Richland, Michigan facts for kids

Richland is a small village located in Kalamazoo County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It's a friendly community within Richland Township, about 9 miles northeast of the city of Kalamazoo. In 2020, about 946 people called Richland home.

Quick facts for kids Richland, Michigan
Village
Village of Richland
Location within Kalamazoo County
Richland, Michigan Location in Michigan Show map of Michigan Richland, Michigan Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Kalamazoo
Township	Richland
Area
• Total	1.02 sq mi (2.63 km2)
• Land	1.01 sq mi (2.63 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	928 ft (283 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	946
• Density	932.02/sq mi (359.98/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	49083
Area code(s)	269
FIPS code	26-68240
GNIS feature ID	0635881

Geography of Richland

Richland is a small village. It covers a total area of about 1.01 square miles (2.63 square kilometers). All of this area is land, meaning there are no large lakes or rivers within the village limits.

Richland's Population Over Time

The number of people living in Richland has changed quite a bit over the years. Here's a quick look at how the population has grown and shrunk:

Who Lives in Richland?

In 2010, there were 751 people living in Richland. This means there were about 744 people for every square mile of land. Most of the people living in the village were White (about 94.7%). A small number were Asian (1.2%), African American (0.4%), or from two or more races (3.5%). About 1.5% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

There were 347 households in the village. Many of these were married couples living together. About 24.8% of households had children under 18. The average age of people in Richland was about 46.8 years old.

History of Richland

Richland is located in an area that was once a wide, open grassland called the Gull Prairie. This area had few trees because of natural fires and fires set by people. The Pottawatamie Native American tribe had villages here, including one near Gull Lake. The land was very fertile, and there was plenty of fish and game.

Because the land was already clear of many trees, it was one of the first places in Kalamazoo County where settlers built homes. By the 1830s, Richland was a busy frontier village. It even competed to become the county seat, which is the main town of a county. However, the village of Bronson (now called Kalamazoo) was chosen instead because it was more in the center of the county.

Richland didn't have a strong flowing river, so it couldn't easily power factories. This meant it didn't grow into a big industrial town. For a long time, it stayed a quiet farming community.

Richland's Growth in Recent Times

In the 1980s and 1990s, things started to change. Some smaller companies, like Richard Allen Medical, moved to the edge of town. This made Richland a "bedroom community," meaning many people lived there but worked in nearby Kalamazoo.

Another reason for Richland's growth was the excellent Gull Lake School District. Many families moved to Richland so their children could attend these schools. New neighborhoods were built in what used to be hilly farmland, bringing more people to the village.

Notable People from Richland

• Charles S. May and Dwight May were brothers who grew up in Richland. Both of them served as lieutenant governors of Michigan in the 1800s.

Education in Richland

Students in Richland attend several schools, including:

• Richland Elementary School
• Thomas M. Ryan Intermediate School
• Gull Lake Middle School
• Gull Lake High School
• The Montessori School - Preschool
• Vineyard Academy

See also

In Spanish: Richland (Míchigan) para niños