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Clarkston, Michigan
City of the Village of Clarkston
Location within Oakland County
Location within Oakland County
Clarkston, Michigan is located in Michigan
Clarkston, Michigan
Clarkston, Michigan
Location in Michigan
Country United States
State Michigan
County Oakland
Settled 1830
Incorporated 1884 (village)
1992 (city)
Government
 • Type Mayor–council
Area
 • City 0.52 sq mi (1.35 km2)
 • Land 0.44 sq mi (1.15 km2)
 • Water 0.08 sq mi (0.20 km2)
Population
 (2020)
 • City 928
 • Density 2,094.81/sq mi (809.39/km2)
 • Metro
4,296,250 (Metro Detroit)
Time zone UTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code(s)
48346–48348
Area code(s) 248 and 947
FIPS code 26-82450
GNIS feature ID 623384

Clarkston is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, United States. A northern suburb of Detroit, located about 34 mi (55 km) northwest of downtown Detroit, Clarkston is surrounded by Independence Township, but administered independently since its incorporation in 1992. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 928. With a total land area of 0.44 square miles (1.14 km2), Clarkston is the smallest city by land area in the state of Michigan.

History

Clarkston, Michigan (1922)
Clarkston, 1922

Squatter Linux Jacox from New York built the first house, a Shanty, in Clarkston in 1830. In 1832, Butler Holcomb built the second house and a sawmill. On December 12, 1840, the Independence post office was transferred to the community and assumed its name. In 1842, the Clark brothers platted a tract of land for a village and gave it the name Clarkston. Clarkston was incorporated in 1884 as a village.

In 1992, the village of Clarkston was incorporated as a city.

Historic district

The Village of Clarkston was designated a Michigan State Historic Site on January 16, 1976 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 15, 1979.

The Clarkston Village Historic District includes Buffalo Street, Church Street, Clarkston Road, Depot Road, Holcomb Street, Main Street (M-15), Miller Road, Waldon Road and Washington Street.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.51 square miles (1.32 km2), of which 0.44 square miles (1.14 km2) is land and 0.07 square miles (0.18 km2) (13.73%) is water.

Clarkston is the smallest city by land area in the state of Michigan. However, the city of Petersburg has a larger land area at 0.48 square miles (1.24 km2) but a smaller total area (when water area is included). Clarkston has a total area of 0.51 square miles (1.32 km2), while Petersburg contains no water and a total area of 0.48 square miles (1.24 km2).

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1860 376
1870 471 25.3%
1880 368 −21.9%
1890 387 5.2%
1900 360 −7.0%
1910 345 −4.2%
1920 419 21.4%
1930 639 52.5%
1940 653 2.2%
1950 722 10.6%
1960 769 6.5%
1970 1,034 34.5%
1980 968 −6.4%
1990 1,005 3.8%
2000 962 −4.3%
2010 882 −8.3%
2020 928 5.2%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 882 people, 402 households, and 248 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,004.5 inhabitants per square mile (773.9/km2). There were 440 housing units at an average density of 1,000.0 per square mile (386.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 97.7% White, 0.2% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.8% of the population.

There were 402 households, of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.3% were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.80.

The median age in the city was 45.4 years. 21.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22% were from 25 to 44; 31.4% were from 45 to 64; and 19.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.6% male and 51.4% female.

Education

The city's public school district is the Clarkston Community School District.

Everest Collegiate High School and Academy is in nearby Independence Township.

Notable people

This list includes people from the area (Clarkston and Independence Township).

  • Valerie Bertinelli, actress
  • Tim Birtsas, real estate developer, former professional baseball player
  • Dan Dickerson, radio play-by-play broadcaster for the Detroit Tigers
  • Dane Fife, former basketball player and current assistant coach at Indiana University
  • Henry Ford, industrialist and founder of the Ford Motor Company. Maintained a summer home and weekend cottage on Main Street. Ford also owned a mill which operated on the water from what is now called "Mill Pond" in Clarkston. This building still exists in part but has been modernized into a small mall which includes art galleries and office space. He also purchased the old school building on N Main St to serve as an apprentice school.
  • John Hardon, Jesuit priest, theologian
  • Steve Howe, Major League Baseball pitcher
  • Geoff Johns, comic book writer
  • Scott Kamieniecki, former professional baseball player
  • Tim McCormick, former professional basketball player and current sports broadcaster
  • Bob Miller, former professional football player, business owner
  • Marisha Pessl, author
  • Ryan Riess, professional poker player, 2013 World Series of Poker champion
  • Tim Robinson, comedian, former cast member on Saturday Night Live
  • Kid Rock, musician
  • Ron Serafini, realtor, former professional hockey player
  • David Simko, former NASCAR Cup Series driver
  • Michael Simko, racing driver

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Clarkston (Míchigan) para niños

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