Newaygo, Michigan

Newaygo, Michigan
—  City  —
Location of Newaygo, Michigan
Coordinates: 43°25′1″N 85°47′55″W / 43.41694°N 85.79861°W / 43.41694; -85.79861
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Newaygo
Area
– Total	3.5 sq mi (9.0 km2)
– Land	3.3 sq mi (8.6 km2)
– Water	0.1 sq mi (0.4 km2)
Elevation	705 ft (215 m)
Population (2010)
– Total	1,976
– Density	501.2/sq mi (193.5/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	49337
Area code(s)	231
FIPS code	26-57080[1]
GNIS feature ID	1621003[2]

Historical populations
Year	Pop.	±%
1970	1,381	—
1980	1,271	−8.0%
1990	1,336	+5.1%
2000	1,670	+25.0%
2010	1,976	+18.3%
Source: "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov.

Newaygo is a city in Newaygo County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,976 at the 2010 census. The character of the town is quite rural.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.5 square miles (9.1 km²), of which, 3.3 square miles (8.5 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) of it (4.03%) is water. including the Muskegon River, which runs through the town and is often used for canoe trips, tubing, and fishing. The county is considered to be part of West Michigan. Newaygo is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids.^[3]

Geographic features

The Muskegon River flows through the north side of the town.

Major highways

• M-37
• M-82

History

Newaygo's recorded history goes back to French Voyageurs and Coureur des bois, that is, explorers and trappers (who may or may not have been licensed), who came up the Muskegon River. It was ostensibly named after Chief Naw-wa-goo, a signatory of the Treaty of Saginaw in 1812. But see, Newaygo County, Michigan. John Brooks came to harvest lumber in 1836, and was the town's first postmaster in 1847. Lumber and closeness to the river and Muskegon made it a center for floating logs during the lumber boom. Other interesting historical features of Newaygo include Chicago Mobster Al Capone (and many famous mobsters) gambling in the basements of Newaygo's central hotel and in a Hess Lake Inn.^[4]

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 1,670 people, 620 households, and 450 families residing in the city. The population density was 501.2 per square mile (193.6/km²). There were 707 housing units at an average density of 212.2 per square mile (82.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.87% White, 0.24% African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 2.34% from other races, and 1.20% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.79% of the population.

There were 620 households out of which 41.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.8% were married couples living together, 17.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.4% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.16.

In the city the population was spread out with 33.1% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 89.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,273, and the median income for a family was $36,023. Males had a median income of $32,763 versus $21,385 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,643. About 15.2% of families and 16.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.5% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people from Newaygo

• Joe Berger, lineman with the Minnesota Vikings of the NFL
• Jack Nitzsche, musician and arranger

Notes

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. ^ Diocese of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
4. ^ Newaygo County links.

External links

• City of Newaygo
• Newaygo Area Chamber of Commerce
• Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University, Bibliography on Newaygo County
• Picture of Muskegon River, As shown through Newaygo.

Coordinates: 43°25′11″N 85°48′00″W / 43.41972°N 85.8°W / 43.41972; -85.8