White Pigeon, Michigan
Encyclopedia
White Pigeon is a village in St. Joseph County
in the U.S. state
of Michigan
. The population was 1,627 at the 2000 census
. The village is located within White Pigeon Township
.
, the village has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²), of which, 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²) of it is land and 0.71% is water. The White Pigeon River flows through the south end of town, making its way to the St. Joseph River
a short distance away.
The town was named after the Potawatomi Indian Chief Wahbememe, which means Chief White Pigeon. According to legend, while he was at the gathering of the chiefs in Detroit, Wahbememe heard plans to attack the settlement which is now White Pigeon. The Chief was a friend to the white settlers and didn't want to see harm come to them so he set out on foot and ran almost 150 miles to the settlement to warn the people. After running that long distance and giving his warning, he collapsed and soon died from exhaustion. His remains are buried in the town, and the site is now part of the National Register of Historic Places.
of 2000, there were 1,627 people, 602 households, and 431 families residing in the village. The population density
was 1,157.8 per square mile (445.5/km²). There were 640 housing units at an average density of 455.4 per square mile (175.3/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 94.59% White, 0.18% African American, 1.11% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 2.03% from other races
, and 1.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.58% of the population.
There were 602 households out of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% were married couples
living together, 15.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.4% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the village the population was spread out with 29.1% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 85.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.2 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $41,292, and the median income for a family was $43,182. Males had a median income of $32,470 versus $21,327 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $16,895. About 10.5% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.1% of those under age 18 and 1.8% of those age 65 or over.
St. Joseph County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 62,422 people, 23,381 households, and 16,600 families residing in the county. The population density was 124 people per square mile . There were 26,503 housing units at an average density of 53 per square mile...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. The population was 1,627 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
. The village is located within White Pigeon Township
White Pigeon Township, Michigan
White Pigeon Township is a civil township of St. Joseph County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,847 at the 2000 census. The village of White Pigeon is located within the township.-Geography:...
.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the village has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²), of which, 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²) of it is land and 0.71% is water. The White Pigeon River flows through the south end of town, making its way to the St. Joseph River
St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan)
The St. Joseph River is a river, approximately long, in southern Michigan and northern Indiana in the United States. It drains a primarily rural farming area in the watershed of Lake Michigan...
a short distance away.
History
White Pigeon was incorporated in 1837, and is the oldest incorporated village in the state of Michigan. Downtown White Pigeon boasts a historic building listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the United States Land Office, which is the oldest surviving U.S. Land office in the state of Michigan. Out of this office the U.S. government sold land in Michigan for $1.25 an acre in the 1830s to settlers of Western Michigan.The town was named after the Potawatomi Indian Chief Wahbememe, which means Chief White Pigeon. According to legend, while he was at the gathering of the chiefs in Detroit, Wahbememe heard plans to attack the settlement which is now White Pigeon. The Chief was a friend to the white settlers and didn't want to see harm come to them so he set out on foot and ran almost 150 miles to the settlement to warn the people. After running that long distance and giving his warning, he collapsed and soon died from exhaustion. His remains are buried in the town, and the site is now part of the National Register of Historic Places.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,627 people, 602 households, and 431 families residing in the village. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,157.8 per square mile (445.5/km²). There were 640 housing units at an average density of 455.4 per square mile (175.3/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 94.59% White, 0.18% African American, 1.11% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 2.03% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.58% of the population.
There were 602 households out of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 15.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.4% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the village the population was spread out with 29.1% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 85.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.2 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $41,292, and the median income for a family was $43,182. Males had a median income of $32,470 versus $21,327 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the village was $16,895. About 10.5% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.1% of those under age 18 and 1.8% of those age 65 or over.