Clarkston, Michigan
Encyclopedia
Clarkston, known officially by the name City of the Village of Clarkston, is a small city located within Independence Charter Township
in Oakland County
in the U.S. state of Michigan
. The population was 882 at the 2010 census.
. Located with easy access to I-75, Clarkston offers a direct route to downtown Detroit and Flint. U.S. Route 24
also begins in Clarkston as a north-south highway.
The jurisdiction of the city government is limited to a relatively small downtown area commonly referred to as "the village." Those living in the much larger surrounding area of Independence Township
refer to themselves as living in Clarkston. Very few residents describe themselves as living in Independence Township. The township and city both use Clarkston as a mailing address, and are served by Clarkston Community Schools.
The township is home to DTE Energy Music Theatre
, Pine Knob Ski Resort
, Clarkston High School and Everest Academy and High School.
In September 2008, the pilot episode for the new HBO show Hung was shot at Clarkston Junior High School in downtown Clarkston. The show revolves around a baseball coach. HBO paid students of the high school to be extras in scenes where they were fans in the crowd of a basketball game.
, came to Detroit in 1831, and in the autumn of 1832 located on section 7 in Independence Township where he built a log cabin. Among his three children were three boys, Edwin, Milton and Newton. Nelson W. Clark arrived in 1836 and became a prominent citizen in the township. In 1838, Holcomb sold his interests to the Clark brothers, who then built a grist mill. In 1842, the Clark brothers plat
ted a tract of land on section 20 for a village and gave it the name Clarkston. The first church to be erected in Clarkston was the Methodist Church on Buffalo Street, in 1841.
In 1980, Clarkston was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
as a Historic District
on the merit of its architectural and historical significance. Clarkston has many important examples of Queen Anne style
homes. Residents in 1980 came together and submitted the appropriate paperwork to the National Park Service to list Clarkston as a historic district primarily to prevent Main Street from widening and wiping out character-defining buildings as well as Clarkston's history.
are:
As of the census of 2000, there were 962 people, 406 households, and 265 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,106.0 per square mile (807.5/km²). There were 424 housing units at an average density of 928.2 per square mile (355.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.78% White, 0.31% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.10% from other races
, and 2.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.04% of the population.
There were 406 households out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.7% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 28.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $62,667, and the median income for a family was $90,189. Males had a median income of $66,250 versus $37,604 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $36,838. About 2.2% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.4% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.
Dane Fife, Michigan State Assistant Basketball Coach
Independence Township, Michigan
Independence Charter Township is a charter township of Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 34,681 at the 2010 census. The township was named by one of its earliest settlers, Joseph Van Sycle, who came to the area in 1834 from Independence, New Jersey.- History :John W...
in Oakland County
Oakland County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the 2010 Census, there were 1,202,362 people, 471,115 households, and 315,175 families residing in the county. The population density as of the 2000 census was 1,369 people per square mile . There were 492,006 housing units at an average density of 564 per square mile...
in the U.S. state of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. The population was 882 at the 2010 census.
Overview
Clarkston is a small community in the northern outskirts of the Detroit suburbsMetro Detroit
The Detroit metropolitan area, often referred to as Metro Detroit, is the metropolitan area located in Southeast Michigan centered on the city of Detroit which shares an international border with Windsor, Ontario. The Detroit metropolitan area is the second largest U.S. metropolitan area...
. Located with easy access to I-75, Clarkston offers a direct route to downtown Detroit and Flint. U.S. Route 24
U.S. Route 24
U.S. Route 24 is one of the original United States highways of 1926. It originally ran from Pontiac, Michigan, in the east to Kansas City, Missouri, in the west. Today, the highway's eastern terminus is west of Clarkston, Michigan, at an intersection with I-75 and its western terminus is near...
also begins in Clarkston as a north-south highway.
The jurisdiction of the city government is limited to a relatively small downtown area commonly referred to as "the village." Those living in the much larger surrounding area of Independence Township
Independence Township, Michigan
Independence Charter Township is a charter township of Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 34,681 at the 2010 census. The township was named by one of its earliest settlers, Joseph Van Sycle, who came to the area in 1834 from Independence, New Jersey.- History :John W...
refer to themselves as living in Clarkston. Very few residents describe themselves as living in Independence Township. The township and city both use Clarkston as a mailing address, and are served by Clarkston Community Schools.
The township is home to DTE Energy Music Theatre
DTE Energy Music Theatre
Originally built by the Nederlander Organization in the early 1970s, the DTE Energy Music Theatre is a 15,274-seat amphitheater located in Clarkston, Michigan. It was originally known as the Pine Knob Music Theatre, due to its proximity to the nearby Pine Knob ski area and golf course...
, Pine Knob Ski Resort
Pine Knob
Pine Knob is a downhill ski area in Clarkston, Michigan. It is best known for its snow-making and marquee run, "The Wall." Pine Knob is the home mountain to a number of local high school ski racing teams, including Clarkston, Detroit Country Day School, Rochester Adams High School, Cranbrook...
, Clarkston High School and Everest Academy and High School.
In September 2008, the pilot episode for the new HBO show Hung was shot at Clarkston Junior High School in downtown Clarkston. The show revolves around a baseball coach. HBO paid students of the high school to be extras in scenes where they were fans in the crowd of a basketball game.
History
Linux Jacox from New York built the first house in Clarkston in 1830. He sold his claim to Butler Holcomb in 1831. In 1832, Holcomb built the second house and a sawmill on sections 20 and 21. The town was named for the Clark brothers, from New York. Jeremiah Clark, from Onondaga County, New YorkOnondaga County, New York
Onondaga County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 467,026. The county seat is Syracuse.Onondaga County is part of the Syracuse, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, came to Detroit in 1831, and in the autumn of 1832 located on section 7 in Independence Township where he built a log cabin. Among his three children were three boys, Edwin, Milton and Newton. Nelson W. Clark arrived in 1836 and became a prominent citizen in the township. In 1838, Holcomb sold his interests to the Clark brothers, who then built a grist mill. In 1842, the Clark brothers plat
Plat
A plat in the U.S. is a map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. Other English-speaking countries generally call such documents a cadastral map or plan....
ted a tract of land on section 20 for a village and gave it the name Clarkston. The first church to be erected in Clarkston was the Methodist Church on Buffalo Street, in 1841.
In 1980, Clarkston was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as a Historic District
National Historic District
National Historic District may refer to a historic district designated by a national government, including:* a historic district listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places * a United States National Historic Landmark District...
on the merit of its architectural and historical significance. Clarkston has many important examples of Queen Anne style
Queen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
homes. Residents in 1980 came together and submitted the appropriate paperwork to the National Park Service to list Clarkston as a historic district primarily to prevent Main Street from widening and wiping out character-defining buildings as well as Clarkston's history.
Public schools
The schools in the Clarkston Community School DistrictClarkston Community Schools
Clarkston Community Schools is a school district headquartered in Independence Township, Michigan. It was formed in 1952.-Secondary schools:*Clarkston High School*Clarkston Junior High School*Sashabaw Middle School-Primary schools:...
are:
- Clarkston High School
- CSMTech Academy
- Oakland Technical Center - Northwest Campus
- Clarkston Junior High School
- Sashabaw Middle School
- Andersonville Elementary School
- Bailey Lake Elementary School
- Clarkston Elementary School
- Independence Elementary School
- North Sashabaw Elementary School
- Pine Knob Elementary School
- Springfield Plains Elementary School
- Clarkston Early Childhood Center
Private schools
The private schools in Clarkston are:- Cedar Crest Academy (K-8) - 8970 Dixie Highway
- Everest Academy and High School
- Oakland Christian School - 6300 Clarkston Road
Demographics
As of 2010 Clarkston had a population of 882. The racial and ethnic makeup of the population was 97.7% white, 0.2% black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.5% from some other race and 0.9% from two or more races. 1.8% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.As of the census of 2000, there were 962 people, 406 households, and 265 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,106.0 per square mile (807.5/km²). There were 424 housing units at an average density of 928.2 per square mile (355.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.78% White, 0.31% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.10% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.04% of the population.
There were 406 households out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.7% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 28.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $62,667, and the median income for a family was $90,189. Males had a median income of $66,250 versus $37,604 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $36,838. About 2.2% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.4% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.
Notable residents
- Dan DickersonDan DickersonDan Dickerson is an American sportscaster, best known for his current position as the lead radio play-by-play voice of Major League Baseball's Detroit Tigers on the Detroit Tigers Radio Network, joined by color commentator and former Tigers catcher Jim Price.-Early life and education:Dickerson...
, Detroit Tigers broadcaster - Henry FordHenry FordHenry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...
, who maintained a summer home and weekend cottage on Main Street. The building still stands today. Ford also owned a mill which operated on the water from what is now called "Mill Pond" in Clarkston. This building still exists in part but has been modernized into a small mall which includes art galleries and office space. He also paid to have the original city sewer system built. - Kid RockKid RockRobert James "Bob" Ritchie , known by his stage name Kid Rock, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and rapper with five Grammy Awards nominations...
, musician - David SimkoDavid SimkoDavid Simko is a former NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver who participated in ten races over the course of six seasons....
, former NASCAR Cup Series driver
Dane Fife, Michigan State Assistant Basketball Coach