Sparta, Michigan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sparta is a village in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,159 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Sparta Township.
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[edit] History
The Sparta area was first settled in 1844, with the Township formally organized in 1846. The first settler in what is now the village was Jonathan Nash in 1846. Calling the place Nashville, he built a sawmill on Lick Creek. Subsequently, he changed the name of the creek to Nash Creek. Seeing as there was already a Nashville in Michigan, the state legislature suggested Sparta. The village was platted in 1867 and incorporated in 1883.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 6.3 km² (2.4 mi²), all land.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 4,159 people, 1,618 households, and 1,093 families residing in the village. The population density was 658.1/km² (1,703.9/mi²). There were 1,704 housing units at an average density of 269.6/km² (698.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 95.70% White, 0.63% African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 1.88% from other races, and 1.23% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.58% of the population.
There were 1,618 households out of which 38.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% were non-families. 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the village the population was spread out with 29.7% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 16.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 87.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.6 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $39,047, and the median income for a family was $45,822. Males had a median income of $35,000 versus $26,121 for females. The per capita income for the village was $17,920. About 4.9% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.1% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.
