Lathrup Village, Michigan
Encyclopedia
Lathrup Village is a city in Oakland County
Oakland County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the 2010 Census, there were 1,202,362 people, 471,115 households, and 315,175 families residing in the county. The population density as of the 2000 census was 1,369 people per square mile . There were 492,006 housing units at an average density of 564 per square mile...

 in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A 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 Michigan
Michigan
Michigan 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 population was 4,075 at the 2010 census. This city is completely surrounded by the city of Southfield
Southfield, Michigan
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which 0.04% is water. The main branch of the River Rouge runs through Southfield. The city is bounded to the south by Eight Mile Road, its western border is Inkster Road, and to the east it is bounded by Greenfield Road...

. The I-696 / Reuther Freeway goes through nearly the east-west center of town, and Southfield Road goes nearly through the north-south center. The Southfield Town Center, formerly known as the Prudential Town Center, is within walking distance of the southwest corner of the city.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The 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 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²), all land.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A 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 2010, there were 4,075 people, 1,413 households, and 1,207 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 2,806.1 per square mile (1,083.1/km²). There were 1,647 housing units at an average density of 1,091.0 per square mile (421.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 73.81% African American, 27.03% White, 0.09% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.21% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race 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 2.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.94% of the population.

There were 1,621 households out of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage 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, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were non-families. 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.6% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 29.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $89,303, and the median income for a family was $98,213. Males had a median income of $65,641 versus $49,375 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per 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 $35,998. About 1.5% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

In 2010 Lathrup Village had a population of 4,075. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 33.7% non-Hispanic white, 61.2% black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.3% non-Hispanics reporting some other race, 3.1% reporting two or more races and 1.5% Hispanic or Latino.

Education

The city is within Southfield Public School District. Southfield-Lathrup High School
Southfield-Lathrup High School
Southfield-Lathrup High School is a senior high school in Lathrup Village, Michigan, United States. It is the second oldest of three high schools in the Southfield Public Schools district, the oldest being Southfield High School, and the youngest being University High School...

 is in the city.

History

The city of Lathrup Village is an outgrowth of the development known as Lathrup Townsite, the dream of its developer Louise Lathrup Kelley. In 1923 she purchased a tract of 1000 acres (4 km²) in Southfield Township, in southern Oakland County, and proceeded to plat a residential neighborhood that encompasses the city of 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²). Lathrup Townsite was conceived as a controlled community with rigorous standards, including houses built only of masonry
Masonry
Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone, marble, granite, travertine, limestone; concrete block, glass block, stucco, and...

 construction; early integration of attached garages; as well as established minimums for construction cost to ensure quality (source: City of Lathrup Village). As the community developed, Mrs. Kelley implemented numerous innovative directives, including operating a shuttle service to local shopping areas, and allowing the financing of automobiles as part of the financing of houses, which created a stronger connection between the relatively isolated townsite and more established suburbs, as well as the city of Detroit. Mr. Charles Kelley, who had been a real estate writer for the Detroit News, assisted his wife in bringing talented architects to the community to design many of the custom homes that are features of the community.

The City of Lathrup Village was incorporated in 1953 as the first incorporated community in Southfield Township. The residents thwarted an attempt by township residents to include Lathrup Townsite in their planned incorporation of the city of Southfield, resulting in Southfield’s incorporation being delayed until 1958. Louise Lathrup Kelley played an active role in the new city until her death in 1963, after which her remaining real estate holdings in the city were sold and developed.

Lathrup Village Historic District

In 1998 much of Lathrup Village was included in the Lathrup Village Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

(http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natregsearchresult.do?fullresult=true&recordid=0). The district includes approximately 1,200 properties, primarily residential, that reflect characteristic housing styles from the first half of the 20th century. These include Colonial Revival, Tudor and ranch houses. The district is also considered significant due to its planning: “The district possesses a strong geometric street pattern integrated with curvilinear patterns that provide a rural character. This layering of patterns produces octagonal, circular and semi-circular focal points and a series of small triangular parks scattered throughout the district. It also creates unique and changing perspectives, as views of significant buildings suddenly appear at surprising moments. Likewise, at the uniquely configured intersections of many streets, one is met with a new perspective as suddenly several sections of the district become visible.” (source: Michigan State Historic Preservation Office) Another significant aspect of the district is its pioneering developer, Louise Lathrup Kelley: “As a woman acting as developer starting in the 1920s, she was essentially alone, however her dogged persistence and insistence on quality resulted in a unique community that was the summation of her career.” (source: Michigan State Historic Preservation Office)

Residential side streets that once permitted vehicle traffic to leave the city and proceed to surrounding neighborhoods in the city of Southfield have been officially blocked with lawns and posts to dead-end those streets. Pedestrians and bicyclists can pass easily, but drivers that would use them as a shortcut are eliminated.

The general layout of residential side streets in Lathrup Village makes it nearly impossible for motorists to cut through from crowded thoroughfares during heavy traffic periods on Southfield Road, Twelve Mile Road and the I-696/Reuther Freeway service drive. While a map or GPS would make it easy, drivers or cyclists without those tools would likely get lost. Very few streets proceed in a straight line. This makes many lot sizes and shapes varied and interesting.

Neighborhoods are typically quiet, well-kept and interesting due to the wide variety of home styles built over a span from the late 1930s to the early 1970s. A very few apartments and townhouses have been built in recent years on narrow properties alongside major streets and freeway service drives.

Homes have an attached garage, a fireplace in the basement and a second fireplace in a first-floor living room as specified in original deed requirements. Another deed restriction, that property not be sold to anyone of "Mediterranean descent" successfully excluded blacks, Italians, Jews and Arabic citizens from owning property in Lathrup Village. When Civil Rights laws were passed in the early 1960s, those restrictions became unenforceable. Though archaic, that language remains in deeds as required by law to show lineage.

Quick access to I-696/Reuther Freeway, I-75/Chrysler Freeway, the Southfield Freeway and M-10/Lodge Freeway are ideal for easy commuting. There are no bars, no chain or fast-food restaurants (there is a Panera Bread store) and no shopping centers, although those amenities are not far away. Lathrup Village is overwhelmingly a residential area. There are local split-level office buildings on Southfield Road and 12 Mile Road, and a local Post Office.

The City Hall houses offices and a local Police Department. The small park behind City Hall has a gazebo, and regular music concerts take place there during summer months. A colorful Children's Garden is near the gazebo, where local youngsters are encouraged to plant, water and maintain a manageable flower plot with guidance from volunteer adults.

An annual Flower Walk prompts a loosely guided tour of the beautiful plantings outside specified local homes, and awards are given for the finest each year.

External links

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