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Perrinton is in the central Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Surrounded by Fulton Township, the village is in southern Gratiot County.

Luce Road (Robinson Street) passes north-south through the center of the village, intersecting Cleveland Road (M-57), which forms its southern boundary. Most of the village's population is west of North Robinson Street. Pine Creek flows through the largely unpopulated eastern portion of the village.

Cities and villages within twenty-five miles of Perrinton include Maple Rapids, Carson City, Ithaca, Ashley, Hubbardston, Alma, Fowler, St. Johns, St. Louis, Pewamo, Elsie, Sheridan, Westphalia, and Muir.

With a peak population of 439 in 2000, Perrinton has never been a large town, ranging from just under three hundred to just over four hundred since it first appeared on a census roll in 1890 with a population of 349.

Perrinton was founded in 1886 as a railroad town when the Toledo, Saginaw & Muskegon Railroad came through, establishing a station here. The settlement that arose along the railroad was first known as Perrin, for the head of a St. Johns law firm that held large land interests in Fulton Township.

The townsite was platted by Ansel H. Phinney and Warren W. Baker in 1887. Previously, Phinney had founded the village of Ashley. When a post office was established on May 9 of that year, it was named Perrinton, as there was a post office in Kent County named Perrins. Thompson Kirby was the first postmaster of Perrinton. The village was incorporated in 1891.

Perrinton's early growth was encouraged by its suitability for agriculture. Although the town had a sawmill and a planing mill, agriculture was its more sustaining industry, as it supported a grain elevator, a flour mill, an apiarist, a farm implements store, and several farms in the surrounding area. The railroad made Perrinton a regional shipping center.

By the 20th century, Perrinton had a two-story public school, a bank, two churches, a hotel, several small businesses, and about 450 residents.

William Sewell, a renowned sociologist and the chancellor of the University of Wisconsin at Madison, was born in Perrinton in 1909. His father was a pharmacist, and Sewell began his own career as a pharmacist.

Today, agriculture is still an important industry in Perrinton, and the village still supports a grain elevator.

The focus of this portion of our guide is on the village, with appropriate topics including online resources for the village government and any other governmental bodies within the village, as well as local businesses, industries, schools, places of worship, organizations, attractions, events, entertainment venues, and recreational opportunities in Perrinton, Michigan.

 

 

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