South Lyon, Michigan

South Lyon
City
City of South Lyon
Downtown South Lyon, Pontiac Trail
Location in Oakland County and the state of Michigan
Coordinates: 42°27′38″N 83°39′06″W / 42.46056°N 83.65167°W / 42.46056; -83.65167
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Oakland
Government
• Type	Council-Manager
• Mayor	John Galeas
• City Manager	Lynne Ladner
Area[1]
• Total	3.73 sq mi (9.66 km2)
• Land	3.73 sq mi (9.66 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation	928 ft (283 m)
Population (2010)[2]
• Total	11,327
• Estimate (2016)[3]	11,713
• Density	3,000/sq mi (1,200/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	48178
Area code(s)	248
FIPS code	26-75100[4]
GNIS feature ID	0638381[5]
Website	http://www.southlyonmi.org/

Downtown South Lyon, Lafayette (Pontiac Trail) & Lake St. (Ten Mile Rd)

South Lyon Hotel

South Lyon is a city in Southwestern Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan, in Metro Detroit. The population was 11,327 at the 2010 census.^[6] The city is part of the South Lyon-Howell-Brighton Urban Area, which had a population of 106,139 according to the 2000 census. South Lyon is located in Oakland County's Lyon Township, near the Livingston County and Washtenaw County lines. The city is 19 miles (31 km) north of Ann Arbor, 45 miles (72 km) west of Detroit and 58 miles (93 km) east of Lansing.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.73 square miles (9.66 km²), all land.^[1]

History

South Lyon was founded in 1832 and was called Thompson's Corners. In the same year, the surrounding township was named Lyon for Lucius Lyon, a member of the State Legislature. The village was given a name for its location within the township. South Lyon was incorporated as a village in 1873 and as a city in 1930^[7]

Three rail lines once passed through South Lyon. In the summer of 1871, the Detroit, Lansing and Northern was built west from Plymouth on the way to Lansing and Ionia. In 1880, the predessor to the Ann Arbor Railroad built a line into town from Ann Arbor. The goal of this line was to continue on towards Pontiac but that did not occur under the original owners. The line was pulled up around 1890. In 1883 the Grand Trunk built their Jackson Branch from Pontiac to Jackson, which crossed the Pere Marquette at South Lyon. The GTW branch line continued to serve South Lyon until the early 1980s. The branch line is now a paved bicycle trail through town and Reynold Sweet Parkway follows the original route. Today, South Lyon hosts the CSX main line from Detroit to Grand Rapids, and a passing track is located there.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census^[2] of 2010, there were 11,327 people, 4,646 households, and 2,914 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,036.7 inhabitants per square mile (1,172.5/km²). There were 5,125 housing units at an average density of 1,374.0 per square mile (530.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.2% White, 0.8% African American, 0.3% Native American, 1.7% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.7% of the population.

There were 4,646 households of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.3% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.13.

The median age in the city was 38.4 years. 26.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.3% were from 25 to 44; 24.4% were from 45 to 64; and 14.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.7% male and 53.3% female.

2000 census

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 10,036 people, 4,246 households, and 2,704 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,958.2 per square mile (1,143.0/km²). There were 4,461 housing units at an average density of 1,314.9 per square mile (508.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.68% White, 0.39% African American, 0.17% Native American, 1.09% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 0.40% from other races, and 1.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.60% of the population.

There were 4,246 households out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.2% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the city, the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 36.0% from 25 to 44, 17.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $53,395, and the median income for a family was $67,167. Males had a median income of $53,818 versus $32,083 for females. The per capita income for the city was $26,187. About 2.8% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.5% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

Schools

South Lyon City and South Lyon Community Schools Administration Building

South Lyon High School

South Lyon Community Schools covers approximately 88 square miles (230 km²) that includes parts of Oakland, Livingston, and Washtenaw counties and parts of area codes 248, 734 and 810. The school district history goes back to 1834 when a one-room log schoolhouse was built just east of town. Today the school district consists of two high schools (South Lyon High School, and South Lyon East High School), two middle schools (Centennial Middle School, and Millennium Middle School), and seven elementary schools (Kent Lake, Sayre, Salem, Dolsen, Bartlett, Brummer, and Hardy). The administration facility, built jointly with the City of South Lyon, is the first shared school/municipal building in the State of Michigan. Common facilities such as parking lot, conference rooms, auditorium, and reception area/lobby are shared between the two bodies of government. This arrangement garnered awards from the Center for Joint Public Services, Southeastern Michigan Council of Governments, 1998 [Award-Winning Joint Projects, 1998, SEMCOG/MAC 1998].

McHattie Park & The Witch's Hat Depot Museum and Historic Village

South Lyon's McHattie Park (on the west side of Pontiac Trail between 9 Mile and 10 Mile Roads) is the location of the Witch's Hat Depot Museum and Historic Village. The historic village consists of six buildings: Washburn School (built 1907), Queen Anne Depot (a.k.a. the Witch's Hat built 1909), the Caboose (circa 1926), the Little Village Chapel (built 1930), the Freight House (built 1984), and the Gazebo (1990). With the exceptions of the Freight House and the Gazebo which were constructed on site, the historic buildings were moved to the park from their original sites starting with the Witch's Hat in 1976.

McHattie Park and the Museum and Historic Village host public events (once including Depot Days in September and free). Concerts in the Park in summertime.

McHattie Park is also connected to a portion of the Huron Valley Rail Trail which converted an old railroad line into a public trail. The trail is managed by the Western Oakland County Trailway Management Council.

Pumpkinfest

Pumpkinfest is the largest annual festival in the South Lyon community, and traditionally takes place during the last weekend of September. Events include the children's outdoor activity venue with several large inflatable rides, games, a 5k run which goes through the town, and carnival food. Also, the Kid's Creation Station w/Monster Mural, a parade through the downtown area, live entertainment, a dog show, The Great Pumpkin & Fun Veggies Contest, arts & crafts show, and the huge home arts contests & exhibits. As of 2010, this festival has been moved to the main street, at the center being a large pyramid of hay bales and pumpkins. Many of the concessions are delicious, for example, the mini doughnuts with different toppings, fresh shish-kabobs, funnel cake, homemade popcorn, etc. Down the streets branching off are a beer tent, many game tents, sponsored by different organizations, and on the last side, bouncy castles and inflatables. Tickets usually only cost one dollar each.

Notable people

• Nick Smathers - jump rope enthusiast. Also seen on the tv show, "Tracking Bigfoot"

• Dave Brandon^[9] – chairman & CEO of Toys 'R' Us, former athletic director at University of Michigan,^[10] former CEO of Dominos Pizza and Valassis
• Anita Cochran – country music singer
• John Heffron – stand-up comedian
• Barbara Lewis – singer, "Baby, I'm Yours"
• Mitch Ryder – musician, The Detroit Wheels
• Danny Spanos – drummer for 1970s band Redbone, two solo albums in 1980s, hit song "Hot Cherie" reached #29 on Billboard AOR charts

References

External links

• City of South Lyon
• Chamber of Commerce for the South Lyon Area

Coordinates: 42°27′38″N 83°39′06″W / 42.46056°N 83.65167°W / 42.46056; -83.65167