Okemos, Michigan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Okemos is an unincorporated community in Meridian Charter Township, Ingham County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a Census-designated place (CDP) for statistical purposes and does not have any separate legal existence as a municipality. Local government is provided by the township. The population was 22,805 at the 2000 census. The area is the wealthiest in central Michigan.
The Okemos Public Schools includes Okemos and some immediate surrounding areas. The nickname of the school's sports teams is the Chiefs. Some have questioned the political correctness of the mascot despite the town being named after a Native American chieftain. The use of the image of the Chieftain head has been removed from most school-funded items, although several self-supporting sports teams still wear it.
The city of Hamilton was founded in 1839 by Freeman Bray as a trading point with the surrounding Ojibwa people and as a farming community. In 1859, one year following the death of Chief John Okemos (on whose treaty lands the city was built), the city was renamed Okemos to honor the Native American chief.
It was originally a farming community, but has been entirely absorbed as a Lansing suburb. Downtown Okemos is located at the intersection of Hamilton and Okemos Roads. The most notable business is the Meridian Mall (located on M-43 Grand River Avenue) which is north of downtown Okemos.
The Okemos High School Boys Basketball team was the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) state champion in 1981, 1982, and state runner up in 2006. The actor Tom Welling attended Okemos High School; Welling is best known for his role as Clark Kent on the TV series Smallville. John Bennett Ramsey, best known as the father of JonBenét Ramsey, was born and raised in Okemos as well.
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[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 43.6 km² (16.8 mi²). 43.5 km² (16.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.18%) is water.
Lake Lansing is nearby and is approximately 500 acres (2.0 km²) in size. The lake has an outstanding beach, and is a summer favorite of swimmers, sunbathers, boaters and fishermen.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 22,805 people, 9,194 households, and 5,645 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 523.8/km² (1,356.9/mi²). There were 9,592 housing units at an average density of 220.3/km² (570.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 84.01% White, 4.20% Black or African American, 0.33% Native American, 8.68% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.61% from other races, and 2.12% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.23% of the population.
There were 9,194 households out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.3% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.6% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 14.5% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 9.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $62,810, and the median income for a family was $88,459. Males had a median income of $60,601 versus $41,393 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $33,401. About 3.3% of families and 9.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.0% of those under age 18 and 0.5% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Points of interest
- Hope Borbas Okemos Branch of the Capital Area District Library [1]
- The Okemos Historical Village and farmers market
- Two traffic circles
- Travelers Club International Restaurant and Tuba Museum [2]
- Meridian Mall [3] whose motto is "Meridian Mall is the One, with a Million Square Feet of Fun!"
- Central Elementary School (Original K-12 School)
- Okemos High School
- Best Buy - largest electronic retailer in Okemos
- Triple Goddess Bookstore (located in the Dr. George Smiley Historical House next door to the Traveler's Club and Tuba Museum International Restaurant)
[edit] External links
- Okemos Public Schools
- Meridian Mall
- Okemos Demographic information and map
- Map of Okemos
- Okemos Girls Varsity Soccer Webpage
- Okemos Boys Varsity Soccer Webpage
