Manchester, Michigan Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Manchester, Michigan
City
City of Manchester
Downtown Manchester along Main Street
Location within Washtenaw County
Manchester, Michigan Location in Michigan Show map of Michigan Manchester, Michigan Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Washtenaw
Settled	1833
Incorporated	1867 (village) 2023 (city)
Government
• Type	Council–manager
Area
• Total	2.24 sq mi (5.81 km²)
• Land	2.13 sq mi (5.51 km²)
• Water	0.12 sq mi (0.31 km²)
Elevation	899 ft (274 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	2,037
• Density	957.69/sq mi (369.82/km²)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code(s)	48158
Area code(s)	734
FIPS code	26-50660
GNIS feature ID	0631375

Manchester is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,037 at the 2020 census. The city is located within Manchester Township.

Settled as early as 1833, Manchester incorporated as a village in 1867. On November 7, 2023, 66 percent of village residents voted in favor of incorporating Manchester as an autonomous city. Manchester officially became a city on November 15, 2023 with the mayor and city councilmembers sworn into office on November 20, 2023.

History
Geography
- Major highways
Demographics
- 2010 census
Education
Notable people
Images for kids
See also

History

Chicago Road

In 1824 the United States Congress passed the General Survey Act, intended to create and maintain military roads through what was then the west of the country. One third of the funds allocated went to build a road between the strategic army posts of Detroit and Fort Dearborn, at the little town of Chicago. Known as the Chicago Road, it followed the old Sauk Trail and opened the entire area for settlement.

Also in 1824, the land around today's Manchester was surveyed by John Mack, who noted it as being "a good mill seat." John Gilbert, who had recently completed work on sections of the Erie Canal, agreed with John Mack, and on May 10, 1826 he purchased 80 acres (32 ha) of land along the Raisin River at that location.

Early village history

Originally from upstate New York, John Gilbert resettled to Ypsilanti, Michigan, in 1831. In 1832, he decided to turn his attention to the extensive land tracts he held in the area. He commissioned the construction of a grist mill along the River Raisin upon the land he had purchased in 1826. The original plat of the village of Manchester was prepared by surveyor Hiram Burnham and dated 1833, but was not formally filed until March 25, 1835. The location was chosen to take advantage of water power from the river and named after Manchester, New York.

Soulesville

In 1833, James Soule purchased a large tract of land about 1-mile (1.6 km) downstream from Manchester. He built a small settlement he named Soulesville. Though the two settlements initially competed against each other, on March 16, 1867, both settlements were incorporated into the village of Manchester. The Manchester Village Office and Manchester Public Library are located on the site of the former settlement.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Manchester has a total area of 2.24 square miles (5.80 km²), of which 2.13 square miles (5.52 km²) is land and 0.12 square miles (0.31 km²) (5.35%) is water.

The River Raisin flows through the city.

Major highways

M-52 runs through the center of the city.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1880	1,156	—
1890	1,191	3.0%
1900	1,209	1.5%
1910	1,047	−13.4%
1920	1,024	−2.2%
1930	1,037	1.3%
1940	1,100	6.1%
1950	1,388	26.2%
1960	1,568	13.0%
1970	1,650	5.2%
1980	1,686	2.2%
1990	1,753	4.0%
2000	2,160	23.2%
2010	2,091	−3.2%
2020	2,037	−2.6%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 2,091 people, 938 households, and 570 families living in the village. The population density was 986.3 inhabitants per square mile (380.8/km²). There were 1,029 housing units at an average density of 485.4 per square mile (187.4/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 98.3% White, 0.3% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.6% of the population.

There were 938 households, of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.2% were non-families. 34.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.85.

The median age in the village was 41.3 years. 23.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.8% were from 25 to 44; 29.1% were from 45 to 64; and 15.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 46.9% male and 53.1% female.

Education

The Michigan Lutheran Seminary first opened in Manchester 1885 but moved to Lansing two years later.

Manchester is served by its own school district, Manchester Community Schools. The district contains three schools—Luther C. Klager Elementary School, Riverside Intermediate School, and Manchester Junior & Senior High School—all of which are located within the city boundaries. The district serves a very large area that includes portions of several neighboring townships.

Notable people

Fernando C. Beaman, US Congressman
Patrick Chapin, Magic: The Gathering ProTour Player and game designer, born and raised in Manchester
Nick Davis, former NFL wide receiver, born in Manchester and played football for Manchester High School
Cub Koda, lead singer of Brownsville Station, best known for the 1973 hit song "Smokin' in the Boys Room", which was later covered by Mötley Crüe, graduated from Manchester High School
John Swainson, the 42nd governor of Michigan (1961–1963) as well as Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court (1971–1975), resided in Manchester from the mid-1970s until his death in 1994.