Charlotte, Michigan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Charlotte
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Courthouse Square Museum, former Eaton County Courthouse
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| Nickname(s):
Maple City
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Location of Charlotte, Michigan
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| Country | United States |
| State | Michigan |
| County | Eaton |
| Founded by | Edmond B. Bostwick |
| Named for | Mr. Bostwick's wife Charlotte Lovett Bostwick |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor-Council |
| Area | |
| • Total | 6.50 sq mi (16.83 km2) |
| • Land | 6.45 sq mi (16.71 km2) |
| • Water | 0.05 sq mi (0.12 km2) |
| Elevation | 912 ft (278 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 9,299 |
| • Density | 1,441.48/sq mi (556.57/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code |
48813
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| Area code(s) | 517 |
| FIPS code | 26-14820 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1626062 |
| Website | http://www.charlottemi.org/ |
Charlotte is a city in Michigan, USA. It is the main city and county seat of Eaton County, Michigan. In 2020, about 9,299 people lived there.
Charlotte is in the middle of Eaton County. It is close to Interstate 69, a major highway. This highway connects Charlotte to Lansing, the state capital. Lansing is about 21 miles (34 km) away.
Contents
History of Charlotte
How Charlotte Began
In 1832, a man named George William Barnes bought the land where Charlotte now stands. Three years later, in 1835, he sold it to Edmond B. Bostwick. Mr. Bostwick was a land dealer from New York City.
Mr. Bostwick then sold parts of the land to other people. These people included H.I. Lawrence, Townsend Harris, and Francis Cochran. Together, these four people created the village. They named it Charlotte after Edmond Bostwick's wife, Charlotte. She had wanted to call it Charlotteville. The first post office opened in 1838.
Becoming a City
Charlotte officially became a village on October 10, 1863. It then became a city on March 29, 1871. For a while, people also called it Eaton Centre or Carmel.
When Eaton County was formed in 1837, Charlotte was chosen as the county seat. This means it was the main city for county government. However, there were not enough people or buildings in Charlotte yet. So, county business happened in Bellevue until 1840.
From 1904 to 1907, a car called the Dolson automobile was made in Charlotte.
Geography of Charlotte
Land and Water
Charlotte covers about 6.50 square miles (16.83 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, about 6.45 square miles (16.71 square kilometers). A small part, about 0.05 square miles (0.12 square kilometers), is water.
The city is built on gently rolling hills. The Battle Creek River flows through the southern part of Charlotte. The northern part of the city is in the area where water flows into the Thornapple River.
People of Charlotte
Population Changes Over Time
The number of people living in Charlotte has changed over the years. Here is how the population has grown:
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1870 | 2,253 | — | |
| 1880 | 2,910 | 29.2% | |
| 1890 | 3,867 | 32.9% | |
| 1900 | 4,092 | 5.8% | |
| 1910 | 4,886 | 19.4% | |
| 1920 | 5,126 | 4.9% | |
| 1930 | 5,307 | 3.5% | |
| 1940 | 5,544 | 4.5% | |
| 1950 | 6,606 | 19.2% | |
| 1960 | 7,657 | 15.9% | |
| 1970 | 8,244 | 7.7% | |
| 1980 | 8,251 | 0.1% | |
| 1990 | 8,083 | −2.0% | |
| 2000 | 8,389 | 3.8% | |
| 2010 | 9,074 | 8.2% | |
| 2020 | 9,299 | 2.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
Who Lives in Charlotte?
In 2010, there were 9,074 people living in Charlotte. There were 3,661 households, which are groups of people living together. Most people were White (95.1%).
About 34% of households had children under 18 living with them. Many households were married couples. The average age of people in Charlotte was about 35.8 years old. About 26% of the people were under 18.
Schools in Charlotte
Public Schools
Charlotte Public Schools has several schools for different age groups:
- Galewood Early Elementary: For kindergarten students.
- Parkview Elementary School and Washington Elementary School: For first to third graders.
- Charlotte Upper Elementary: For fourth and fifth graders.
- Charlotte Middle School: For seventh and eighth graders.
- Charlotte High School: For ninth to twelfth graders.
The school district also has the Weymouth Child Development Center for childcare.
Other Schools
Charlotte has two private schools:
- Charlotte Adventist Christian School: For grades 1 to 8. It is run by the Charlotte Seventh-day Adventist Church.
- St. Mary Elementary School: For K-8 students and preschool. It is run by Saint Mary Catholic Church.
There is also an alternative school called the Relevant Academy of Eaton County. Children with special needs get help from the Eaton Intermediate School District.
Colleges Nearby
For students who want to go to college, there are several options nearby:
- Olivet College: About 10.4 miles (16.7 km) south.
- Michigan State University: About 25.2 miles (40.6 km) northeast.
- University of Michigan: About 82.1 miles (132.1 km) southeast.
- Lansing Community College: About 22 miles (35 km) northeast. This college works with other universities in Michigan.
You can also get more training at the Southridge Vocational Center.
Getting Around Charlotte
Main Roads
Several important highways go through or near Charlotte:
I-69
BL I-69
M-50
M-79
Airports
- The Fitch H. Beach Airport is in the northeast part of the city.
- For bigger flights, you can go to Capital Region International Airport. This airport is near Eaton County.
Trains
Charlotte used to have train service from the Grand Trunk Western Railroad and the Michigan Central Railroad. The old Michigan Central Railroad depot is still standing. It has been a restaurant, ice cream shop, and coffee shop.
Today, the Canadian National Railway and the Charlotte Southern Railroad offer train services in the city.
Fun Things to Do in Charlotte
Movies and Shows
The Eaton Theatre is downtown and shows movies every night. It also has two arcade rooms. The theater first opened in 1931. It was updated to have two screens.
The Charlotte Performing Arts Center hosts music, singing, and theater shows. Students from Charlotte Public Schools perform here. Other groups from Charlotte and nearby also use this center.
Health Services
Charlotte has several places for health care:
- University of Michigan Health - Sparrow, Eaton
- AL!VE
- Charlotte Family Center
- Sensations Memory Care (used to be Eaton Manor)
City Parks
Charlotte has many great parks that are open from May 1 to October 31.
- Bennett Park (1225 S. Cochran)
- Dean Park (526 W. Stoddard)
- Gateway Park (N. Cochran and Packard)
- Lincoln Park (Lincoln St. and W. Shepherd)
- Oak Park (230 St. Clinton/Seminary St.)
- Snell Park (Upland and E. Shepherd)
- Southridge Park (312 W. Third)
- U.S. Veterans Memorial Park (1501 S. Cochran)
Lincoln Park has a Skate Park and a Disc Golf Course. Near the water tower (at 619 W. Shepherd), there is a hill for sledding and an ice skating rink. There is also a small dirt track for remote control (RC) car racing.
Tennis courts and the Gobel Football field are at 1149 S. Cochran.
A popular sledding hill, known as Kane's Hill, is on Gale St. between Church St. and E. Lovett St.
Economy
Spartan Motors is a company based in Charlotte. They design and build special vehicles. These include vehicles for RVs, emergency services, government, defense, and delivery.
Famous People from Charlotte
Many notable people have come from Charlotte:
- Emerson R. Boyles: A chief justice of the Michigan Supreme Court.
- A. Whitney Brown: A comedian and writer for Saturday Night Live.
- Luren Dickinson: The 37th governor of Michigan.
- Francis C. Flaherty: A hero from World War II who received the Medal of Honor.
- Brock Gutierrez: A player in the National Football League.
- Frank A. Hooker: A justice of the Michigan Supreme Court.
- Eric Menk: A professional basketball player.
- Rocco Moore: A player in the National Football League.
- Harry T. Morey: A stage and film actor.
- Cooper Rush: A quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League.
- Richard Taylor: A philosopher and author.
- Wayne Terwilliger: A Major League Baseball player and coach.
- Micheal Ranville: A writer.
Climate
Charlotte has a humid continental climate. This means it has big changes in temperature throughout the year. Summers are warm to hot and often humid. Winters are cold, sometimes very cold.
| Climate data for Charlotte, Michigan (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1902–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 65 (18) |
70 (21) |
87 (31) |
88 (31) |
92 (33) |
101 (38) |
106 (41) |
102 (39) |
100 (38) |
91 (33) |
79 (26) |
69 (21) |
106 (41) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 29.8 (−1.2) |
32.9 (0.5) |
43.3 (6.3) |
56.7 (13.7) |
68.4 (20.2) |
77.5 (25.3) |
81.5 (27.5) |
79.3 (26.3) |
72.9 (22.7) |
60.2 (15.7) |
46.3 (7.9) |
35.1 (1.7) |
57.0 (13.9) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 22.4 (−5.3) |
24.6 (−4.1) |
33.7 (0.9) |
45.6 (7.6) |
57.4 (14.1) |
66.8 (19.3) |
70.6 (21.4) |
68.7 (20.4) |
61.6 (16.4) |
50.0 (10.0) |
38.1 (3.4) |
28.5 (−1.9) |
47.3 (8.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 15.1 (−9.4) |
16.2 (−8.8) |
24.0 (−4.4) |
34.6 (1.4) |
46.3 (7.9) |
56.1 (13.4) |
59.8 (15.4) |
58.1 (14.5) |
50.3 (10.2) |
39.7 (4.3) |
30.0 (−1.1) |
21.8 (−5.7) |
37.7 (3.2) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −26 (−32) |
−31 (−35) |
−17 (−27) |
3 (−16) |
18 (−8) |
23 (−5) |
39 (4) |
33 (1) |
24 (−4) |
14 (−10) |
−9 (−23) |
−23 (−31) |
−31 (−35) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 2.26 (57) |
1.69 (43) |
2.27 (58) |
3.43 (87) |
4.03 (102) |
3.82 (97) |
3.02 (77) |
3.56 (90) |
3.20 (81) |
3.55 (90) |
2.74 (70) |
2.20 (56) |
35.77 (909) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 14.9 (38) |
4.4 (11) |
5.8 (15) |
1.0 (2.5) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.3 (0.76) |
2.1 (5.3) |
9.6 (24) |
38.1 (97) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 15.0 | 11.7 | 10.5 | 13.6 | 13.5 | 10.6 | 9.7 | 10.5 | 10.0 | 13.5 | 12.5 | 13.6 | 144.7 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 9.2 | 5.8 | 3.3 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 2.1 | 7.9 | 29.0 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
See also
In Spanish: Charlotte (Míchigan) para niños
