limited.mainly
to the areas around towns and the townships around the city of
Kalamazoo. However, there has been some development in the other town-
ships and it is expected to increase due tonthe rapid building going on
-in the already built-up areas. Only slight to moderate small tract
development is reported for areas other than.those adjacent to cities
and villages of St. Joseph county. However, the trend is on the in»
crease with many people coming from outside the state. Small tract
development in Van Buren county has not begun to develOp rapidly as
yet except around the villages and cities. Yet like Berrien, Van Buren
has numerous farms of five, ten, fifteen, and twenty acres which are
operated on a part time basis while the operator has a full time job
off the farm.

The large amount of off-farm work in the state and the area under
study will be developed in a later section. Nevertheless, it is quite
an important factor in the small tract development whidh has been occurr-
ing in the six counties. Many of the farm operators in the area have
been driving considerable distances to work. AS a result they have

attracted fellow workers who have moved their families from towns and

cities to the area and they also drive these distances to work.

Iithout an adequate system of roads and highways this development
would be almost impossible. About thirty years ago the Michigan State
Highway Departnent undertook a state-wide roadbuilding campaign. The
result is the system of roads and highways which Michigan has today.
The only difference between then and now, for the most part, exists in
repair and expansion of the existing road sites.32 Today the Highway
Department is again beginning construction on a new system of state-
roads and high1wys. Much of the development is still in the planning
stages. But for the most part, the new highways are expected to be four-
lane, divided, limited access type taking three hundred foot riQt-of—
ways.

The result of this type of road building is the removal of
approximately thirty-five acres to the mile, not along existing right-
of-ways as has been the case, but across land which is now in farms.
The new planned highways, which are out of the planning stage and
waiting for approval and appropriation of funds before they can be
built, call for approximately 5,8h0 acres to be purchased in the six
counties. None of this development is planned for St. Joseph county
and only 80 acres will be required from Case. A large share of the re-
maining nunber of acres will be involved in relocating [IS-12. Though
these are not the only highways planned for the area, they represent a

small acreage when compared to the total area.

 

32
The following analysis was developed after several interviews

with members of both the Route Planning and Right-oféflay Divisions of
the Michigan State Highway Department in Lansing.

The effect that these highways will have on the agriculture of tie
area will be much more than the land removed by the highways themselves.
Since these highways will, for the most part, be limited access type,
the farms which they cross will be seriously obstructed. The Highway
Department has found an answer for these farmers. They will buy in-
accessable areas and resell them to farmers on the other side of the
highway. However, it is conceivable that some of the acreage will not
be resold immediately and will remain idle and out of production for
some time. Also, some of the farmers will be left with uneconomic
units, not being able to purchase additional land, and of a necessity
will be forced to sell.

More important than the idled land and uneconomic farming units
are the areas made available for development by these highways. With
the area already being developed by subdivision and small tract and
these trends on the increase, the introduction of these new super
highways'will further facilitate getting to and from work at greater
distances than previously. As a result the areas experiencing very little
development will be exposed. The Opening of the Indiana Turnpike is
expected to have a great deal of influence on the lower townships in all
the southern most counties of’Michigan. As the population pressures
grow in the areas outside the cities due to the development now being
experienced, large shopping centers of the type being built around the
Detroit metropolitan area will have to be constructed and provided with

large parking areas to serve the people.

Rgpulation

Nothing contributes to an areas growth and.develOpment like an
increasing and energetic population. The official projections made for
the United.States back in the 1930's indicated a leveling off of the
population in the l9h0's. Of course, these projections were made dur-
ing a period of slow population increase, no one expecting the rapid
increases that occurred in the l9h0's.

In the six county area population numbers held quite steady for
the first half of the 19mm. As can be seen from Figure 5, 191.5 was
to be the beginning of a period of a steadily increasing population
in southwestern‘uichigan. Each of the six counties experienced steadily
increasing populations with Kalamazoo county experiencing a drop from
l9h9 to 50 followed by another rapid climb. The trends of the six
counties fall into three groups, much in the manner that these counties
were subdividedh Berrien and Kalamazoo, with the greatest amount of
subdividing have nearly the same population. Allegan and Van Buren
are nearly the same while Cass and.St. Joseph, the remaining two
counties have similar populations and trends.

The data for all six counties indicate a continued upward trend
for the population of the area. Professor J. F. Thaden of the Depart-
ment of Sociology and AnthropOIOgy at Michigan State university has made
population projections for all the counties of Michigan by five year
periods from 1955 until 1970. 'we see these projections for the six
counties under study in Table XIII and Figures 6 and 7. It is easy to

see from Figure 6 that Thaden expects the counties to continue their

7h

 

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upward climb in numbers.33

Figure 7 indicates that Cass and Berrien are expected to grow
somewhat faster than the other four counties. The projected trend
slows down in the early 1960's and then increases again between 1965
and 1970 as the large baby crop of the late 19b0's marry and have
children.of their own.

These trends indicate a steady demand for building lots assuming
that the people do not change their way of living. The increase in
population expected in the late 1960's would lead us to believe that
new life would be given to subdividing during this period or maybe
another boom might take place as did following the SecondllorldSWar.

It all depends upon the characteristics of the times.

Kerk Off-Farms and.4ge of Farmers

 

New that we know, or think we know, what can be expected of the
population in general, it is time that more attention be paid to the
agricultural sector of this economy; The area, as was mentioned earlier,
has a large number of people living upon small tracts who depend mainly
on an off-farm source of income fer their livelihood.

During the period l9h0 to l9Sh there has been a decided increase
in the number of operators working off their farms which is indicated
in Table XIV. In l9h0, only two of the economic areas of the state,

those in the Upper Peninsula, had as much as to per cent of the farm

 

33
Thadens projections start out low for in 1955 there were only
1,150 people more in Kalamazoo than in Berrien county -— yet the pro-
jection makes them 11,170 people apart.

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PHN H.549

operators working off the farm. Following World war II, in 1950,

four of the areas were above 50 per cent, the two in the Upper Peninsula
remained relatively constant and all others increased substantially.

In the Census of 19Sh only two of the areas had less than 50 per cent

of the farm operators working off the farm. Now, two years later with
continued low prices for agriculture and general prosperity for the

rest of the economy, there is every indication that there has been a
continued increase in the percentage of off-farm workers.

The foregoing assumption is based on past infbrmation and merely
continues the trend. In l9h0, there were slightly more than 187
thousand farm operators in the state, 1950, 155 thousand and in l95h,
slightly over 138 thousand. While at the same time the number of
off-farm employed Operators climbed from 60, to 72, to 75 thousand on
these respective dates. It is reasonable to assume that even if the
number of workers off the farm does not increase, the number of farm
operators in the state will continue to decrease just as in the past.

The reason for this last assumption will be obvious when one stops
to realize the difficulty a young man faces today when trying to go into
farming from "scratch." Moreover, the average age of farm operators
increases in.Michigan with each Census. This coupled with the difficulty
of making a satisfactory living from farming alone seems to substantiate
the trend towards increasing off-farm work.

In a special study of six townships, two each from Allegan,
Berrien, and Van Buren counties, farm operators were interviewed in
every third section. Only those operators making $2,500 or more from

their farms were interviewed. These townships were not chosen fer

31

their excess subdivision or small tract development and consequent];'
show very little of either. Salem and Overisel are from Allegan county,
Bainbridge and Cronoko are from Berrien county, and from Van Buren county
comes Bangor and Keeler townships. Table IV indicates the number and
per cent of farm Operators either working on or off their farms by an
arbitrary age grouping.

We can see that between 30 and 140 per cent of the farm operators
making over 82,500 from farming, were working part or full time in off-
farm Jobs. The greater percentage of these operators working off the
farm are between the ages of 3S and Sh. The younger men under 35 com-
prise the next larger group. Those working full time on the farm are
found to be, for the most part, over 35 with the greater portion Sh and
older while those between 35 and 51.; form nearly as large a group. This
indicates that a much larger portion of the young men feel they must
supplement their farm incomes with off-farm Jobs. About as many of
those in the middle age group work off the farm as on, while only a
small portion of those over Sh work in off-farm jobs.

It is important to note that the reason the percentages of off-farm
work are as low as they are for these townships, is due to the inclusion
of only those farm operators making $2,500 or more from farming. Had
we included all farm operators the percentages would be considerably
higher. Many of the township supervisors in the six counties under
study have indicated that there were 60, 70, 80 and even 90 per cent of
the farm operators working off their farms full or part time.

Let's take one last look at the information from the special 31::

township study. Table XVI gives us information on the rapidity with
which the farms are changing hands in these special areas. It will be

TABLE XV

M AND PERCENTAGE OF FARM OPERATORS EITHER
WCRKI‘NG ON OR OFF THE FARM BY AGE GROUP AND
mm OVER 32500 FROM FARMING IN 1956

 

 

 

NNmber of Operators Percent of Operators

Nun lorlcing _____y age gro_L b age grou
Township her off; lbrking ‘Working ‘Working 'Working
in farm of f—f arm on-f arm off-farm on-farm

 

 

sam Num Pa Un 35 5D Un 3551: Un 35 5i Un 3555

ple ber cent der to and der to and der to and der to and
35 5h Up 35 514 up 35 5h up 35 514 up

 

 

 

 

Salem 36 13 36 o 11 2 2 813 0 31 6 6 22 36
Bangor 39 15 38 5 10 O 2 616 13 26 O 5 15111
Keeler 35 1131 1100 012410 3290 01.029
Bainbridge 80 26 33 5 18 3 h 21 29 6 23 h 5 26 36
Oronoko 36 1h 39 2 8 h 1 71b 6 22 11 3 19 39
Overisel 116 18 110 9 8 l 3 17 8 l9 l7 2 7 3717
TABLE XVI
NIMBFR AND PERCENTAGE OF FARM OPERATORS EITHER BORN ON
OR BUYING PRESENT FARM BY AGE GROUP AND MAKING
OVER $2500 FRm FARmm IN 1956
Number Percent of number not
Num Num born on Per Num born on present farm by

 

ber ber present cent her time and age
in born farm by born not From 1915-011 From 1955-_on

Township sam on a e on on born Number
ple farm Un 35 5E farm on Un 35 55 Per 11311113555 per

 

der to and farm der to and cent der to and cent

35 53.: up 35 511 up 35 5h up
Salem 35 6 O 2 h 17 29 2 13 l 55 1 h 0 17
Bangor 39 8 1 3 h 21 31 6 10 5 68 6 3 O 29
Keeler 35 7 O 5 2 20 28 2 12 5 614 O h 0 1h
Bainbridge 79 22 2 12 8 28 57 7 18 h 51 5 5 2 21
Oronoko 36 ll 0 6 5 31 25 3 3 3 36 2 O 2 l6
Overisel L1 13 h 6 3 32 28 6 10 1 61 3 2 O 18

 

83

seen that only about 20 to 30 per cent of the operators occupying these
farms were born on them. Not only tm's, but from 19130 on over 50 per

cent of the farms have changed hands. During the first half of the 1950's,
between 15 and 30 per cent of these farms, not occupied by operators born
on them, were sold. If these figures mirror the trends in the whole six
county area it is quite Obvious that as the demand for building lots
increases many Of these farms up for sale will be purchased by either

subdividers or speculators and thereby taken out of agricultural use.

CHAPTER VI

smmar, CONCLUSIONS AND Rscommumnons

Summary;and Conclusions

 

Michigan has experienced growth and expansion in the last ten years
as have many other states in the union. The small six county area under
study in this thesis has shown considerable growth during this period
also. However, this small area can not be regarded as being representative
of the state or nation as a whole. There have been no other studies of
recent origin to indicate whether what has been observed in these six
counties is like or different from other areas within the state Or
Uhited.$tates.

The area under study is composed of Allegan, Berrien, Cass,
Kalamazoo, St. Joseph and Van Buren counties. In the early years follow-
ing the Second‘Norld'War, subdivision in the six counties was haphazard
in nature, many of the lots less than 50 feet wide. 'With such lots,
water problems developed as septic tanks and tile fields were usually
located within 50 feet of the source of water. The Plat Law now re-
quires that lots be at least 60 feet wide which helps to solve this
problem.

Another problem that developed during the late 19h0's was that of
premature subdividing. Subdivisions were laid out and platted with no
apparent regard for location, suitability or demand and as a result they
are as yet only partially built-up while the newer and more prOperly

located subdivisions are enjoying considerably more activity. Indications

85

would lead one to conclude that this early subdividing was the result
of intense demands for building lots and little or no planning on the
part of the land developers. As a result of this lack of planning
there are today 280 premature subdivisions in the six counties which
represent h0.6 per cent of the 689 under study. However, the greatest
incidence Of premature subdividing has come in the earlier years of the
period under study and there is a great deal of evidence that the sub-
divisions less than four or five years old are building up more rapidly
than the Older ones.

This small six county area in southwestern Michigan has been faced
‘with a rapid population increase in all its larger cities, but the great-
est increase has come primarily in the metropolitan areas surrounding
these cities. The population trends for each of the six counties are
upward.and all indications point to continued upward movement. These
counties have, since June of l9h6, experienced, for the most part, sub-
division of ever increasing proportions. The trends in each of these
six counties is steady to upward and every indication of potential
population and demand would lead one to conclude that the peak of the
boom has not as yet been reached.

Farms are increasing in size and decreasing in number while some
areas of agricultural land are being removed altogether from farming to
provide building lots, recreation sites, areas for industrial and comp
mercial development, and.rights-ofeway for new highways. The 689 sub-
divisions accounted for a tOtal of ll,h76 acres, an average of 16.65

acres per subdivision. 'When classified according to type Of fanm land
before platting, it was found that 1,607 acres were never farmed,

h,070 acres were idle or poor farm land, 5,097 acres were fair farm land
and 702 acres were good farm land. Much of the land classified idle

or poor is fair to good land yet for one reason or another had been left
idle.

Subdividers are anticipating continued strong demands for building
lots, as is indicated by the population trends, and as a result are
platting new lands in better planned layouts. This indicates an upward
trend in the planning of subdivision layout and location. This is exe
tremely necessary if premature developments are to be avoided with the
resulting idleness of many usable acres.

Not to be discounted is the increasing amount of small tract
development prevalent in the area. The new highways built and planned
to ease the increasing traffic load are in turn aiding the small tract
and subdivision development as they make it easier to travel large dis-
tances in less time. Although only 5,8h0 acres will be taken by the
new highways, now definitely planned in this area, considerable more
significance should be placed on this develOpment. The development of
modern, multi lane, limited access highways will probably leave many
farmers with isolated holdings of uneconomic size which may be sold to
other farmers, shift into additional small units, or be left idle.

Considerable numbers of farm operators are working part or full
time off their farm. This trend is also expanding, not only in the six
counties, but for the state as well. As these operators begin.working
shorter weeks in the shop or factory they can not help but be influenced
by the same desires of their fellow workers for more relaxation and

recreation. It is conceivable then that some of these farm operators

will sell their farms as a means of attaining more of the supposed
"better things of life."

A look at the agricultural importance of the six counties indicates
that each has for one reason or another entered the top 100 agricultural
counties of the United States during the past ten years. Allegan,
Berrien and Van Buren are the most important with Berrien the most
significant of the three. However, as Berrien experienced a greater
amount of subdivision than all the counties except Kalamazoo, it de-
clined in importance and Allegan and Van Buren climbed considerably.
This trend will continue as long as subdivision activity pushes agri-

culture to less densely populated areas.

Recommendations

 

This is the result Of progress -- an area moving from agricultural
superiority to commercial and industrial dependence. Only one sad note
is struck by this progress —- sad because it would seem uneconomic.
That part of Michigan which is experiencing much of this growth and
development happens to be one of the most important agriculturally.
Several problems are suggested by this situation. Should we try to
control the development of these southern counties so as to save the
better land for farming?' Should we encourage a shift of agriculture to
the northern counties of Michigan with their lighter soils, shorter
growing periods, and lands of lower potential for higher uses? Should
we plan to grow most of agricultural products outside of the state and
reserve our southern county-area fer residential, industrial, commercial

and recreational uses?

New is the time while we still have agricultural surpluses, to con-
cern ourselves with the future production of these commodities. Every
effort should be made to direct non-farm uses Of land to sites that are
less favorable for farming. Yet it should be kept in mind that it might
be more economical and socially more desirable to reclaim new farm land
in areas more remote from urban and recreational pressure. Renewed
energy must be given to land use planning in these areas so that a more
orderly and economic development will occur. Cities have for years been
planning and mapping proposed street layouts, alleyways, and easements
so that more orderly development will occur. This is now needed on the
county level but before it will be accepted the people must be educated
to see the benefits from planning.

Mbst township and county officials in the area under study are
quite hesitant to enforce the Plat Law. This is due primarily to fear
of public opinion and uncertainty of the law due to the absence of
precedent. A revision of the Plat Law, clarifying language and spelling
out in detail each ones duties, is needed. A test case should be taken
through the courts so that all concerned will know where they stand.
Perhaps appointed county Officials might better be able to execute the
duties of office than elected officials. Only the most intensive
agricultural uses will be able to survive in these areas without new
systems of zoning, taxation, subdivision regulation and direct subsidy.

For the most part agricultural research now carried on, has or will
increase production. Sane Of the funds for this type of research should
be channeled into research on new technology. Such a move would aid the

almost inevitable shift of agriculture northward in Michigan to counties

5.9

less developed agriculturally. New varieties and strains may be needed
to produce most efficiently in this changing environment. 30 in order

that we might still have agricultural abundance in the future sanething

must be done in the present.

90
APPENDIX
TABLE XVII

NUMBER OF LOTS SUBDIVIDED IN ALLEGAN COUNTY BY
MONTH AND YEAR FOR THE PERIOD 19116 TO 1956

 

 

Month l9b6 19h? 19h8 19h9 1950 1951 1952 1953 195h 1955 1956

 

 

 

J 0 10 1h 0 o 0 0 O O o

F O 0 2h 0 0 0 o 0 0 O

N 0 o 25 0 67 0 3O 0 0 29

A 0 bl O 35 o o o 0 11 32

M 35 o O 0 0 19 0 0 12 12

J 766 5 0 o O 25 o o o 27 12

J 0 32 5b 510 0 nu 29 0 0 o

A 18 15 uh 5h 0 269 81 16 O 19

s hl 51 178 0 O O hl 0 63 17

o 22 15 26 0 O 33 28 0 0 58

N 13 9 O o O 25 O O 0 63

n 8 13 o 29 ul 0 21 O 17 h
Totals 868 175 3112 656 76 1.63 219 16 80 213 85

TABLE XVIII

NUMBER OF LOTS SUBDIVIDED IN BERRIEN COUNTY 3!
MONTH AND YEAR FOR THE PERIOD 19b6 TO 1956

 

 

Menth 19h6 19h? l9h8 19h9 1950 1951 1952 1953 195k 1955 1956

 

o 23 ta 0 150 89 106 0 O 55
67 170 39 90 75 89 60 O 0 68
SS 38 o 13 5h 67 58 59 21b 70

 

J to to O O 0 7h 72 69 O O
F O 28 o 32 0 109 11 31 1h 9
M 20 0 1112 37 115 0 102 O 68 6
A h9 0 uh 72 33 156 no 56 o 73
u 21 0 32 3h 151 0 159 29 S7 78
J 28 300 0 O 0 159 50 82 99 67 73
J 32 O 0 1L9 98 o 111 0 O 82

I 66 0 0 20 o 39 O 162 3b 179

s 70 276 o 52 O O 10 79 103 39

0

N

D

'hfls

F3
0

 

318 937 155 5&2 552 7&2 73h 766 635 699 239

8

 

2

l9h9 1950 1951 1952 1953 1994 1955 1956

Nunber Of lots subdivided in Allegan county
by year for the period 19116 to 1956.

1986 19h? 19h8

0

Figure 8.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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19116 191:? 19118 19119 1950 1951 1952 1953 1951: 1955 1956

Number of lots subdivided in Berrien county

by year for the period 19116 to 1956.

Figure 9.

TABLE XIX

NUMBER OF LOTS SUBDIVIDED 1N CASS COUNTY BY
MONTH AND YEAR FOR THE PERIOD 19h6 TO 1956

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Honth 19116 19117 19118 19119 1950 1951 1952 1953 19511 1955 1956
J 111 0 18 127 o 8 O 0 6 O
p O 30 0 0 o 0 0 102 11 88
M 113 O o o O o o o O o
A 0 0 O o 9 0 9 7 15 8
N o 0 113 10 18 20 0 13 0 29
J 93 6h 88 o 26 0 1116 0 lit 51 132
J 67 57 0 50 0 O 68 22 66 38
1 8 9o 15 22 92 o 32 no u. 18
s 55 0 O O 13 O 10 6 92 0
O 20 0 0 20 78 16 27 39 22 0
N 70 19 22 -— 18 hu 0 10 27 O
D 36 o O 25 o 0 100 O 511 19

Totals 389 381; 155 187 368 87 an 126 521 158 257

TABLE xx
mm OF LOTS SUBDIVIDED IN KALAMAZOO COUNTY 31
MONTH AND YEAR FOR THE PERIOD 1986 To 1956

Month 1986 19117 19118 19119 1950 1951 1952 1953 1951: 1955 1956
J o 25 O 65 18 105 no 0 u9 105
F 0 6b to 86 o 511 1119 27 0 127
u o 120 55 18 1211 32 31 110 102 o
1 o O 255 o 190 1611 o 100 93 72
N 0 1.1 116 265 98 33 39 109 175 193
J 8 O 132 26 12 38 22 O 182 lb? 83
J o o 17 16 178 9 109 77 62 75
1 O o 101. O 19 10 61 180 1118 1611
s o 0 12b 29 29 16 133 93 0 121
o 0 0 33 0 50 10 19h 115 75 ‘13
N 0 0 92 80 511 O 115 61 51 37
D 0 3h L6 39 32 97 10b 36 65 17h

Totals 8 38 798 656 808 610 1106 751 1150 5110

929

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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county by year for the period l9h6 to 1956.

Number of lots subdivided in Kal'

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 11.

 

 

 

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d.% .. my .15-...1;
2 81 ...;Ugfiflwfl.
3% d _
1 fl“ .3 .2.
1 m. ...afl...mfim
«a u .. ;. --.:.
1 6 $.33
8h
5 h r ., .. a . H
9 0 .
1. ff - .HH 1.72.1.
o . . . .... I. . ...Q
9 r” . x?“ H. “33
... a a. .. .
1 m y .H. . . . .H
b . . .
9 . . 1 . : . .3
l4 . H
l g _ . .3. .3 . ..
.fi
6 - . . . m x.
. u b 1.
9 . . - .. M H _ .. .- :
l : .. .... . ....” g...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ts
1000
8
h
2
0
Lots
1000 ~
8
boo
2

19b6 19b? 19h8 19h9 1950 1951 1952 1953 195h 1955 1956

TABLE XXI

wmmormmsmmwmumsnmenmmner
MONTH AND IEAR FOR THE PERIOD 1986 TO 1956

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Month 1946 19147 19118 19119 1950 1951 1952 1953 19514 1955 1956
J 26 O O O O O 112 0 A3 18
F 0 O 0 O O O O zu O 37
M O 0 0 O O 9 10 O O O
A O O O O O 0 3h 0 28 38
M 0 0 0 O 0 38 39 0 118 38
J 0 O 0 O 69 0 37 13 120 130 o
J O 21 115 0 8h 0 O O 51 O
A 130 71 0 to 0 O O 0 3A 21
S 0 2O 0 O O 27 27 O 210 0
O 59 O 37 O O O O O 27 O
N O 80 0 A3 0 111 21 59 0 20
D 52 28 61 o O 0 98 0 A3 Ah
Totals 2141 207 213 83 153 1.38 221 26? 509 11014 131
TABLE XXII
NUMBER OF LOTS SUBDIVIDED IN VAN BUREN COUNTY BI
MONTH AND EAR FOR THE PERIOD 1986 TO 1956
Month 19116 19147 19118 19119 1950 1951 1952 1953 19511 1955 1956
J 0 O 0 0 O 23 75 O O O
F O O O O O O O 60 O O
M O O O 51 0 O O O 23 O
A O 0 O 0 0 O O O O 21
N 0 68 O 37 20 312 O 51 36 37
J 0 O o 171 23 23 0 350 0 0 O
J 0 O 71 no 0 0 29 13 197 O
A O O 0 O O 13 O O 59 O
s 0 25 0 O O O O o O 77
O 0 0 O 0 0 0 7h 0 O 31
N 0 76 o 18 0 to 0 A2 0 O
D 0 21 O o O 18 179 O o 35
Totals 0 132 135 229 111 617 1180 367 162 58

 

11h

 

“6 to 1956 o

Nunber of lots subdivided .in St. Joseph
county by year for the period 19

Figure 12.

m

h

 

2

Nunber of lots subdivided in Van Buren

Figure 13.

county by year for the period 19116 to 1956.

%

TABLE XXIII

NUMBER OF SUBDIVISIONS IN ALLEGAN OOUNTI 31
MONTH AND DEAR FOR THE PERIOD 1986 TO 1956

 

 

Month 19h6 19h? 19h8 19119 1950 1951 1952 1953 1951: 1955 1956

 

001111

000112021321

000000002002

001000010000

000010131101...

001002320110

000100000002

121000130001

100100313100

000011113111

501111.1-

JFMAMJJASOND

 

10

10

10

Totahs 10

 

TABLE XXIV

NUMBER OF SUBDIVISIONS IN BERRIEN COUNTY BY

MONTH AND YEAR FOR TI-E PERIOD 19116 TO 1956

 

 

Mbnth 19h6 19h? l9h8 l9b9 1950 1951 1952 1953 195h 1955 1956

 

0.1.1331

023025232112

31021h012006

2122320214002

230303IU01211

002133010322

012120..“00121

002110111011

110000000110

20121h003131

1121011

JFMAMJJASOND

 

20 20 20 23

N

m

7

new

 

 

 

to"

97

 

r

....1

lo" 01'

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

county by month and year for the

period 19146 to 1956.

Number of subdivisions in Allegan

19h9 1950 1951 1952 1953 19511 1955 1956

 

 

 

 

Figure 114.

19h?

 

 

19

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

1951 1952 1953 19513 19

 

 

19 9 19
county by month and year for the

period 19116 to 1956.

Nunber of subdivisions in Berrien

Figure 15 .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TABLE XXV

NUMBER OF SUBDIVISIONS IN CASS COUNTY BY
'MONTH AND YEAR.FOR.THE PERIOD 19h6 TO 1956

 

 

'Month 19h6 19h? 19h8 19h? 1990 1951 1952 1953 195k 1955 1956

 

0h0113 9

110101210001 8

020113322111

17

0001002211108
100013211103D
00011000011014
2000110311210“-
1000101101016

A
0100010100101“

103001110010 8

3213111

 

Totals 12

JFMAMJJASONnfl

 

TABLE XXVI

MONTH.AND YEAR FOR THE PERIOD 19h6 TO 1956

NUMBER.0F SUBDIVISIONS IN KAIfiMAZOO COUNTY BY

 

 

Month 19h6 19h? 19h8 19h? 1950 1951 1952 1953 195k 1955 1956

 

BhOh/Olu.

h0325|fl36512h
016135350323
131020h32232
I4113112132|Q3
11nuLu.uH>n¢.L.L.L.LAU.L
321031211222
012232101021
1h201h1h2232
000000000001

1000000

ruwxumanumrurunannuuunu_

 

15 20 21 26 23 32 39 21

26

1

Totals

 

99

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Subdivisions

1 4 41
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4
J
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.. . .. ., . . . ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Number of subdivisions in Cass

Figure 16.

county by month and year fOr the

period 19b6 to 1956.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

v c . s o 90. o 9.55; 27.1 T. . o... . c . o .. s . 9 . . ... . d. . . . v To . . «o . a l. 7 .
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v ! VA ...d‘ ’0‘? ‘on..o o.‘ ‘ oYYfiilfotJ 11.. ...! t‘vo Yoolc ....2‘...’
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> 1 1 V 4 14 1 tr
o oiw¢¢oxv Vooxlvvvpo v..+lT\4q6. OVv+‘ ‘536A1loltl v..o. 9.1.‘9 ..‘Tl UNI.
o . o ‘ o.. o v o a); 0 .Lb .rb .1 o1». 5 o a ATV 0"; I . .‘vTo o o 1 s s . v .1 . . . v :1 0‘ Y
4 I A fin... to o .qu 1n..01 5.51 .93. 'n.»2 9... Out. ..vs . 9o '0:
v. ogvg.oo o.~+v&-o.¢.toQAVQ’Ot 0.6“. 14.- 0:00 91.. vlo..§ uctvlaV-fi
r > h l
1 4 J 4 « 4
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.. vvv.oo 91$ $34 1... off. .44.. o..6 .9.o .:v .o.. ....i .\¢.‘t
.. . v.... Q... ovb;t.?o.oo ‘ersfivvo‘fi1coviiloo. #:w. ..t. ....AAoOy
4 fr + 1 4 I
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. - v..c. .... Colt _Q4£Q L‘ootlravolaT +ivi ...¢ .... .-.‘. .094 r...1
1 4 4 4 4 H
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. . clay....i .‘of 11 ‘1' ..coi.V9.v .r. .... .... ‘.. OJ .
. . ...! .... vo.9o. Y V’o.| ...oloiw.‘¢. .... .... c... VT... ....
.. i ..4. a.... vl-nv ... Tr..iviv.o 1.9 .... .... ....A v..‘17‘o‘ol
c . AL‘ . .... but. loll to '011 In.“ vdii. .... v... Yuwto. o.v.
. o .. . . . . .. .vv. ‘vrv ‘o 1911. 1. A ...t .... .... v‘.1 To.
.. . ... . .. ‘00s aust r. w 1“. ufi.‘ c..v 1. . v... o... rVY.
. . .... v.n-. .... vulOoQHYA ’00! 0&11‘.50| u.u?‘ ...... vuo‘. 11‘
.u . ... . .. ...OQ ‘HI '1‘; o17ovao of: .uv. sun. .0 cl '6.
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. $ua- ..ll 1... ‘.I01 Ou" -I «4. a..- AID - -.u- "OK‘AY‘GK‘J
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- .. .. .... .u.v Y.'.t 6... .vv. Otkooovi 0‘.L vO‘Vc. sOvvo} .OIH
. . .l.. .... .... .... ..vAiT.v!' .4. ... ..vb v\‘.. 4v.. .tt4
.. 2.7.1,-1 1.11-.. ..-...I IL
.. . ...¢ v4... o v01 V.V.L coy.. t! 1.9! 'vc.1.00vLYon.qo vOO4‘bi I;
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4 J
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A a i . 14 A 4
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.... V9. k <.oo 9.9; 730.4.o‘4 on‘1‘ .o- oo.. ¢.... .... s... 09.0
.. . . .. .y.. ...4; t.¢. .... .¢.. .3.. ..A. .... V.¢1 .011
. . .... rino.v|~¢7.§~‘ ..ooi ¢£.o .vo‘ 11“. .... .‘4. .... o.vli 19.1
. A. o o . . o o 181. v 1. $1 . c c . .1» . on o . o O .. . o . u . ... 4 . luv. oi t. c v
. 4 . .- . .. . Afivv... .... ...oic.‘o .. .... .... ...J ..-
... .. .. . ... ....L ...Yl.cvui c... . .. A.Vu ..‘. .. o ..v.
. 0 .4. .... . .vo nu IoiYAI‘.101vt|-bi 011‘s 3‘ oivouOoi wo-QH tv04 4
r r
4
. .... .... s... sistblubl utqu1$vJo v4 a?‘;§;¢0¢so vOQOAvbbou
..v...c vac. . . .... . v: ‘\‘4: ublo. 0.: .... ... . ...? .9...
. . .... .... V.. .A‘ .... ..ll o..c .o.‘ .... ooi u... ....o
v ,61 '.Voui c."- Y$“‘o ‘0.4ui Q. 00:01va ut‘l vluov.vo.!ou 09.}
Ly
. 4c. .... ... «.1 11.0 ...vlilllvto k." .9. vaoo ‘1011AY.Y51
. . ...v .... .... uv». 7". Yo;:lv «1w11.. I. 1Vfl' o9. .«YVvv.,o
A ... . .. . . . .. .. . .... . l w.... .... . . ....
c .... .... . ..l vor_o .... ftlbh 01*. 9'. .o:.. 71!. r 41
. ... . .a .... ....l 0‘... .... y 9...Av.. . ...; oust .V..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

19h6 19m 19148 191:9 1950 1951 1952 1953 1951a 1955‘ 1956

 

 

 

Number of subdivisions in Kalamazoo

Figure 17.

county by month and year for the

period 19h6 to 1956.

100

TABLE XXVII

MONTH AND YEAR FOR THE PERIOD 19146 TO 1956

NWBER OF SUBDIVISIONS IN ST. JOSEPH COUNTY BY

 

 

Month 191:6 19h? 19h8 19149 1950 1951 1952 1953 195h 1955 1956

 

110220

3002h3010012

01000213h103

201121000010

001011002012

000000001010

000001300000

000000010020

000000200101

100000111021

0010101

JFMAMJJASOND

 

3

Totals

 

TABLE XXVIII

NUMBER OF SUBDIVISIONS IN VAN BUREN COUNT! BY
MONTH AND YEAR FOR THE PERIOD 19b6 TO 1956

 

 

Month 19h6 19h? 19h8 19h9 1950 1951 1952 1953 195k 1955 1956

 

000110

001010003201
010010220000
200001100010
200010100301“
000011010011
001011000000
000001100010
000010200000
000000001021

0000000

JFMAMJJAASOND#

 

ll

0

Totals

 

101

 

19h6 19h? 19m 19m 1950 1951 1952 1953 1951; 1955 1956

Nunber of subdivisions in St. Joseph

Figure 18.

county by month and year for the

period 191:6 to 1956.

 

191:6 19h? 191:8 19149 1950 1951 1952 1953 195,4 1955 1956

county by month and year for the

period 19h6 to 1956.

Nmnber of subdivisiom in Van Buren

Figure 19.

102

BI BLI OGRAPHY

Act 186, Public Acts of 195h which amends Act 172, Public Acts of l9Sh
(The Plat Act).

Colean, Miles L., American Housing, The Twentieth Century Fund, New York,
19h9.

 

Cornick, Premature Subdivision and its Consequences, Columbia University
Press, New York, 1938.

 

Fisher, E. M. and.Raymond F. Smith, "Land Subdividing and the Rate of
Utilization," Michigan Business Studies, University of Michigan,
Ann Arbor, 1932,9V01. IV, No. S.

 

Lee, Alvin T.‘M., A Land Development Scheme in the New Jersey Pine Area,
New Jersey Experiment Station, New Brunswick, New Jersey, Bul. 555,
1939.

Micl'nigan Fishing and Hunting Guide, Rand McNally and Company, Chicago,
Illinois, Third Edition, 1933.

Tax.Reverted Lands, Michigan Planning Commission, Lansing, Michigan,

191:1.

Veatch, J. 0., Agricultural Land Classification and Land Types of
Michi an, Agricultural Experiment Station Bul. 231, East Lansing,
1933 .

 

 

Veatch, J. 0., Soils and Lands of Michigan, Michigan State College Press,
East Lansing, 1933.

A3: 30 5-
Jun 2 ’56
12. r

-.,3=:;: 15 '

 
 

I
"1.1
l“l{;

Demco-293

 

 

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