Romulus, Michigan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Romulus, Michigan | |
| Nickname: ""Gateway to the World"" | |
| Motto: "With Pride, With Unity" | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | Michigan |
| County | Wayne County |
| Government | |
| - Mayor City Clerk Treasurer City Council |
Alan R. Lambert Linda Choate Pamela Morrison-Kersey Randolph Gear John Barden Ellen Bragg Leroy Burcroff Harry Crout William Crova William Wadsworth |
| Area | |
| - City | 35.9 sq mi (93.0 sq mi. km²) |
| Population (2005) | |
| - City | 23,853 [1] |
| Website: www.romulusgov.com | |
Romulus is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 22,979 at the 2000 census. It is also home to the Detroit Metropolitian Wayne County Airport.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 93.0 km² (35.9 mi²). 93.0 km² (35.9 mi²) of it is land and 0.03% is water. The City of Romulus is bound to the North by Van Born Road, to the South by Pennsylvania Road, to the East by Inkster Road, and to the West by Hannan Road.
Adjacent Communities
- Wayne, Michigan (north)
- Westland, Michigan (northeast)
- Taylor, Michigan (east)
- Brownstown Township, Michigan (southeast)
- New Boston, Michigan (south)
- Van Buren Charter Township, Michigan (west)
[edit] Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 22,979 people, 8,439 households, and 5,941 families residing in the city. The population density was 247.1/km² (639.9/mi²). There were 8,943 housing units at an average density of 96.2/km² (249.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 65.36% White, 29.99% African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.81% from other races, and 2.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.01% of the population.
There were 8,439 households out of which 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were married couples living together, 18.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.19.
In the city the population was spread out with 29.2% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 7.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $45,088, and the median income for a family was $51,497. Males had a median income of $41,372 versus $27,517 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,679. About 10.6% of families and 12.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.8% of those under age 18 and 12.4% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] History
The first white settler in Romulus was Samuel Polyne, a French-Canadian, who located on section 2 in 1826, though he left soon after the township was organized in 1835. Solomon Whitaker, Charles and Joseph Pulcifer located in the area in 1830, and in 1833, Jenks Pullen and his six sons settled at what became known as "Pullen's Corners" (located in section 19 at the intersection that is now commonly called "Five Points"). Pullen's Corners was platted in 1836. The community later took on the name of the Township.[1][2][3][4]
The Township of Romulus was set off from a part of Huron Township by an Act of the Territorial Legislature on March 17, 1835, and the first township meeting was held on April 16, 1835 in the house of Joseph T. Pullen. The first supervisor was David J. Pullen. The Township's name was changed to "Wayne" on March 19, 1845, but was changed back to Romulus on January 16, 1848.[1][2][3][4]
Romulus incorporated as a city in 1970.
[edit] Underground Railroad Stops
- Samuel Kingsley Home is a famous historic landmark in Romulus. During slave times, Samuel L. Kingsley lived in a house on Ozga Rd near Pullens Corners, what is today known as Five Points. He hid slaves in an underground cellar. Today, the house is located on Hunt Street across from the Romulus Historical Museum. The address to the house was 37426 S. Huron River Drive.
- The White Church at the Pullens Corner / Five Points was also an underground railroad stop. Today, the church, which is now called Romulus Wesleyan Church, still sits at the corner.
[edit] Historical places
The following are historic places in the City of Romulus:
- Romulus Memorial Cemetery
- Block's Greenhouse & Produce Market
- Peter C. Byrd Home (located at Wayne Rd. and Grant St.)
- Merril - Morris House
- Morris Homestead
- Romulus School House No.# 1 (currently Romulus Historical Museum)
- Old Romulus South Junior High School (currently the Romulus Police Department)
Some of these historic sites are also Michigan Historic Sites.
[edit] City Subdivisions
The following list are the names of all of the subdivisions in the city:
- North End / The Subs
- Gateway & The Hills
- Avalon Meadows
- Junction / Valley
- Oakbrook
- Meadows
- Arches (a neighorhood located behind McDonald's)
- The Preserves
- White Cloud
- Five Foints
- Countryside
- Commons & The Farms
- Downtown / Village
[edit] Parks and Recreation
[edit] Recreation
Currently, a new recreation center is being built on Wayne Rd at Northline Rd, just west of Detroit Metro Airport.
[edit] Parks
The following are parks in the city
- Romulus - Park #1
- Mary Ann Banks Memorial Park / Kennedy Park
- Eugenio Fernandez Park
- Cypress Park
- Halecreek Park
- Elmer Johnson Community Park
- Merriman Neighborhood Park
- Senior Citizens Neighborhood Park
[edit] Media
[edit] Newspapers
- Detroit Free Press
- The Detroit News
- The News-Hearld (Downriver area paper)
- "The Romulus News" (also known as the "little paper")
- "The Romulus Roman"
- "The Wingspan" -- Official Paper of Romulus High School
[edit] Education
[edit] Romulus Community Schools
| School name | School mascot | Grades |
|---|---|---|
| Romulus Senior High School | Eagles | 9th - 12th Grade |
| Romulus Middle School | Bulldogs | 7th & 8th Grade |
| Romulus Community High/Middle School | Lions | 7th - 12th Grade |
| Barth Elementary School | Bears | Kindergarten - 6th Grade |
| Cory Elementary School | Cougars | Kindergarten - 6th Grade |
| Halecreek Elementary School | Hawks | Kindergarten - 6th Grade |
| Merriman Elementary School | Superstars | Kindergarten - 6th Grade |
| Romulus Elementary School | Jaguars | Kindergarten - 6th Grade |
| Wick Elementary School | Wildcats | Kindergarten - 6th Grade |
| Lorena G. Burton Center | No Mascot | Early Childhood / Pre-Kindergarten |
[edit] Michigan Blue Ribbon Schools
- In 2004, Barth Elementary was awarded the Michigan Blue Ribbon School Award by the Michigan Department of Education.
- In 2007, Wick Elementary received this award as well.
[edit] Other Schools
Summit Charter Academies and National Heritage Academies are one of the Top 100 schools in the country. The following are the schools in the city:
- Summit North Elementary Academy (K - 5)
- Summit Middle School Academy (6 - 8)
- Summit High School Academy (9 - 12)
- Metro Charter Academy (K - 8)
[edit] Chemical Plant Explosion
On August 9, 2005 at approximately 9:30 p.m., the EQ Recovery Plant caught fire. Citizens within 1 to 1⅓ mile radius were forced to evacuate their homes. Romulus fire crews and crews from Taylor, Belleville, Woodhaven,Westland, Canton & Sumpter Township managed to put out the fire after letting it burn down a little bit. Chemical-filled smoke filled the sky, causing respiratory problems. Many citizens from both Romulus and Wayne were taken to Oakwood Annapolis Hospital, about 2 miles from the explosion site. Fortunately, no one was injured.
[edit] Northwest 255 Accident
On August 16, 1987, Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashed after taking off from Detroit Metropolitan Airport. All crew and passengers was killed except for a 4-year old girl. Today, a memorial sits at the site of the crash located on Middlebelt Rd between Interstate 94 and Wick Rd/Interstate 94 East Service Dr.
[edit] CSX Train Incident
In 2001, a CSX Transportation train crashed into a car on Tobine Road. The driver and passenger of the vehicle were killed, the engineer suffered major injuries.
[edit] Music
Musician Sufjan Stevens wrote a song titled "Romulus" on an album entitled Michigan (aka, Greetings From Michigan: The Great Lake State). The song is about his mother and the small rural community in which she lived.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Fuller, George Newman [1928?] (2005). "County Organization and Government", Local history of Detroit and Wayne County / edited by George B. Catlin. Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan Library, pp. 109-110. Retrieved on April 1, 2007.
- ^ a b Farmer, Silas [1890] (2005). "Romulus Township", History of Detroit and Wayne County and early Michigan. Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan Library, pp. 1362-1364. Retrieved on April 1, 2007.
- ^ a b Wayne County Historical and Pioneer Society. [1890] (2005). "Romulus", in Frederick Carlisle: Chronography of notable events in the history of the Northwest Territory and Wayne County. Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan Library, p. 81. Retrieved on April 1, 2007.
- ^ a b Brief History of Romulus. City of Romulus. Retrieved on April 1, 2007.
[edit] External links
| 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 |
