Howard City, Michigan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Howard City, Michigan
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Village
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Location in Montcalm County and the state of Michigan
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| Country | United States |
| State | Michigan |
| County | Montcalm |
| Townships | Reynolds, Pierson |
| Founded | 1868 |
| Incorporated | 1873 (village) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.45 sq mi (6.34 km2) |
| • Land | 2.42 sq mi (6.25 km2) |
| • Water | 0.03 sq mi (0.09 km2) |
| Elevation | 879 ft (268 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 1,835 |
| • Density | 759.83/sq mi (293.41/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code |
49329
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| Area code(s) | 231 |
| FIPS code | 26-39500 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2398547 |
Howard City is a small village in Montcalm County, located in the U.S. state of Michigan. In 2020, about 1,835 people lived there. The village is part of Reynolds Township.
Contents
History of Howard City
Howard City began in 1868. Benjamin Ensley, E. W. Muenscher, and Mr. Shaw started the settlement. Muenscher planned out the village's streets and lots. It was named after William A. Howard, a lawyer for a railroad company in Detroit.
The first train station opened in 1869. A post office was set up in 1870, with John B. Spencer as the first postmaster. Howard City officially became a village in 1873. The post office name was briefly shortened to "Howard" but changed back to "Howard City" a few years later.
The main street of the village was first on Ensley Street. This street was named after Benjamin Ensley, one of the founders. In 1883, many wooden buildings on Ensley Street burned down. After this fire, the main street moved to Edgerton Street, where it is today.
Early businesses in Howard City included the Hudson Knife factory. There was also the Skinner and Steenman sideboard factory. Later, the Hudson Knife Co. changed names several times. It became the Joslin and then the Olsen Knife Company.
In 1962, the schools in Howard City joined with schools from Sand Lake. They formed a new school district called Tri County. This name was chosen because students from three counties attended: Kent, Montcalm, and Newaygo. The school district still uses this name today.
Where is Howard City?
Howard City is in the northwest part of Montcalm County. It's mainly in Reynolds Township. A small part of the village also goes into Pierson Township to the south.
The U.S. 131 freeway is about 2 miles west of the village. You can get to it from Exit 118. This freeway goes south to Grand Rapids, which is about 34 miles away. It also goes north to Cadillac, about 63 miles away. Greenville, the biggest city in Montcalm County, is 25 miles southeast.
The village covers about 2.44 square miles. Most of this area is land, with a small amount of water. Tamarack Creek flows through the northern part of the village. This creek eventually flows into the Little Muskegon River.
The Howard City post office uses ZIP code 49329. This ZIP code serves a wide area around the village. It includes parts of several nearby townships. These are Reynolds, Winfield, Maple Valley, and Pierson townships. It also serves parts of Croton and Ensley townships in Newaygo County.
People in Howard City
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 924 | — | |
| 1890 | 1,137 | 23.1% | |
| 1900 | 1,398 | 23.0% | |
| 1910 | 1,046 | −25.2% | |
| 1920 | 913 | −12.7% | |
| 1930 | 872 | −4.5% | |
| 1940 | 839 | −3.8% | |
| 1950 | 791 | −5.7% | |
| 1960 | 1,004 | 26.9% | |
| 1970 | 1,060 | 5.6% | |
| 1980 | 1,118 | 5.5% | |
| 1990 | 1,351 | 20.8% | |
| 2000 | 1,585 | 17.3% | |
| 2010 | 1,808 | 14.1% | |
| 2020 | 1,835 | 1.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2010 Census Facts
In 2010, there were 1,808 people living in Howard City. They lived in 685 households. About 464 of these were families. The village had about 715 people per square mile.
Most residents, 96.3%, were White. A small number were African American, Native American, or Asian. Some people identified with two or more races. About 2.4% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.
Many households, almost 40%, had children under 18 living there. About 45% were married couples. Some households had a single female parent (17.4%). Others had a single male parent (5.3%). About 26% of households were single individuals. About 11% of these individuals were 65 or older.
The average age in the village was 33.6 years. About 29% of residents were under 18. About 9% were between 18 and 24. People aged 25 to 44 made up about 27% of the population. Those aged 45 to 64 were about 22%. About 13% of residents were 65 or older. There were slightly more females (53.4%) than males (46.6%) in the village.
Getting Around
Indian Trails offers daily bus service in Howard City. You can take a bus from here to Grand Rapids, Michigan or Petoskey, Michigan.
Schools in Howard City
Tri County Area Schools is the main school district for Howard City. The schools include Tri County High School, Tri County Middle School, MacNaughten Elementary, Sand Lake Elementary, and Edgerton Upper Elementary. The school mascot is the Viking.
Students can participate in many sports. These include football, basketball, softball, and baseball. Other sports are wrestling, cheerleading, golf, track and field, cross country, bowling, poms, and soccer. In 2009, the varsity softball team won a District title.
The Tri County school district was formed by combining the school boards of Sand Lake and Howard City. This happened on April 3, 1962, when people in both communities voted for it. The combined schools started operating in the fall of 1962. Before this, Howard City had its own high school.
The schools decided to combine because Michigan adopted new education standards. These standards required schools to spend more money. Sand Lake, in particular, found it hard to meet these new financial requirements alone. A former school board member from Sand Lake, Charles Northup, said that Howard City was in a similar situation. They believed joining together would create a good school system.
See also
In Spanish: Howard City para niños
