Three Oaks, Michigan

Three Oaks, Michigan
Village
Downtown Three Oaks
Location of Three Oaks, Michigan
Coordinates: 41°48′1″N 86°36′35″W / 41.80028°N 86.60972°W / 41.80028; -86.60972
Country	United States
State	Michigan
Township	Three Oaks
Government
• President	Dave Grosse
• Village Manager	Adam J. Umbrasas
Area[1]
• Total	0.99 sq mi (2.56 km2)
• Land	0.99 sq mi (2.56 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation	692 ft (211 m)
Population (2010)[2]
• Total	1,622
• Estimate (2012[3])	1,604
• Density	1,638.4/sq mi (632.6/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	49128
Area code(s)	269
FIPS code	26-79720[4]
GNIS feature ID	1614822[5]

Three Oaks is a village in Three Oaks Township, Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,622 at the 2010 census.

The village of Three Oaks is located in the southwest corner of Michigan, just 5 miles from the shores of Lake Michigan and within 2 miles of the Indiana border along US 12.

History

The village was first settled by Henry Chamberlain in 1850^[6] and became a village in 1867. The village was originally called Chamberlain's Siding but was changed to Three Oaks. These oak trees were a guidepoint for train engineers.^[7] None of the original three oak trees remain today; the last was cut down nearly 100 years ago.

Three Oaks' hometown pride is evident during its Flag Day Celebration in June. The celebration and Flag Day Parade is the largest in the country.

Three Oaks celebrated the centennial of receiving the Dewey Cannon at the village's Flag Day Festival (June 9–11, 2000). A historical marker at Dewey Cannon Park in Three Oaks relates: "This cannon, captured in the Spanish-American War by Admiral Dewey, was presented to Three Oaks when its citizens raised fourteen hundred dollars for a memorial to the men of the battleship Maine. This was the largest contribution, per capita, of any community in the nation. 'Three Oaks Against the World', a local paper proudly boasted. This park was dedicated October 17, 1899, by President William McKinley, and others. Presentation of the cannon took place on June 28, 1900. Guest of honor was Helen Miller Gould, called the Spanish-American War's 'Florence Nightingale'. Thousands of people were in attendance on each occasion."^[8] The Dewey Cannon, which remains on display in the park of the same name, bears the engraved monogram of Queen Isabella II of Spain.

The Christmas movie Prancer, released in 1989, was filmed on location largely in the village of Three Oaks (other locations in nearby LaPorte, Indiana, were also used). A sequel, Prancer Returns, was made in 2001 (filming location Uxbridge, Ontario), in which a boy comes to Three Oaks to learn about the "Prancer incident".^[7]

Three Oaks is also home to the Warren Featherbone Factory, which was built over a century ago by Edward Kirk Warren to strip turkey feathers of their quills to use in women's garments of the era, such as corsets, which used "stiffeners". This replacement for the "whalebone" material was welcomed by the garment industry of the late 19th century.^[7] The factory still stands today and houses the Journeyman Distillery, Acorn Theater, and Featherbone Factory.

On November 4, 2008, the incumbent village councilors were voted out of office. The village faced bankruptcy in early December 2008 due to fiscal mismanagement and the State of Michigan took over financial management of the village with the appointment of a financial manager.^[9] The state of Michigan appointed Emergency Financial Manager Pam Amato in December 2008 to take over village operations and guide the newly elected Council through development of a five-year deficit elimination plan. The state approved that plan in August. Amato's term was completed in 2009.^[10] In February 2010, the Village of Three Oaks hired Patrick Yoder to serve as the first Village Manager.^[11]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 0.99 square miles (2.56 km²), all of it land.^[1]

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census^[2] of 2010, there were 1,622 people, 678 households, and 422 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,638.4 inhabitants per square mile (632.6 /km²). There were 797 housing units at an average density of 805.1 per square mile (310.9 /km²). The racial makeup of the village was 93.2% White, 1.1% African American, 1.4% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.7% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.4% of the population.

There were 678 households of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% were married couples living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.8% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.01.

The median age in the village was 39.3 years. 24.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.6% were from 25 to 44; 28.5% were from 45 to 64; and 13.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 48.6% male and 51.4% female.

2000 census

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 1,829 people, 741 households, and 486 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,861.4 per square mile (720.6/km²). There were 800 housing units at an average density of 814.2 per square mile (315.2/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 96.34% White, 0.93% African American, 0.77% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.66% from other races, and 1.20% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.86% of the population.

There were 741 households out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the village the population was spread out with 27.4% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 96.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $34,120, and the median income for a family was $41,146. Males had a median income of $31,923 versus $20,875 for females. The per capita income for the village was $16,361. About 8.5% of families and 11.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.3% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.

Notes

External links

• Village of Three Oaks
• Harbor Country - Three Oaks Info
• River Valley High School - Three Oaks, MI
• Three Oaks Elementary
• Music In the Park

v t e Municipalities and communities of Berrien County, Michigan, United States County seat: St. Joseph Cities Benton Harbor Bridgman Buchanan Coloma New Buffalo Niles‡ St. Joseph Watervliet Villages Baroda Berrien Springs Eau Claire Galien Grand Beach Michiana Shoreham Stevensville Three Oaks Charter townships Benton Coloma Lake Lincoln Niles Oronoko St. Joseph Watervliet General law townships Bainbridge Baroda Berrien Bertrand Buchanan Chikaming Galien Hagar New Buffalo Pipestone Royalton Sodus Three Oaks Weesaw CDPs Benton Heights Fair Plain Lake Michigan Beach New Troy Paw Paw Lake Shorewood-Tower Hills-Harbert Other unincorporated communities Berrien Center Dayton Glendora Harbert Hinchman Lakeside Millburg Riverside Sawyer Scottdale Shorewood Hills Union Pier Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

Coordinates: 41°47′55″N 86°36′38″W / 41.79861°N 86.61056°W / 41.79861; -86.61056