Hamtramck, Michigan
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Hamtramck is a city in Wayne County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 22,976. Hamtramck is surrounded by the city of Detroit except for a small portion of the western border which touches the similarly surrounded city of Highland Park. Hamtramck is named for the soldier Jean François Hamtramck who was the first American commander of Fort Shelby, the fortification at Detroit.
Hamtramck was originally settled by German farmers, but Polish immigrants flooded into the area when the Dodge Brothers plant opened in 1914. Poles still make up a large proportion of the population. It is sometimes confused with Poletown, a traditional Polish neighborhood which lies mostly in the city of Detroit and includes a small part of Hamtramck. As of the 2000 census, over 26% of Hamtramck population is of Polish origin.
Over the past thirty years, a large number of immigrants from the Middle East (especially Yemen) and South Asia (especially Bangladesh) have moved to the city. As of the 2000 census, the city's foreign born population stood at 41.1%[1], making it, by far, Michigan's most internationally diverse major city.
Contents |
[edit] History
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1910 | 3,559 |
|
|
| 1920 | 48,615 | 1266.0% | |
| 1930 | 56,268 | 15.7% | |
| 1940 | 49,839 | -11.4% | |
| 1950 | 43,555 | -12.6% | |
| 1960 | 34,137 | -21.6% | |
| 1970 | 26,783 | -21.5% | |
| 1980 | 21,300 | -20.5% | |
| 1990 | 18,372 | -13.7% | |
| 2000 | 22,976 | 25.1% | |
- 1796 - Colonel Jean Francois Hamtramck took possession of Detroit after British troops evacuated.
- 1798 - The Township of Hamtramck was established.
- 1901 - Hamtramck was established as a village.
- 1908 - Saint Florian's parish is the first Catholic church in Hamtramck
- 1910 - Dodge Brothers Motor Car Company break ground for an automotive plant in Hamtramck; rapid influx of European immigrants begins.
- 1914 - Dodge Brothers plant begins operations.
- 1922 - Hamtramck is incorporated as a city to protect itself from annexation by Detroit; Peter C. Jezewski is the first mayor.
- 1926 - St. Florian's present church edifice is built.
- 1959 - Won Little League World Series of Baseball.
- 2000 - Hamtramck goes into state receivership after running million dollar deficits and political in-fighting.
- 2006 - Hamtramck is out state receivership after the surprising resignation of state appointed Emergency Financial Manager Louis Schimmel
[edit] Government
The current mayor of the city is Karen Majewski.
The current City Council members are Rob Cedar, Shahab Ahmed, Scott Klein, Abdul Al-Ghazali, Bob Zwolak, and Tim Nowakowski.
[edit] Geography
Hamtramck is mostly surrounded by Detroit except a small common border with the city of Highland Park. Hamtramck lies about five miles (8 km) from the center of Detroit. The I-75 Freeway roughly runs along this city's western border and I-94 runs near its southern border.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.1 mi²(5.5 km² ), all land.
As of the census² of 2000, there were 22,976 people, 8,033 households, and 4,851 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,204.3/km² (10,900.5/mi²). There were 8,894 housing units at an average density of 1,627.5/km² (4,219.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 60.96% white (which includes people of Middle Eastern ancestry), 15.12% African American, 0.43% Native American, 10.37% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 1.14% from other races, and 11.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.31% of the population.
As of the 2000 Census, major ancestry groups reported by Hamtramck residents include:
· Polish - 26% · Black or African American - 15% · Yugoslavian - 12% · Arab - 11% · Asian Indian - 7% · Arab/Arabic - 6% · Bangladeshi - 5% · Ukrainian - 4% · German - 3% · Albanian - 3% · Other Arab - 3% · Irish - 2% · Italian - 2% · Russian - 2% · English - 1% · French (except Basque) - 1% · Lebanese - 1% · Pakistani - 1% · Scottish - 1% · Macedonian - 1% · Mexican - 1% · Iraqi - 1%
There were 8,033 households out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.3% were married couples living together, 16.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.6% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.59.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.8% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 31.9% from 25 to 44, 17.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 110.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,616, and the median income for a family was $30,496. Males had a median income of $29,368 versus $22,346 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,691. About 24.1% of families and 27.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.9% of those under age 18 and 18.1% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Culture
Hamtramck flourished from 1910 to 1920 as thousands of European immigrants, particularly German and Polish, were attracted by the growing automobile industry. The city has grown increasingly ethnically diverse but still bears many reminders of its Polish ancestry in family names, street names and businesses. A recent survey found 26 native languages spoken by Hamtramck schoolchildren. The city's motto was "A League of Nations".
At the time of the 2000 census, Hamtramck was again experiencing considerable growth, with over 8,000 households and a population of almost 23,000.
In 1997, the Utne Reader named Hamtramck one of "the 15 hippest neighborhoods in the U.S. and Canada" in part for its punk and alternative music scene, its Buddhist temple, its cultural diversity, and its laid back blue-collar neighborhoods. And in May of 2003, Maxim Blender selected Hamtramck as the second "Most Rock N' Roll City" in the U.S., behind Williamsburg in Brooklyn, New York City. Hamtramck is home of several of Michigan's most distinguished music venues.
In January 2004, members of the Al-Islah Islamic Center requested permission to use loudspeakers for the purpose of broadcasting the Islamic call to prayer. This request set off a contentious debate in the city, ostensibly about the noise that would be caused by the call to prayer, eventually garnering national attention. Ultimately, Hamtramck amended its noise ordinance in July 2004 regulating the volume level of all religious sounds.[1]
[edit] Economy
The Polish Art Center, located in the middle of Jos. Campau, is one of the most well-known businesses in Hamtramck. There, one can find many Polish works of art and art from other areas of Europe.
Kowalski Sausage Co. manufactures meat products at 2270 Holbrook Avenue.
[edit] Education
Hamtramck is served by Hamtramck Public Schools. [2].
[edit] Hamtramck Festivals
[edit] Pączki Day
Polish immigrants, residents of Hamtramck, and southeastern Michigan celebrate "Fat Tuesday" (known locally as Pączki Day) by lining up at the city's numerous Polish bakeries to purchase pączki. On Pączki Day, several local bars host parties with live entertainment, some starting as early as 7 A.M..
[edit] Hamtramck Blowout
The Hamtramck Blowout is an annual music festival in Hamtramck. It is said to be the largest festival of its sort in the world. There's usually over 200 bands there and the festival lasts for 4 days all over bars in the neighborhood.
[edit] St. Florian Strawberry Festival
Held annually in the first weekend in May at grounds at St. Florian Church.
[edit] Hamtramck Labor Day Festival
Held Labor Day weekend, ending with the Polish Day Parade on Labor Day. Live music on three stages, carnival area, beer, and food tents line a half mile stretch of Jos. Campau from Caniff to Carpenter.
[edit] Famous People From Hamtramck
- Rudy Tomjanovich - Former player and coach for The Houston Rockets. He was born and raised in Hamtramck and is a 1966 Graduate of Hamtramck High School.
- Mitch Ryder, musician known for his "blue-eyed soul" stylings and creative medleys
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- City of Hamtramck
- Hamtramck Firefighters
- Hamtramck Chamber of Commerce
- Hamtramck Labor Day Festival
- http://www.waynecounty.com/commun/hamtramck.html
- www.rootsweb.com/~miwayne/tour.html
- Preserve Our Parks in Hamtramck website
- Blowout Schedule and band info
- Hamtramck Star *
[edit] References
| Cities, Townships, and Villages of Wayne County, Michigan (County Seat: Detroit) |
|
|---|---|
| Cities Population over 75,000 | Dearborn • Detroit• Livonia • Westland |
| Cities Population 25,000 – 75,000 | Allen Park • Dearborn Heights • Garden City • Inkster • Lincoln Park • Romulus • Southgate • Taylor • Wyandotte |
| Cities Population under 25,000 | Belleville • Ecorse • Flat Rock • Gibraltar • Grosse Pointe • Grosse Pointe Farms • Grosse Pointe Park • Grosse Pointe Woods • Hamtramck • Harper Woods • Highland Park • Melvindale • Northville • Plymouth • River Rouge • Riverview • Rockwood • Trenton • Wayne • Woodhaven |
| Townships Population over 25,000 | Canton Township • Plymouth Township • Redford Township |
| Townships Population under 25,000 | Brownstown Township • Grosse Ile Township • Grosse Pointe Township • Huron Township • Northville Township • Sumpter Township • Van Buren Township |
| Villages | Grosse Pointe Shores |
| Other neighborhoods and communities | Downriver |
