Albion, Michigan
Albion | |
|---|---|
City | |
 Location of Albion, Michigan | |
  Albion Location of Albion, Michigan | |
| Coordinates: 42°14′48″N 84°45′12″W / 42.24667°N 84.75333°WCoordinates: 42°14′48″N 84°45′12″W / 42.24667°N 84.75333°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Michigan |
| County | Calhoun |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4.50 sq mi (11.66 km2) |
| • Land | 4.41 sq mi (11.42 km2) |
| • Water | 0.09 sq mi (0.24 km2) |
| Elevation | 951 ft (290 m) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 8,616 |
| • Estimate (2019)[5] | 8,402 |
| • Density | 1,905.65/sq mi (735.85/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 49224 |
| Area code(s) | 517 |
| FIPS code | 26-00980[3] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0619906[4] |
Albion is a city in Calhoun County in the south central region of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 8,616[6] at the 2010 census and is part of the Battle Creek Metropolitan Statistical Area. The earliest English-speaking settlers also referred to this area as The Forks, because it is situated at the confluence of the north and south branches of the Kalamazoo River. The Festival of the Forks has been held annually since 1967 to celebrate Albion's ethnic heritage.
Since the 19th century, several major manufacturers gave Albion the reputation of a factory town. This has changed with the closure of several manufacturers. In the 21st century, Albion's culture is changing to that of a college town whose residents have a strong interest in technology and sustainability issues. Albion College is a private liberal arts college with a student population of about 1,250. Albion is a sister city with Noisy-le-Roi, France.
History[]
The first European-American settler, Tenney Peabody, arrived in 1833 along with his brother-in-law Charles Blanchard, and another young man named Clark Dowling. Peabody's family followed soon after. In 1835, the Albion Company, a land development company formed by Jesse Crowell, platted a village. Peabody's wife was asked to name the settlement. She considered the name "Peabodyville", but "Albion" was selected instead, after the former residence of Jesse Crowell. Crowell was appointed in 1838 as the first US postmaster here. . Albion incorporated as a village in 1855 and as a city in 1885.[7][8]
In 1835, Methodist settlers established Albion College, which was known by a few other names before 1861. It was then fully authorized to confer four-year degrees on both men and women. The first classes were held in Albion in 1843.
The forks of the Kalamazoo River provided power for mills, and Albion quickly became a mill town as well as an agricultural market. A railroad line arrived in 1852, fostering the development of other industries.
In 1973 Albion was named an All-America City by the National Civic League. It celebrated winning the award on May 15, 1974, when the Governor of Michigan, William Milliken, and many dignitaries came to town. In 1975 the closure of a major factory began a difficult period of industrial restructuring and decline in jobs and population.
Since that time citizens have mobilized, founding the Albion Community Foundation in 1968, and the Albion Volunteer Service Organization in the 1980s, with support from Albion College, to address the challenge of diminishing economic opportunity.
Key to the City Honor Bestowed:
- 1964: Aunt Jemima visited Albion on January 25.[9]
- 1960s: Ann Landers was presented with a key upon her visit to Starr Commonwealth for Boys.[9]
Law and government[]
Albion has a Council-Manager form of government. City residents elect a Mayor at-large and City Council members from each of six single-member districts. The council in turn selects a City Manager to handle day-to-day affairs of the city. The mayor presides over and is a voting member of the council. Council members are elected to four-year terms, staggered every two years. A mayor is elected every two years.[10] The city levies an income tax of 1 percent on residents and 0.5 percent on nonresidents.[11]
Geography[]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.51 square miles (11.68 km2), of which 4.41 square miles (11.42 km2) is land and 0.10 square miles (0.26 km2) is water.[12] Albion is positioned 42.24 degrees north of the equator and 84.75 degrees west of the prime meridian.
Climate[]
| hideClimate data for Albion | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °F (°C) | 33.6 (0.9) |
31.8 (−0.1) |
41.6 (5.3) |
55.5 (13.1) |
70.0 (21.1) |
79.8 (26.6) |
85.6 (29.8) |
82.3 (27.9) |
74.2 (23.4) |
60.5 (15.8) |
44.0 (6.7) |
36.5 (2.5) |
58.0 (14.4) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 19.8 (−6.8) |
17.2 (−8.2) |
26.6 (−3.0) |
38.3 (3.5) |
49.8 (9.9) |
59.6 (15.3) |
63.8 (17.7) |
61.3 (16.3) |
54.6 (12.6) |
43.0 (6.1) |
31.0 (−0.6) |
24.8 (−4.0) |
40.8 (4.9) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 2.0 (51) |
1.7 (43) |
2.4 (61) |
3.2 (81) |
3.7 (94) |
3.7 (94) |
3.3 (84) |
3.1 (79) |
3.3 (84) |
2.7 (69) |
2.6 (66) |
2.3 (58) |
33.9 (860) |
| Source: Weatherbase [13] | |||||||||||||
Demographics[]
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1850 | 881 | — | |
| 1880 | 2,716 | — | |
| 1890 | 3,763 | 38.5% | |
| 1900 | 4,519 | 20.1% | |
| 1910 | 5,833 | 29.1% | |
| 1920 | 8,354 | 43.2% | |
| 1930 | 8,324 | −0.4% | |
| 1940 | 8,345 | 0.3% | |
| 1950 | 10,406 | 24.7% | |
| 1960 | 12,749 | 22.5% | |
| 1970 | 12,112 | −5.0% | |
| 1980 | 11,059 | −8.7% | |
| 1990 | 10,066 | −9.0% | |
| 2000 | 9,144 | −9.2% | |
| 2010 | 8,616 | −5.8% | |
| 2019 (est.) | 8,402 | [5] | −2.5% |
| Source: Census Bureau. Census 1960- 2000, 2010. | |||
2010 population by gender/age[]
| Male | 4,013 | 46.6% |
| Female | 4,603 | 53.4% |
| Under 18 | 1,872 | 21.7% |
| 18 and over | 6,744 | 78.3% |
| 20-24 | 1,364 | 15.8% |
| 25-34 | 842 | 9.8% |
| 35-49 | 1,251 | 14.5% |
| 50-64 | 1,368 | 15.9% |
| Boomers | 1,124 | 13.0% |
2010 population by ethnicity[]
| Hispanic or Latino | 500 | 5.8% |
| Non Hispanic or Latino | 8,116 | 94.2% |
2010 population by race[]
| White | 5,477 | 63.6% |
| African American | 2,579 | 29.9% |
| Asian | 91 | 1.1% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 29 | 0.3% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 17 | 0.2% |
| Other | 90 | 1.0% |
| Identified by two or more | 333 | 3.9% |
Transportation[]
Major highways[]
Rail[]
Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides daily service to Albion, operating its Wolverine both directions between Chicago, Illinois and Pontiac, Michigan, via Detroit.
Bus[]
Greyhound Lines provides daily intercity city bus service to Albion between Chicago, Illinois and Detroit.
Notable people[]
- Kim Cascone, musician, composer, owner of Silent Records; born in Albion
- M. F. K. Fisher, food writer, born in Albion
- Ada Iddings Gale, author, lived and buried in Albion
- Frank Joranko, football player and coach for Albion College
- LaVall Jordan, head men's basketball coach for Butler University, born in Albion
- Martin Wells Knapp, American Methodist evangelist who founded the Pilgrim Holiness Church and God's Bible School and College, born in Albion.
- Bill Laswell, jazz bassist, record producer and record label owner; born in Albion
- Jerome D. Mack, banker, director of Las Vegas hotels Riviera and Dunes, founder of University of Nevada, Las Vegas; born in Albion
- Deacon McGuire, professional baseball player for 26 seasons, lived in Albion
- Gary Lee Nelson, composer, pioneer in electronic and computer music; grew up in Albion[14]
- Jack Vaughn, Assistant Secretary of State, Ambassador to Panama and Colombia, and Director of the Peace Corps (1966-1969); grew up in Albion
- The War and Treaty, musical duo
See also[]
References[]
- ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-11-25.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
- ^ "2010 Census Interactive Population Search: Albion, MI". 2010.census.gov. Archived from the original on 2012-06-14. Retrieved 2012-09-14.
- ^ "Festival of the Forks", Frank Passic, Morning Star, September 10, 2000, pg. 9
- ^ "The Passing Scene", Frank Passic, Morning Star, September 9, 2001, pg. 3
- ^ Jump up to: a b "The Key To The City". Albionmich.com. Retrieved 2012-09-14.
- ^ "Mayor". City of Albion. May 25, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
- ^ Gibbons, Lauren (August 16, 2017). "Michigan State University, city of East Lansing at odds over proposed income tax". MLive Lansing. Mlive Media Group. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2012-01-25. Retrieved 2012-11-25.
- ^ "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Albion, Michigan". Weatherbase. 2011. Retrieved on November 24, 2011.
- ^ Gary Lee Nelson's home page
External links[]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Albion, Michigan. |
 |
Wikisource has the text of a 1921 Collier's Encyclopedia article about Albion, Michigan. |
- Albion City Information Page Archived 2013-01-29 at the Wayback Machine
- Albion District Library
- Albion Michigan Home Page
- Historical Albion Michigan
- Festival of the Forks – Albion's annual music and food festival by the forks of the Kalamazoo River
- The Greater Albion Chamber of Commerce
- Albion Michigan Community Foundation – For Good. For Ever.
| show Municipalities and communities of Calhoun County, Michigan, United States |
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- Albion, Michigan
- Cities in Calhoun County, Michigan
- Populated places established in 1835
- 1835 establishments in Michigan Territory