Hastings is a
cityA city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
in the
U.S. stateA U.S. state is any one of the 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. Four states use the official title of...
of
MichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, the
county seatA county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of
Barry County-Highways:* M-37* M-43* M-50* M-66* M-78* M-79* M-89* M-179-Demographics:As of the 2000 census, there were 56,755 people, 21,035 households, and 15,986 families residing in the county. The population density was 102 people per square mile . There were 23,876 housing units at an average density of...
as well as the county's only city. The population was 7,095 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...
. The city borders
Hastings Charter TownshipHastings Charter Township is a charter township of Barry County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,930 at the 2000 census. The township borders the City of Hastings on the north, east, and south.-Geography:...
on the north, east, and south, and
Rutland Charter TownshipRutland Charter Township is a charter township of Barry County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,646 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
on the west. It has been named "One of the best 100 small towns in America".
Hastings is part of the Grand Rapids-Wyoming metropolitan area.
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...
, the city has a total area of 5.3 square miles (13.7 km²), of which, 5.2 square miles (13.5 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (0.38%) is water. The
Thornapple RiverThe Thornapple River is an tributary of Michigan's longest river, the Grand River. The Thornapple is located in western Michigan. It joins the Grand in Ada, Michigan.- Description :...
passes through the city from east to west.
Major highways
M-37M-37 is a north–south state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. The southern terminus is near the border between Kalamazoo and Calhoun counties at exit 92 of Interstate 94 southwest of Battle Creek. The northern terminus is at the Mission Point Light on Old Mission Point in Grand...
M-43M-43 is a state trunkline highway in southwestern and central parts of the US state of Michigan. The highway runs from South Haven to Webberville along an indirect path through both rural areas and larger cities...
History
In 1836 three entrepreneurs named Dibble, Kingsbury and Kendall bought 480 acres (1.9 km²) along the Thornapple River from Detroit banker Eurotas P. Hastings. The three platted the area into lots, and soon a small community arose. In 1843, the state legislature designated Hastings as the County Seat of Barry County. The first paper, the
Barry County Pioneer, began publishing in 1851, and a second paper, the
Republican Banner, began in 1856. The latter publication, a weekly paper published on Thursdays, continues to be published as the
Hastings Banner.
Hastings was incorporated as a village in 1855, with a population of around 300, and on March 11, 1871, officially become a city. The Barry County Courthouse, which is still in use today, was built in 1893. The city grew slowly, reaching 6,500 people in 1960 and remaining nearly flat through 1990.
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. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 7,095 people, 2,759 households, and 1,826 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...
was 1,353.3 per square mile (522.8/km²). There were 2,898 housing units at an average density of 552.8/sq mi (213.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.31% White, 0.14% African American, 0.47% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.58% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, 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 1.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.14% of the population.
There were 2,759 households out of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.9% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.7% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 88.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $39,033, and the median income for a family was $44,886. Males had a median income of $35,226 versus $24,727 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $18,042. About 5.9% of families and 8.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.3% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.
Schools
Hastings School District
- Hastings High School
Hastings High School is a public secondary school in Hastings, Michigan, United States, serving students in grades 9–12. The school is part of the Hastings Area School System, which includes one junior high school and four elementary schools...
(website) has been located at 520 West South Street since 1970, previously located at 232 West Grand Street.
- Hastings Middle School (website) is located at 232 West Grand Street.
- Central Elementary (website) is located at 509 South Broadway.
- Southeastern Elementary (website) is located at 1300 South East Street.
- Northeastern Elementary (website) is located 519 East Grant Street.
- Star Elementary (website) is located at 1900 Star School Road.
- Barry County Special Education (website)
Private Schools
- St. Rose Of Lima (website) is a Catholic elementary school offering grades K-6 as well as a licensed preschool program. It is located at 707 South Jefferson Street. It associated with the St Rose of Lima Parrish (website) and named for Rose of Lima
Rose of Lima, , the first Catholic saint of the Americas, was born in Lima, Peru.-Biography:Saint Rose of Lima was born in the city of that name, the daughter of Gaspar Flores, a harquebusier from San German, Puerto Rico, and his wife, Maria de Oliva, who was a native of Lima. She was part of a...
(1586–1617), the first Catholic saint of the Americas.
-
- Barry County Christian School (website) is located at 2999 McKeown Road.
Community College
Since 1996,
Kellogg Community CollegeKellogg Community College , is a public college, which was founded in 1956, is a two-year institution of higher learning which provides academic, occupational, general, and lifelong learning opportunities on campus in Battle Creek, Michigan, as well as at off-campus sites and online. The college...
(with its main campus in Battle Creek, Michigan) maintains a regional campus at the Fehsenfeld Center in Hastings. (
website)
New public library
The new
LEED GoldGreen building refers to a structure and using process that is environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle: from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and demolition...
-certified
Hastings Public Library opened on June 7, 2007.
External links