Milan, Michigan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Milan is a city that straddles the boundary of Monroe and Washtenaw counties in the State of Michigan. The population was 4,775 at the 2000 census. About sixty percent of the city, containing seventy-five percent of the population, live on the Washtenaw side adjacent to York Township in Washtenaw County; while forty percent of the city, containing about twenty-five percent of the population, live on the Monroe County side adjacent to Milan Township.
The town was founded in 1831 by John Marvin, who named it Tolanville after his son-in-law. Both Marvin and Tolan still have streets named for them, but the town was later renamed after the famous city in Italy. Milan was a village until 1967, when it was incorporated as a city.
The town's name is pronounced differently from the English name for the Italian city of the same name: IPA /ˈmaɪlən/ listen.
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[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.0 km² (2.3 mi²). 5.8 km² (2.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (3.45%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 4,775 people, 1,923 households, and 1,271 families residing in the city. The population density was 823.1/km² (2,127.4/mi²). There were 1,999 housing units at an average density of 344.6/km² (890.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.30% White, 1.74% African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.69% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.72% from other races, and 1.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.50% of the population.
There were 1,923 households out of which 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.6% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 34.2% from 25 to 44, 19.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $48,510, and the median income for a family was $57,596. Males had a median income of $45,409 versus $26,926 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,895. About 2.5% of families and 4.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.6% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Prevalent architecture
Turn-of-the-century, two-story homes are prevalent. About one-quarter of the homes in Milan were built before World War II, and 21 percent built between 1940 and 1959. A symbol of the architecture is Community House, a two-story grist mill Henry Ford purchased in 1935. Ford used the area now known as Wilson Park to run a coil manufacturing plant, and soybean-to-paint operation for the Model T autos. Area residents can the Community House for small gatherings and it now houses the City Recreation Department dance studio.
Despite the increase in development, Milan is still equated with country living. It's not unusual to find a home with a barn and a kennel sitting on a couple of acres outside the city limits, and a hand-built wooden organ factory is housed in a relocated barn tucked along the Saline River. The small town began to develop its industrial base in the 1960's. Currently, a great deal of its tax base is from the Visteon facility. Downtown Milan boasts a place on the National Register of Historic Places with fine examples of Italianate, International, Art Modern, and other architectural styles. One corner features a fully restored Fire Barn once used as a library, jail and as city hall over the years. It now houses the Visitors Center and Chamber of Commerce offices.
Part of its present City Hall is the former Ford Power Plant used for the Village industries of the 1930's. It was rarely used for its hydraulic power despite the damming and creation of a man-made lake called Ford Lake. Instead, oil usually powered the enterprise.
[edit] Notable institutions
Milan is known regionally for its Automobile Drag racing venue, the Milan Dragway.
Milan is also the location of a Federal prison, the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI), Milan.
[edit] External links
- Milan City Government
- Milan Area Chamber of Commerce
- Milan Area Schools
- Federal Correctional Institution, Milan
