Milan, Michigan

Milan, Michigan
—  City  —
Location of Milan, Michigan
Coordinates: 42°5′9″N 83°41′4″W / 42.08583°N 83.68444°W / 42.08583; -83.68444
Country	United States
State	Michigan
Counties	Monroe, Washtenaw
City Of Milan	1968
Government
- Type	Mayor/Council
- Mayor	Kym Muckler
- Mayor Pro-Tem	Martha Churchill
Area
- Total	2.3 sq mi (6.0 km2)
- Land	2.2 sq mi (5.8 km2)
- Water	0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation	702 ft (214 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	4,775
- Density	2,127.4/sq mi (821.4/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	48160
Area code(s)	734
FIPS code	26-53920[1]
GNIS feature ID	0632302[2]

Main St., Downtown Milan

Milan ⁱ/ˈmaɪlən/ is a city in Monroe and Washtenaw counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,775 at the 2000 census. About 60% of the city's area and 75% of its residents are located on the Washtenaw County side adjacent to York Township in Washtenaw County; while 40% percent of the city's area and 25% of its residents are located on the Monroe County side adjacent to Milan Township.

The city was founded in 1831 by John Marvin, who named it Tolanville after his son-in-law. Both Marvin and Tolan still have streets named for them, but the town was later renamed after the famous city of Milan in Italy. Milan was a village until 1967, when it was incorporated as a city.

Geography

Map of Milan

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.3 square miles (6.0 km²), of which, 2.2 square miles (5.8 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (3.45%) is water. Milan is located 16 miles (26 km) southeast of Ann Arbor and 37 miles (60 km) northwest of Toledo.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 4,775 people, 1,923 households, and 1,271 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,127.4 per square mile (823.1/km²). There were 1,999 housing units at an average density of 890.6 per square mile (344.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.30% White, 1.74% African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.69% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.72% from other races, and 1.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.50% of the population.

There were 1,923 households out of which 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.6% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 34.2% from 25 to 44, 19.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $48,510, and the median income for a family was $57,596. Males had a median income of $45,409 versus $26,926 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,895. About 2.5% of families and 4.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.6% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.

Prevalent architecture

The old Milan Fire Barn

Turn-of-the-century, two-story homes are prevalent. About one-quarter of the homes in Milan were built before World War II, and 21 percent built between 1940 and 1959. A symbol of the architecture is Community House, a two-story grist mill Henry Ford purchased in 1935. Ford used the area now known as Wilson Park to run a coil manufacturing plant, and soybean-to-paint operation for the Model T autos. Area residents can utilize the Community House for small gatherings and it now houses the City Recreation Department dance studio.

Despite the increase in development, Milan is still equated with country living. It's not unusual to find a home with a barn and a kennel sitting on a couple of acres outside the city limits, and a hand-built wooden organ factory is housed in a relocated barn tucked along the Saline River. The small town began to develop its industrial base in the 1960s. Currently, a great deal of its tax base is from the Visteon facility. Downtown Milan boasts a place on the National Register of Historic Places with fine examples of Italianate, International, Art Modern, and other architectural styles. One corner features a fully restored Fire Barn once used as a library, jail and as city hall over the years. It now houses the Visitors Center and Chamber of Commerce offices.

Part of its present City Hall is the former Ford Power Plant used for the Village industries of the 1930s. It was rarely used for its hydraulic power despite the damming and creation of a man-made lake called Ford Lake. Instead, oil usually powered the enterprise.

Government and infrastructure

The United States Postal Service operates the Milan Post Office.^[3]

A Federal Bureau of Prisons prison, the Federal Correctional Institution, Milan (FCI), is in adjacent York Charter Township.^[4] The prison was the site, in 1938, of the only execution conducted within Michigan by federal authorities acting within federal jurisdiction. The State of Michigan, which had abolished the death penalty in 1846, appealed unsuccessfully to the federal courts and to President Roosevelt to move the execution to another state.^{[citation needed]}

Notable institutions

Milan is known regionally for its Automobile Drag racing venue, the Milan Dragway even though it is actually in London Township, Michigan.

Milan's own museum is the Hack House, built in "Victorian-era" 1888.

Home to one of the oldest third generation owned and operated Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep Dealerships in Michigan, [1] Schultz Motors of Milan was Established in 1945. The original building still stands as the current Fire Station. Schultz Motors is the oldest continuously family-owned retail business in Milan, MI and since 1978 is now at the site of the old Bruckner Oldsmobile Dealership.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ "Post Office™ Location - MILAN." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on May 18, 2010.
4. ^ "MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF THE MILAN CITY COUNCIL HELD ON DECEMBER 7, 2009 AT 7:30 P.M. IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS, MILAN CITY HALL, 147 WABASH STREET, MILAN, MICHIGAN, 48160." City of Milan. Minutes approved December 7, 2009. Retrieved on January 5, 2010. "The City has a ten year agreement through the General Services Administration (GSA) to provide utility services to the Federal Corrections Institute and the Federal Detention Center, located in York Township, which expired September 30th."

External links

Michigan portal

• Milan City Government
• Milan Area Chamber of Commerce
• Milan Area Schools
• Milan Public Library
• Federal Correctional Institution, Milan
• Milan Youth League, youth baseball & softball

Coordinates: 42°05′N 83°41′W / 42.083°N 83.683°W / 42.083; -83.683