Kentwood, Michigan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kentwood is a city in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 45,255 at the 2000 census.
The city was originally formed as Paris Township in 1839. It incorporated as a city in 1967 to prevent further annexation of land from the cities of Grand Rapids and Wyoming.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 54.5 km² (21.0 mi²), all land. The city is bordered by Wyoming to the west, Grand Rapids to the north, Cascade Township to the east, and Gaines Township to the south.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 45,255 people, 18,477 households, and 11,529 families residing in the city. The population density was 830.5/km² (2,150.6/mi²). There were 19,507 housing units at an average density of 358.0/km² (927.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 80.87% White, 9.09% African American, 0.46% Native American, 5.63% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.42% from other races, and 2.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.88% of the population.
There were 18,477 households out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.6% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 33.7% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $45,812, and the median income for a family was $55,615. Males had a median income of $40,544 versus $27,632 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,463. About 5.0% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.4% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Major Highways
[edit] Schools
[edit] Government
Voters in Kentwood elect a mayor, city clerk, and city treasurer to four-year terms. The next election for these offices will be held on November 3, 2009. The current mayor is Richard Root.
The legislative body of Kentwood is the City Commission. Voters elect six city commissioners to four-year terms. On November 6, 2007, voters in each of the city's two wards will elect one commissioner, while another city commissioner will be elected by the city at-large. This will also be done on November 3, 2009, concurrent with the other aforementioned officials. The mayor serves as a voting member of the City Commission and presides over Commission meetings.
The City is policed by the Kentwood Police Department. The department has seventy sworn officers and is co-located with the 62B District Court in the Kentwood Justice Center.
[edit] Nicknames
- Due to the high number of apartment complexes in Kentwood, the city was derisively known as "Rentwood" in the 1980's
