Wayne County, Michigan
|
|
Template:US County infobox Wayne County is a county located in the state of Michigan. As of 2000, the population is 2,061,162. Its county seat is Detroit6.
| Contents |
History
Wayne County was one of the original counties formed when the Northwest Territory was organized. It was named for the American general "Mad Anthony" Wayne. It originally encompassed the entire area of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, as well as small sections that are now part of northern Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. By proclamation of the Territorial Secretary and Acting Governor, Winthrop Sargent, on August 15, 1796, the boundaries of Wayne County were declared to begin at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River then west to Fort Wayne, then to the southernmost point of Lake Michigan and along the western shore north to the territorial boundary in Lake Superior and then along the territorial boundary through Lake Huron, Lake St. Clair, and Lake Erie back to the starting point.
On January 14, 1803, the Governor of Indiana Territory, William Henry Harrison, issued a similar proclamation defining the boundaries as beginning at a point where an east and west line passing through the southernmost extreme of Lake Michigan would intersect a north and south line, passing through the westernmost extreme of the lake, then north to the territorial boundary, then along said boundary line to a point where an east and west line passing through the southerly extreme of Lake Michigan would intersect the same, then along this last mentioned line to the place of beginning. This boundary would include Chicago and a sizable strip of Wisconsin along Lake Michigan.
These boundaries would be adjusted as Indiana and Illinois became states and as other counties were formed within Michigan Territory.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,741 km² (672 mi²). 1,591 km² (614 mi²) of it is land and 150 km² (58 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 8.64% water (parts of the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair).
Wayne County borders on Oakland County and Macomb County to the north, Washtenaw County to the west, and Monroe County to the south.
The eastern (and sometimes southern) boundary is a water boundary in the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair with Essex County, Ontario, Canada. Automotive traffic crosses this boundary at the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel and the Ambassador Bridge. Due to the change in direction of the river, this portion of Ontario actually lies south of Wayne County. Due to the direction ambiguity, the southern communities of the county are usually referred to as "Downriver".
Adjacent counties
- Washtenaw County (west)
- Monroe County (south)
- Macomb County (northeast)
- Oakland County (northwest)
- Essex County, Ontario (east)
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 2,061,162 people, 768,440 households, and 511,781 families residing in the county. The population density is 1,296/km² (3,356/mi²). There are 826,145 housing units at an average density of 519/km² (1,345/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 51.70% White, 42.16% Black or African American, 0.37% Native American, 1.70% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.55% from other races, and 2.49% from two or more races. 3.75% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 768,440 households out of which 32.80% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.70% are married couples living together, 20.60% have a female householder with no husband present, and 33.40% are non-families. 28.30% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.00% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.64 and the average family size is 3.26.
In the county the population is spread out with 28.00% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 30.30% from 25 to 44, 20.90% from 45 to 64, and 12.10% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 92.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 88.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $40,776, and the median income for a family is $48,805. Males have a median income of $42,392 versus $29,027 for females. The per capita income for the county is $20,058. 16.40% of the population and 12.70% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 23.00% of those under the age of 18 and 11.30% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Cities, villages, and townships
Villages
- Grosse Pointe Shores (most, with the remainder in Macomb County)
|
External link
- Wayne County Government (http://www.waynecounty.com/)
- Wayne County Local History (http://www.geocities.com/histmich/index.html)
