Maple Ridge Township is a civil township of Delta County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 694 at the 2020 census, down from 766 at the 2010 census.

Maple Ridge Township was named from a hill where sugar maple trees grew.

Communities

  • Defiance was a station on the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad that had a post office starting in 1888.
  • Rock in an unincorporated community and census-designated place located along M-35 and the Canadian National Railway, 16.5 miles (26.6 km) north-northwest of Gladstone. It has a post office with ZIP code 49880.
  • St. Nicholas was a community settled in 1912 by immigrants from Belgium. Ten acres were donated for a church and cemetery, located north of Saint Nicholas 31st Road on the east side of Summer Meadow G 5 Road. Plans were ambitious to build a large church. However, money ran out and a roof was put over the basement and that served as the church. Later the building was demolished and the people worshipped at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Perkins. The cemetery, that was likely adjacent to the church, still exists and is the burial place for St. Nicholas' early settlers.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 108.2 square miles (280.3 km), all land.

Demographics

At the 2000 census,