Dexter is a village in
Washtenaw CountyWashtenaw County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the population was 322,895. Its county seat is Ann Arbor. The United States Office of Management and Budget defines the county as part of the Detroit–Warren–Flint Combined Statistical Area.-Geography:According to...
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 majority of the village is in the northwest corner of
Scio TownshipScio Township is a civil township of Washtenaw County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township's population was 15,759...
with a small portion (approximately 200 homes) in
Webster TownshipWebster Township is a civil township of Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,198 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
. The population was 2,338 at the
2000 censusThe Twenty-Second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
. There is no political connection between the Village of Dexter and the nearby
Township of DexterDexter Township is a civil township of Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,248 at the 2000 census. The nearby village of Dexter is not connected with the township and is located to the southeast.- Communities :...
, which is located to the northwest of the municipality. The township was named for Judge Samuel William Dexter , but he named the village for his father
Samuel DexterSamuel Dexter was an early American statesman who served both in Congress and in the Presidential Cabinet.-Life:...
, the early American statesman).
Dexter is a village in
Washtenaw CountyWashtenaw County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the population was 322,895. Its county seat is Ann Arbor. The United States Office of Management and Budget defines the county as part of the Detroit–Warren–Flint Combined Statistical Area.-Geography:According to...
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 majority of the village is in the northwest corner of
Scio TownshipScio Township is a civil township of Washtenaw County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township's population was 15,759...
with a small portion (approximately 200 homes) in
Webster TownshipWebster Township is a civil township of Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,198 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
. The population was 2,338 at the
2000 censusThe Twenty-Second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
. There is no political connection between the Village of Dexter and the nearby
Township of DexterDexter Township is a civil township of Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,248 at the 2000 census. The nearby village of Dexter is not connected with the township and is located to the southeast.- Communities :...
, which is located to the northwest of the municipality. The township was named for Judge Samuel William Dexter , but he named the village for his father
Samuel DexterSamuel Dexter was an early American statesman who served both in Congress and in the Presidential Cabinet.-Life:...
, the early American statesman). In 1824 Samuel W. Dexter became the first person to purchase land in what is now Dexter village.
Dexter is the birthplace of biologist,
women's suffrageWomen's suffrage is the right of women to vote, and historically includes the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending suffrage to women. The movement's modern origins lie in France in the 18th century. Of currently existing independent countries, New Zealand was the first to give...
tte, and philanthropist Katharine Dexter McCormick and Dr.
Royal S. CopelandFor the Canadian football player of the same name see Royal Copeland .Royal Samuel Copeland was an American academic, homeopathic physician, and politician who held elected offices in both Michigan and New York...
, US Senator from
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Dexter is also the home to the high school boys
cross countryCross country running is a sport in which runners compete to complete a course over open or rough terrain. The courses used at these events may include grass, mud, woodlands, and water...
team that tied the state record for most consecutive
Michigan High School Athletic AssociationThe Michigan High School Athletic Association regulates the vast majority of high school athletic competition in Michigan and is headquartered in East Lansing...
state championship titles with five; winning from the years 2002-2006.
History
The area was first settled in 1824, 13 years before the state of Michigan, when land speculator Samuel W. Dexter purchased a large tract of land and originated the village. It was known as "Mill Creek Settlement" until the Village was platted in 1830 and the name officially changed to Dexter.
The nearby Mill Creek and
Huron River (Michigan)The Huron River is located in Southeast Michigan, rising out of the Huron Swamp in Indian Springs Metropark in northern Oakland County and flowing into Lake Erie on the boundary between Wayne County and Monroe County...
have long been valuable resources to Dexter. A
sawmillA sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of 100 years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
was built in 1827, a woolen mill in 1838, a grist mill in 1844, and a cider mill in 1886. After being appointed County Court Justice in 1826, Judge Dexter reportedly established a post office in his home shuttling mail between there and Ann Arbor, MI on horseback.
The village founder Samuel W. Dexter served as the chief justice of the Washtenaw County Court as well as being elected a
University of MichiganThe University of Michigan, Ann Arbor is a public research university located in the state of Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university, the flagship campus of the University of Michigan, and one of the top public universities in the world...
Regent. His home just southwest of the village overlooking the Huron River was built in the early 1840s in
Greek Revival architectureThe Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
and is a recognizable landmark in the area. Samuel Dexter called it Gordon Hall to honor his mother's family. It and 70 acres of surrounding property was gifted to the University of Michigan in 1950 by Katherine Dexter McCormick. It is said that Gordon Hall served as a refuge for slaves on the
Underground RailroadThe Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th century Black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists who aided the...
.
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 village has a total area of 1.9 square miles (4.9 km²). None of this area is covered by water.
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 2,338 people, 1,013 households, and 641 families residing in the village. 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 1,236.7 per square mile (477.6/km²). There were 1,106 housing units at an average density of 585.0/sq mi (225.9/km²). The racial makeup of the village was
96.58% White, 0.43% African American, 0.30% Native American, 1.03% Asian, 0.26% 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 1.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.98% of the population.
There were 1,013 households out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.6% 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, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.7% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the village the population was spread out with 26.4% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 38.1% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.2 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $50,510, and the median income for a family was $62,697. Males had a median income of $49,375 versus $30,213 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 village was $27,974. About 2.8% of families and 4.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over. The Dexter Leader is a weekly newspaper that covers events in Washtenaw County, including Dexter.
Notable natives and residents
- Harrison Jeffords
Harrison Jeffords was the colonel of the 4th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment in the Union Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War. He was noted for his heroism at the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg, in which he gave his life while protecting the United States flag.Jeffords was born in...
, colonelIn the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, Colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and just below the rank of Brigadier General. It is equivalent to the naval rank of Captain in the other uniformed services...
in the Union ArmyThe Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
and a hero of the Battle of GettysburgThe Battle of Gettysburg , fought in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, as part of the Gettysburg Campaign, was the battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War and is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of...
- Arthur Hills
Arthur Hills is an American golf course designer who achieved a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Science from Michigan State University. He has designed more than 180 new golf courses, including private, resort, upscale, and public golf courses...
, golf course architect
- Milo Radulovich
- Brandon Inge
Charles Brandon Inge is a Major League Baseball third baseman currently playing for the Detroit Tigers...
, Detroit Tigers third baseman
External links