Cedar Springs, Michigan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cedar Springs is a city in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan, 20 minutes north of Grand Rapids, Michigan's second largest city. Known as "Red Flannel Town," the city is home to an annual Red Flannel Festival. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 3,112.
The city's official mission statement is "The City of Cedar Springs strives to be a great place to live, work and play."
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[edit] History
Established as a lumber town in 1856, Cedar Springs boasted numerous lumber and shingle mills. The town was the northern terminus of the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad for two years and also was the crossing point for the east to west running Grand Trunk Western Railroad. The community was named for the fine springs bordered by a cedar grove.
| POPULATION | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census Year | Community | County |
| 1960 | 1,768 | 363,197 |
| 1970 | 1,807 | 411,044 |
| 1980 | 2,615 | 444,506 |
| 1990 | 2,600 | 500,631 |
| 2000 | 3,112 | 574,335 |
[edit] Red Flannel Festival
Cedar Springs is the Red Flannel Capital of the world.
In 1936, in the midst of "the worst winter in years", the country suffered in the grip of heavy snow and sub-zero temperatures. A New York feature writer bemoaned the fact that, "Here we are in the midst of an old-fashioned winter and there are no red flannels in the USA to go with it."
The local newspaper, The Cedar Springs Clipper, owned and edited by "The Clipper Gals", Nina Babcock and Grace Hamilton, answered the writer with an editorial stating: "Just because Saks Fifth Avenue does not carry red flannels it doesn't follow that no one in the country does. Cedar Springs' merchants have red flannels!"
The story was picked up by The Associated Press and orders began pouring in from all over the country. Seeing the possibility of at least a few years of publicity because of its famous "drop seaters" and lumbering history, a "Red Flannel Day" was planned for the fall of 1939. It has since become an annual event, held the last weekend in September and ending with Red Flannel Day the first Saturday in October.
The Red Flannel Festival is typically jam-packed with lots of fun things to do and see. A Red Flannel Queen is selected, along with a Prince and Princess; there's a Grand Parade, Arts and Crafts Fair, and an Entertainment tent. Food is always in plentiful supply - from the delicious Rotary barbecued chicken to the Lions Club Lumberjack Supper to dozens of concession stands. The Lumberjack Supper features menus of the old lumbering camps: salt pork, boiled potatoes, cornbread, baked beans, homemade pies as well as Old tyme entertainment, artists and craftsmen. Another popular attraction is the presence of the Keystone Cops, who patrol the city on Red Flannel Day and arrest anyone they see who is not wearing red.
[edit] Economy
Taxes in Cedar Springs have remained steady at a millage rate of $15 per $1,000. Cedar Springs has a small retail business district and a burgeoning industrial base. The community has vast possibilities for future growth. Significant industry and business have been attracted to the Cedar Springs area, including Wolverine World Wide and various precision tool and die companies.
The median income for a household in the city was $39,542, and the median income for a family was $42,250. Males had a median income of $37,708 versus $23,056 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,040. About 12.4% of families and 13.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.4% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.
The two top employers in Cedar Springs are the Cedar Springs Public Schools and Wolverine World Wide.
[edit] School district
The city is home to two high schools and several primary/middle schools:
- Cedar Springs High School (Students: 878 Grades: 09 - 12)
- New Beginnings Alternative High School (Students: 86 Grades: 09 - 12)
- Red Hawk Elementary School (Students: 450 Grades: 05- 06)
- Cedar Springs Middle School (Students: 753 Grades: 07 - 08)
- Cedar Trails Elementary School (Students: 568; Grades: PK - 01)
- Cedar View Elementary School (Students: 548; Grades: 03 - 04)
- Beach Elementary School (Students: 468; Grades: 02 - 04)
- Creative Technologies Academy (Students: 178; Grades: 04 - 12)
The city is home to the Cedar Springs Public School District which encompasses 110 square miles (285 km²) and serves the city and portions of seven surrounding townships. Cedar Springs Public Schools has a current enrollment of 2,768 students located on a single 100 acre (400,000 m²) campus near downtown Cedar Springs. The school system is currently completing a $27 million building and renovation project. Cedar Springs High School has North Central Accreditation.
Total General Fund Expenditure Per Pupil (RPS): $ 5,089.03
[edit] City government
- Mayor: Ron Merlington
- City Manager: Jerry Homminga
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.8 km² (1.9 mi²). 4.7 km² (1.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (1.08%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
Kent County is the fastest growing county in the State of Michigan according to a recent survey, its current population being over 500,000. A as of the census2 of 2000, there were 3,112 people, 1,115 households, and 774 families residing in the city. The population density was 656.6/km² (1,701.9/mi²). There were 1,175 housing units at an average density of 247.9/km² (642.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.85% White, 0.29% African American, 0.74% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 1.19% from other races, and 1.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.82% of the population. The ancestries of the city are 24% German, 14.2% American, 13.7% Dutch, 9.8% Irish, 9.5% English, and 7.4% Polish.
There were 1,115 households out of which 40.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.3% were married couples living together, 17.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% were non-families. 24.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the city the population was spread out with 31.3% under the age of 18, 11.6% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 15.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29.6 years (below state average). For every 100 females there are 89.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.5 males.
For population 25 years and over in Cedar Springs:
- High school or higher: 79.4%
- Bachelor's degree or higher: 11.7% (below state average)
- Graduate or professional degree: 3.6%
- Unemployed: 8.3%
- Mean travel time to work: 25.0 minutes
For population 15 years and over in Cedar Springs city:
- Never married: 29.8%
- Now married: 47.2%
- Separated: 2.0%
- Widowed: 6.1%
- Divorced: 14.9%
2.4% Foreign born (2.0% Latin America, 0.4% Europe).
