| Walled Lake, Michigan | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| Location in Oakland County and the state of Michigan | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Michigan |
| County | Oakland |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.5 sq mi (6.4 km2) |
| • Land | 2.3 sq mi (5.9 km2) |
| • Water | 0.2 sq mi (0.5 km2) |
| Elevation | 942 ft (287 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 6,999 |
| • Density | 2,832.4/sq mi (1,093.6/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP codes | 48390-48391 |
| Area code(s) | 248 |
| FIPS code | 26-83060[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1615720[2] |
Walled Lake is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 6,999 at the 2010 census.[3]
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The town's name is said to have been given by the first Euro-American settler, Walter Hewitt, in 1825. Upon his arrival, he noticed what appeared to be a stone wall along the lake's western bank, possibly constructed by earlier Potawatomi Indian tribes.[4]
Walled Lake was a village inhabited by Ojibwa and Potowatamie people until about 1830.[5] It appears that these people had relocated from an earlier village in the area that is today Southfield.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.5 km2), of which 2.3 square miles (6.0 km2) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2), or 8.10%, is water.
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 6,713 people, 3,158 households, and 1,689 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,956.9 per square mile (1,141.8/km²). There were 3,390 housing units at an average density of 1,493.2 per square mile (576.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.34% White, 0.73% African American, 0.31% Native American, 1.70% Asian, 0.49% from other races, and 1.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.68% of the population.
There were 3,158 households out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.0% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.5% were non-families. 39.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.3% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 36.8% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 85.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $45,386, and the median income for a family was $55,420. Males had a median income of $45,420 versus $31,021 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,199. About 2.9% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.9% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.
The mayor of Walled Lake is William T. Roberts. Mayor Roberts, a Democrat, has been a resident of Walled Lake since 1954. In April 1968, he was elected to the City Council, becoming the youngest local elected official in Michigan and one of the youngest in the country. In 1973, he was elected Mayor and served until 1977, when he chose not to seek re-election. Roberts was elected to the Council in 1979 and re-elected in 1983. He served two terms as Mayor Pro-tem. In April 1986, Roberts's successor, Mayor Gaspre LaMarca, died and Roberts was appointed as Mayor. He was elected in Nov. 1986, and re-elected in 1989, 1993, 1997, 2001, 2005, and 2009. Roberts is a member of the Walled Lake Downtown Development Authority, and serves on its Executive Committee. In January 2002, he became dean of municipal officials in Oakland County.
The Council consists of six members, including a mayor pro tem, elected to four-year terms. Current Council members include: Casey Ambrose, William Sturgeon, John Owsinek, Robert Robertson and Dennis Yesbick. The Mayor Pro Tem is Linda Ackley.[6]
The Walled Lake Consolidated Schools district contains three high schools: Walled Lake Western, Walled Lake Central, and Walled Lake Northern. There are four middle schools, Clifford H. Smart, Sarah Banks, James R. Geisler (formerly known as Walled Lake Middle), and Walnut Creek. It also has 14 elementary schools: Commerce, Dublin, Glengary, Mary Helen Guest (formerly known as Decker), Hickory Woods, Keith, Loon Lake, Maple, Meadowbrook, Oakley Park, Pleasant Lake, Twin Beach, Walled Lake Elementary, and Wixom. Walled Lake Central is particularly known for their academics, as it was rated in the top 1,000 schools in the country, led by then principal David Barry. Walled Lake Western High School is known mostly for its football team, which earned two state titles in a span of four years from 1996 to 1999. As of this writing (2009) they were the last team from Oakland County to have a Division 1 state championship and the only team from Division 1 to go undefeated. They are one of fifty teams to have ten playoff appearances in the state of Michigan.
Resting spots along the Underground Railroad, where runaway slaves could sleep and eat, were called "depots". One of these was the Foster Farmhouse (built in 1833) in Walled Lake, which served as a refuge for those making their way to freedom in Canada.[7] The Foster Farmhouse was located on Pontiac Trail near 15 mile road until 1997, when it was moved to Riley Park in downtown Walled Lake to avoid demolition.[8]
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