Through much of the 20th century, Pere Marquette Township enjoyed relatively slow and steady growth. It remained a largely agricultural community with most development taking place very near the city of Ludington.
The steady growth of the area’s industrial base through most of the past fifty years has served to develop a relatively prosperous local economy. The logging economy of the 19th century gave way to an agricultural economy in the early part of the 20th century. That later evolved into an economy based on the chemical industry and tourism. As energy costs climbed in the 1960’s and early 1970’s, Consumer’s Energy Company developed its Pumped Storage generation facility on the shore of Lake Michigan on the boundary between Pere Marquette and Summit Townships. In addition to producing electrical energy for peak demands, this facility also "pumped" needed tax dollars into the local economy.
The extension in 1990 of U.S. 31 as a limited access expressway northward to U.S. 10 has given the Township improved access to markets throughout the Midwest. This has fostered renewed interest in the region and Pere Marquette Township has garnered a significant share of the resulting commercial investment.
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