Troy, Michigan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Troy, Michigan | |
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| Country | United States |
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| State | Michigan |
| County | Oakland |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Louise Schilling |
| - City manager | Phil Nelson |
| Area | |
| - City | 33.6 sq mi (87.1 km²) |
| - Land | 33.6 sq mi (86.9 km²) |
| - Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - City | 80,959 |
| - Density | 2,413.9/sq mi (932.0/km²) |
| - Metro | 5,456,428 |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Website: http://www.ci.troy.mi.us | |
Troy is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a suburb of Detroit and is part of the Metro Detroit area. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 80,959, the 12th largest city in Michigan by population. Troy has become a destination for its upscale Somerset Collection mall.
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[edit] History
The first land purchases in what became Troy Township were recorded in 1819 in section 19. The first settlement, known as Troy Corners, originated two years later when Johnson Niles purchased 160 acres at the SW corner of Square Lake & Livernois. Four years later, Ira Smith built the first house at Big Beaver Corners, and the first public school opened at Troy Corners. Troy Township was organized on May 28, 1827. The City of Troy was incorporated in 1955, mainly as a way to prevent neighboring cities (Clawson, Royal Oak, and Birmingham) from incorporating any more of its land into their cities.
In 1966, I-75 was completed in Troy. This gave a major boost to Troy's economy, leading to the development of its civic center, school district, and recreation system.
[edit] Today
In 2003, Troy was named Michigan's Sportstown by Sports Illustrated magazine for having the top community sports programs in the state.
In the summer of 2005, to commemorate the city's 50th anniversary, ceramic beaver statues, each standing four feet (1.2 m) high, were displayed at various locations in the city. The beaver is the symbol of Troy, and the city's main commercial thoroughfare (Big Beaver Road) is named for it. In 2006, Troy was named the 5th safest city of 75,000 or more in the United States and the safest city in Michigan. Troy is also the second largest city in the state based on total property value.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 33.6 square miles (87.1 km²)—33.5 square miles (86.9 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (0.30%) is water. Troy, by area, is the 12th largest city in Michigan.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 80,959 people, 30,018 households, and 21,883 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,413.9 people per square mile (932.0/km²). There were 30,872 housing units at an average density of 920.5 per square mile (355.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 82.30% White, 2.09% African American, 0.15% Native American, 13.25% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races, and 1.82% from two or more races. 1.46% of the population is Hispanic or Latino of any race. Troy has the highest percentage of Asians of any city in Michigan.
There were 30,018 households out of which 36.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.5% were married couples living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.1% were non-families. 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.23.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.2% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 27.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $77,538, and the median income for a family was $92,058. Males had a median income of $66,475 versus $41,026 for females. The per capita income for the city was $35,936. About 1.7% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.2% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Economy
In the midst of one of the wealthiest counties in the United States, Troy is a thriving center of business, particularly in the automotive and financial sectors, and is home to a number of major companies. Based on property value, Troy is the second largest city in Michigan, second only to Detroit. The Top of Troy is the city's tallest building (now renamed the National City Center). Troy is home to the upscale Somerset Collection mall featuring an award winning skywalk with over 180 stores and the Oakland Mall. Hooters is also having issues with the city, by not allowing a transfer of a liquor license from its original building to its new building. Currently Hooters is operating two locations until the debate is settled.
[edit] Major companies headquartered in Troy
- Altair Engineering
- ArvinMeritor
- Behr America, Inc.
- Budd Company
- Decoma International
- Delphi Corporation
- DuPont Automotive
- Flagstar Bancorp, Inc.
- Honey Baked Ham
- Huffmaster Companies, Inc.
- Kelly Services
- Kmart^^
- National City Corp. (Operations Center)
- Rexair LLC
- Rock Financial
- Saleen Special Vehicles
- SAE International
- Syntel
- Quicken Loans
- Ziebart
^^Kmart was headquartered in Troy until it was acquired by Sears in 2005, establishing itself in the former Sears headquarters in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Its massive headquarters still remains, though it is scheduled for demolition by the end of the decade.
[edit] Government
Troy utilizes the Council-Manager form of government, and thus is governed by a City Council consisting of a Mayor and six council members. The city council appoints a City Manager, who manages the day-to-day operations of the city.
[edit] Education
Troy is home to Walsh College, a business oriented school, as well as branches for the University of Phoenix, Spring Arbor University, and ITT Technical Institute. Michigan State University also has its Management Education Center located off of I-75.
Troy is well known for its exemplary schools both in Michigan as well as around the nation. The Troy School District has six national blue ribbon and 13 State Exemplary Schools. The schools have a 99% graduation rate, with 95% of those students going on to higher education and 2% going on to military service[1]. Both Troy High School and Athens High School were named to the list of The 100 Most Outstanding High Schools in the United States by the U.S. News and World Report.
The public schools comprising the Troy School District are as follows:
Elementary
- Barnard
- Bemis
- Costello
- Hamilton
- Hill
- Leonard
- Martell
- Morse
- Schroeder
- Troy Union
- Wass
- Wattles
Middle
- Baker
- Boulan
- Larson
- Smith
High
[edit] Public Safety
In 2003, Alliance Mobile Health, an EMS provider, was contracted to handle the city's Emergency Calls.
[edit] Media
In addition to the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press, regional newspapers serving all of southeast Michigan, the city is served by the Daily Tribune, published daily, the Troy Eccentric, which is published twice a week, on Sunday and Thursday, the Troy Beacon[2], the Troy Times, and the Somerset Gazette[3].
[edit] Notable residents
- Nick Cotsonika, Author & Journalist
- Ryan Field, Sportscaster
- Hunter Foster, Tony Award-nominated actor/singer; librettist and playwright
- Sutton Foster, Tony Award-winning Broadway actress/singer/dancer
- Garret Gould, Former NFL football player
- Husna Hasan, MTV Desi VJ
- Ellen Hollman, Film and television actress
- Martin Klebba, actor, known from Pirates of the Carribean films
- Kraig Kitchin, CEO of Premiere Radio
- Tom Matich, music journalist, Real Detroit Weekly
- Steve McCatty, Former MLB pitcher and coach
- Christy McDonald, Television news reporter
- Ivana Miličević, Television and film actress
- Tomo Milicevic, Guitarist 30 Seconds to Mars
- Brian Ottney, former MSU football captain and All-American
- Placido Polanco, Detroit Tigers baseball player
- Aileen Wuornos, Serial killer, executed, basis for the 2003 film Monster
- Kirill Zikanov, noted entrepreneur, co-owner of Basin Zikanov Capital Management
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Mayor and City Council
- Councilman Dave Lambert's Blog
- GIS Maps
- Troy School District
- Troy Public Library
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
