Belleville is a city in
Wayne CountyWayne County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, its population was 2,061,162 with the July 1, 2008 estimate placing the population at 1,949,929 making it the 13th most-populous county in the United States. The county seat is Detroit, the largest city in Michigan. The...
in the
U.S. stateA U.S. state is any one of 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government . Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile...
of
MichiganMichigan is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Ojibwe term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. The population was 3,997 at the 2000 census. It is the
sister citySister cities, also known as town twinning, is an agreement between towns, cities and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties...
of
MachynllethMachynlleth is a market town in Powys, Wales. It is in the Dyfi Valley at the intersection of the A487 and the A489 roads....
,
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union...
.
According to the
United States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...
, the city has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.0 km²), of which, 1.1 square miles (3.0 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (3.42%) is water. Edison Lake (the proper name of Belleville Lake) was created by damming up the Huron River in two places.
Belleville is a city in
Wayne CountyWayne County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, its population was 2,061,162 with the July 1, 2008 estimate placing the population at 1,949,929 making it the 13th most-populous county in the United States. The county seat is Detroit, the largest city in Michigan. The...
in the
U.S. stateA U.S. state is any one of 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government . Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile...
of
MichiganMichigan is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Ojibwe term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. The population was 3,997 at the 2000 census. It is the
sister citySister cities, also known as town twinning, is an agreement between towns, cities and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties...
of
MachynllethMachynlleth is a market town in Powys, Wales. It is in the Dyfi Valley at the intersection of the A487 and the A489 roads....
,
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union...
.
Geography
According to the
United States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...
, the city has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.0 km²), of which, 1.1 square miles (3.0 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (3.42%) is water. Edison Lake (the proper name of Belleville Lake) was created by damming up the Huron River in two places. The Huron River flows into Lake Erie.
Demographics
As of the
censusA "census" is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
of 2000, there were 3,997 people, 1,842 households, and 1,022 families residing in the city. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key term used in geography....
was 3,520.3 per square mile (1,353.7/km²). There were 1,931 housing units at an average density of 1,700.7/sq mi (654.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.54% White, 7.88% African American, 0.40% Native American, 1.18% Asian, 0.95% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.53% of the population.
There were 1,842 households out of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...
living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.5% were non-families. 37.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.9% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 32.8% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 91.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $44,196, and the median income for a family was $56,071. Males had a median income of $47,759 versus $30,145 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone. Per capita income is usually reported in units of currency per year...
for the city was $25,927. About 3.5% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.5% of those under age 18 and 13.3% of those age 65 and over.
Music
The city has been called birthplace of techno music, namely having been home to Derrick May,
Juan AtkinsJuan Atkins is an American musician. He is widely credited as the originator of techno music, specifically Detroit techno along with Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson...
and
Kevin SaundersonKevin Saunderson is an American electronic music producer. At the age of nine he moved to Detroit, Michigan, where he attended Belleville High School and befriended two students, Derrick May and Juan Atkins...
, commonly known as the Belleville Three, who were instrumental in its creation.
During Belleville's annual Strawberry Festival, bands from all around perform in the down town and make it a very large cultural exchange area.
The Belleville High School Marching Band is one out of the three largest marching bands in the United States, with almost 300 members on the field at one time. There are over 300 people in the band program, which includes Freshmen Band, three Concert Bands, a Symphony Band and a Jazz Band. The Symphony Band has received various national honors, and performs at a consistently advanced level, especially for a high school ensemble.
Education
Belleville is in the Van Buren Public Schools District. The district consists of six
elementary schools: Elwell, Savage, Rawsonville,Tyler, Haggerty, and Edgemont. Two middle schools, South Middle School and North Middle School. And two high schools, Belleville High and Belleville Alternative High School.
Sports
Former University of Michigan head football coach,
Lloyd CarrLloyd H. Carr is the former head coach of the University of Michigan football team, a job he held from 1995 until January 2008...
, coached Belleville High School's football team from 1970-1973.
Several current players in the NFL attended Belleville High School including: former Michigan Wolverine and current Denver Bronco linebacker
Ian GoldIan Maurice Gold is a former American football linebacker of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan....
, Carolina Panther defensive tackle
Kris JenkinsKristopher Rudy-Charles Jenkins is an American football defensive tackle for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft...
and his brother Green Bay Packer defensive end
Cullen JenkinsCullen Darome Jenkins is an American football defensive end for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He was signed by the Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2003...
, and Buffalo Bill linebacker Kevin Harrison.
Former Los Angeles Dodger and Boston Red Sox outfielder
Billy AshleyBilly Manual Ashley in Trenton, Michigan, is a former Major League Baseball outfielder.Ashley was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 3rd round of the 1988 MLB Draft. He started his professional career with the Gulf Coast Dodgers in 1988 and 1989...
also attended Belleville High School.
Other Points of Interest
In the 1930s, Belleville had a reputation as a resort community where the wealthy of Detroit maintained getaway estates.
Henry FordHenry Ford was the American founder of the Ford Motor Company and father of modern assembly lines used in mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry. He was a prolific inventor and was awarded 161 U.S. patents...
Sr. and
Charles LindberghCharles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor and explorer.On May 20–21, 1927, Lindbergh, then a 25-year old U.S...
once owned summer cottages on Belleville Lake, in the neighborhood of Harmony Lane.
External links