| Saint Clair | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| Nickname(s): St. Clair | |
| Location of St. Clair, Michigan | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Michigan |
| County | St. Clair |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Bill Cedar |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.4 sq mi (8.9 km2) |
| • Land | 2.8 sq mi (7.2 km2) |
| • Water | 0.6 sq mi (1.7 km2) |
| Elevation | 584 ft (178 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 5,802 |
| • Density | 2,093.7/sq mi (808.4/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| FIPS code | 26-70680[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1624881[2] |
| Website | http://www.cityofstclair.com/ |
St. Clair is a city in St. Clair County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,802 at the 2000 census. The city is located on the St. Clair River near the southeast corner of St. Clair Township.
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Located on the western banks of the St. Clair River, the city's name is taken from the river, which in turn was named for Lake Saint Clair. An expedition led by the French explorer René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle named it Lac Sainte-Claire, because they entered the lake on August 12, 1679, the feast day of Saint Clare of Assisi.[3] The lake is named on English maps as early as 1710 as Saint Clare. But as early as the Mitchell Map in 1755, the lake was spelled as present with the current spelling as St. Clair.[4] The name is sometimes attributed as honoring the American Revolutionary War General and Governor of the Northwest Territory Arthur St. Clair, but the name was in use with the current spelling long before St. Clair was a notable figure. However, it is possible that earlier name of the lake was conflated with that of the general in naming some of the political entities near the lake and the river, such as St. Clair County, St. Clair Township, and the cities of St. Clair and St. Clair Shores.
Some have thought that the name was in honor of Patrick Sinclair, a British officer who purchased land on the St. Clair River at the outlet of the Pine River. There in 1764 he built Fort Sinclair, which was in use for nearly twenty years before being abandoned.[5]
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 5,802 people, 2,322 households, and 1,613 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,093.7 per square mile (808.7/km²). There were 2,432 housing units at an average density of 877.6 per square mile (339.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.4% White, 0.12% African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.86% Asian, 1.00% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.2% of the population.
There were 2,322 households out of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.7% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.3% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 88.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $52,957, and the median income for a family was $61,743. Males had a median income of $50,509 versus $28,224 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,180. About 3.3% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 3.1% of those age 65 or over.
The St. Clair High School athletic teams are known as the Saints. The teams compete in the following MHSAA sponsored sports: cross country (men/women), soccer (men/women), football, golf (men), volleyball, track and field (men/women), baseball, softball, tennis (men/women), competitive cheer, basketball (men/women), swimming (men/women), and marching band (co-ed). The cross country teams (men/women), hockey team, tennis teams (men/women) have all in recent years begun to perform well in the state playoff tournaments. The girls' tennis team placed 8th at the MHSAA Division 3 state finals with 8 points, led by coach Dave Clutts. The boys' tennis team recently won their 8th regional title in the last 10 years. The girls' basketball team recently had a four-year stretch where they went to the Class B state finals three times, although they have not won a state title.
Most notably, the boys' cross country team has dominated its conference for a number of years. Recently Saint Clair became home to a cross-country state champion, Addis Habetwold (12), a child who was adopted by a local family. Habetwold won with a time of 15:10 in the fall 2007 season. The 2007-08 team won their regional for the first time in seven years. The team has also made it to the State Finals the past nine years, with their best finish being 2nd place.
The St. Clair Marching Saints received a division 1 at the MSBOA marching band festival in 2010 receiving straight A's in all categories.
In 2011, the Boy's Varsity Baseball team won St. Clair High School's first state title in the sport of baseball.
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