York Creek Management Plan - Population
2.3 Population
As it has in so many places, the human population in the York Creek watershed has grown in recent years in relation to the land use changes. Using 1990 census information, AWRI estimated the population of the York Creek watershed at 5015, or more than 1500 people per square mile. Nearly sixty percent of the population resides in Alpine Township. Approximately forty percent live in the City of Walker and less than one percent reside in Plainfield Township. The watershed population is expected to continue growing, as there are a number of residential developments either currently under construction or in the planning and approval phase.
The growth of Grand Rapids resulted in the adjacent and outlying areas becoming critical to the housing, employment, and consumer functions of metropolitan residents. This growth has not come without its setbacks, however, especially from the standpoints of water and habitat quality. One example of this is the decimation of the trout population in York Creek. While the stream was once considered a high quality trout fishery, it no longer supports a trout population. (Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Surface Water Quality Division. 1993. A biological assessment of York Creek. Staff Report No. MI/DNR/SWQ-93/019. Lansing, Michigan.)