St. Louis, Michigan
St. Louis, Michigan | ||
---|---|---|
FIPS code 26-71000[2] | | |
GNIS feature ID | 0636831[3] | |
Website | www |
St. Louis is a city in
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.53 square miles (9.14 km2), of which 3.34 square miles (8.65 km2) is land and 0.19 square miles (0.49 km2) is water.[5]
It was long recognized that St. Louis sits at the geographic center of Michigan's lower peninsula "as closely as can be determined." A campaign by Clarence and Odessa Smazel in the early 1950s, owners of the St. Louis Leader-Press, a now-defunct local newspaper, resulted in the State of Michigan designating it as such: a sign in Clapp Park on Highway M-46 denotes the city as the official "Middle of the Mitten."
History
It was not until the mid-19th century that much European-American settlement reached this area. In 1848
By the late nineteenth century, the discovery of mineral springs made St. Louis a destination for people seeking the health benefits of local mineral-rich water, which had the added feature of magnetizing steel. Famous guests who credited the water with cures included detective Allan Pinkerton and Civil War general "Fighting Joe" Hooker.[7] The Park Hotel became noted as a health spa, and for its duck dinners as well.
St. Louis is the site of the former Michigan Chemical Corporation plant, which helped market and produce DDT as a widely commercial product.[8] After its purchase by Velsicol Chemical Corporation, the plant was responsible for a product mixup in the 1970s. This resulted in contamination of cattle feed with PBB, a flame retardant. The feed was distributed throughout Michigan and the Midwest. The mixup occurred due what was described as a "triple witching hour" of events: a labor strike with management's replacing regular workers; a shortage of bags that helped distinguish between cattle feed additive and the flame-retardant PBB; and storing both the cattle feed and the fire retardant in the same dimly lit warehouse.[9]
St. Louis has gained some jobs by inviting the State of Michigan to build a minimum-security prison between Union and Croswell Roads (
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1870 | 888 | — | |
1880 | 1,975 | 122.4% | |
1890 | 2,246 | 13.7% | |
1900 | 1,989 | −11.4% | |
1910 | 1,940 | −2.5% | |
1920 | 3,036 | 56.5% | |
1930 | 2,494 | −17.9% | |
1940 | 3,039 | 21.9% | |
1950 | 3,347 | 10.1% | |
1960 | 3,808 | 13.8% | |
1970 | 4,101 | 7.7% | |
1980 | 4,107 | 0.1% | |
1990 | 3,828 | −6.8% | |
2000 | 4,494 | 17.4% | |
2010 | 7,482 | 66.5% | |
2020 | 7,010 | −6.3% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[14] |
2010 census
As of the
There were 1,491 households, of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.2% were married couples living together, 16.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.2% were non-families. 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.04.
The median age in the city was 36.1 years. 13.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 12.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 41.3% were from 25 to 44; 24.1% were from 45 to 64; and 8.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 72.7% male and 27.3% female.
2000 census
As of the
There were 1,468 households, out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.6% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 20.6% under the age of 18, 12.1% from 18 to 24, 35.0% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 142.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 155.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,122, and the median income for a family was $39,271. Males had a median income of $29,028 versus $19,272 for females. The
Transportation
Notable people
- Member of Congressfrom 1901 to 1909, lived in St. Louis from 1870 until the time of his death. He was a banker and was elected mayor in 1893.
- Edward Hartwick (1871–1918), United States Army officer, businessman and namesake of Michigan's Hartwick Pines State Park, was born and reared here.
- Jim Northrup (1939-2011), outfielder for the Detroit Tigers 1964–1974, including a major role on its World Championship 1968 team, was born in nearby Breckenridge, Michigan, then moved to St. Louis, where he graduated from high school.
- Bradbury Robinson (1884–1949), who threw the first forward pass in football history, lived in St. Louis from September 1926 until his death in March 1949. Dr. Robinson founded the Robinson Clinic on N. East St. in 1935 and was twice elected mayor, in 1931 and 1937.
- Lester "Tug" Wilson (1885–1969), who played briefly for the Boston Red Sox during the 1911 season, was born in St. Louis.
References
- ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
- ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Saint Louis Statistics". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2009-08-03.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2012-01-25. Retrieved 2012-11-25.
- ^ "History", City of St. Louis Website, accessed 3 Feb 2010
- ^ McMacken, David. The Saratoga of the West: The Story of the Magnetic Mineral Spring and Park Hotel of St. Louis, Michigan, p. 7-8. Privately published, 1986.
- ^ "History by Decades", St. Louis, Michigan Website
- ^ "43 years after chemical mix-up, Michigan blood shows elevated toxin levels". 9 May 2016.
- ^ "St. Louis Super Fund Site", Region 5, EPA
- ^ St. Louis, MI, Brownfields, EPA
- ^ "Velsicol Chemical Corp.", Five-Year Review, Super Fund Sites; Region 5, EPA
- ^ "Corrections Institutions", Dept. of Corrections, State of Michigan
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-11-25.