| Caro, Michigan | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| Location of Caro, Michigan | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Michigan |
| County | Tuscola |
| Incorporated | 1871 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.4 sq mi (6.2 km2) |
| • Land | 2.4 sq mi (6.1 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 725 ft (221 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 4,229 |
| • Density | 1,762.1/sq mi (693.3/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 48723 |
| Area code(s) | 989 |
| FIPS code | 26-13420[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 622746[2] |
| Website | http://www.carocity.net/ |
Caro is a city in and the county seat of Tuscola County, Michigan, United States.[3] The population was 4,229 at the 2010 census and 4,145 at the 2000 census (an increase of about 2%).
Caro is located northeast of Flint and east of Saginaw in Michigan's Thumb region. It is the largest community in the Thumb, both by population and by area and is an industrial and commercial center for the region as well.
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The first white settler in what is now the city of Caro was Samuel P. Sherman, who purchased 63 acres (250,000 m2) in the north half of the northwest quarter of section 3 in Indianfields Township on September 8, 1852. Prior to this, only two land sales had been recorded, both for lumbering or speculative purposes. His son, William E. Sherman, had worked in the lumber industry nearby on the Cass River for some time prior to 1852 and William's favorable report persuaded his father to visit in 1851 and afterwards purchased several tracts of land in addition to his initial purchase.
In the 1856-57 session of the Michigan Legislature, a road was authorized construction of a road from Bridgeport in Saginaw County northeast to Forestville in Sanilac County, with a route that would pass through what is now Caro. Once the road was cleared, commercial interests began to locate here. Melvin Gibbs, who had been keeping a hotel in an old log house, in 1858 put up a new frame building, known as the Gibbs House. In 1859, William E. Sherman built another hotel, which he named the Centerville House, based on the location being near the center of the county. The name Centerville became associated with the developing community.
In 1865, Centerville was selected as the county seat. A post office named Tuscola Center was established on April 25, 1866. To address confusion caused by the differing names, community leaders met in 1868 and at the suggestion of William E Sherman selected the name Caro, based on a variant spelling of the Egyptian city of Cairo.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.4 square miles (6.2 km2), of which, 2.4 square miles (6.2 km2) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) of it (0.84%) is water.
Caro is located in the northern portion of Indianfields Township has also incorporated some land in southern Almer Township. The Caro post office, with ZIP code 48723, also serves nearly all of Indianfields and Almer townships, as well as smaller portions of Wells Township to the east of Indianfields, Dayton Township to the southeast of Indianfields, Fremont Township to the south of Indianfields, Juniata Township to the west of Indianfields, Fairgrove Township to the northwest of Indianfields, Columbia Township, to the north of Almer, Elmwood Township to the northeast of Almer, and Ellington Township to the east of Almer.[4]
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 4,145 people, 1,738 households, and 1,042 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,746.0 per square mile (675.3/km²). There were 1,899 housing units at an average density of 799.9 per square mile (309.4/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 94.62% White, 0.55% African American, 1.01% Native American, 0.87% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.95% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.08% of the population.
There were 1,738 households out of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.6% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.0% were non-families. 35.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the village the population was spread out with 24.7% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 82.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.8 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $31,226, and the median income for a family was $39,432. Males had a median income of $36,307 versus $25,833 for females. The per capita income for the village was $17,152. About 5.1% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.
Caro is the home of the Tuscola County Pumpkin Festival,[2] an October tradition which was started in 1981 by a small group of local residents. Annually, the four-day festival attracts approximately 50,000 visitors. Local farmers grow pumpkins that are delivered to primary school youth who decorate the pumpkins and submit them for display on the courthouse lawn where they are judged in one of five competitive categories. In addition, the Pumpkin Festival Royal Court is selected based on the largest pumpkins grown.
The festivities begin each year with the annual Lip-Sync contest and various sports tournaments that have included 3-on-3 basketball, volleyball, tennis, and golf. The festival culminates with the Grand Parade. In 2003, nearly 200 units participated in the parade, including 14 marching bands from across the state of Michigan, local merchants, churches, other organizations and Miss Michigan. On the first weekend in June, Caro also hosts the Cars and Crafts Weekend. State Street, the main road through town, is closed between Frank Street and the courthouse building. Local artisans sell handcrafted goods and many merchants sport sidewalk sales. Additionally, residents show-off historic automobiles.
In late July/early August, Caro hosts the Tuscola County Fair at the county fairgrounds. The fair has been a county tradition for over 100 years and includes games and rides, awards for skilled crafts and animal rearing, and grandstand events. Grandstand events include the tractor pull, harness racing, a rodeo, and a demolition derby.
Caro is the home of one of Pioneer Sugar Company's longest continually operating facilities. Local sugarbeet farmers retain joint ownership of the plant.
In 2003, Michigan Ethanol, a partner of Broin Companies, opened a corn ethanol production facility in southwest Caro.
The Caro Center, a mental health facility operated by the State of Michigan, originally opened as a support center for individuals with epilepsy and operated as a self-supportive community, producing its own vegetables and maintaining live stock. Following, it converted to an institution for the developmentally disabled, then a home for the mentally impaired, and now operates as a facility for forensic patients.
The former Camp Tuscola, which was a state correctional facility until 2005, is now a Residential ReEntry Program.[5]
Caro is a rural community that supports many cash-crop farms just outside the city limits. Local farmers harvest crops that include sugarbeets, corn, blueberries, wheat, dry beans and soy beans. Recently, the agriculture of the area has seen an increase in the number of organically grown crops. Most of the farms are family-owned and operated and vary in size from 2 acres (8,000 m2) to over 3,000 acres (12 km2).
The thumb area is an unranked radio area. Local radio in Caro includes WKYO AM and WIDL FM.
Huron County lies inside the Flint/Tri-Cities Television Market. Only stations available on Comcast in the Bad Axe area are listed below.
Although Caro is a small town, the area has had a relatively high level of national media attention.
On November 12, 2001, 17-year old Chris Buschbacher, armed with a .22-caliber rifle and a 20-gauge shotgun, took one teacher and one student hostage at the Caro Learning Center before killing himself.
In August 2006, three men were arrested in Caro after 1,000 cell phones were found in their van. A Wal-Mart employee grew suspicious when three men of Arab descent purchased 80 prepaid cell phones. Also found in the van was video and pictures of the Mackinac Bridge. Because of this, they were believed to be involved in "terrorist activity". When the case went to pre-trial hearing, it was found that the men were innocent and had no intention of committing terrorist acts. [3]
Terry Nichols had/has strong ties to the Thumb area. Additionally, one of the co-founders of his defense fund was/is from Caro.[7]
Caro has worked hard to maintain a small, hometown feel while striving to attract a more diverse population of visitors and residents. However, as large commercial retailers continue to move into the city, including big-box stores like Wal-Mart, locally owned businesses have had difficulty continuing operations.
On July 23, 2007 Governor Jennifer Granholm announced Caro as a community chosen by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) to take part in the Blueprints for Downtowns program. Caro will receive a comprehensive, market-driven strategy toward developing an action-oriented downtown that will result in economic growth, job creation and private investments. [4] The Blueprints for Downtowns award were also received by the communities of Clio and Ypsilanti. Scottville received a similar award to take part in the Cool Cities Michigan Main Street program.
Caro residents voted in favor of changing to the status of a city on November 3, 2009. Village President Tom Striffler was elected to the position of mayor. Elected to the city council were Mike Henry, Rick Lipan, Joe Greene, Charlotte Kish, Amanda Langmaid, and Richard Pouliot.[8] The first meeting of the new city council was held on November 13.[9]
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