Fennville, Michigan
Encyclopedia
Fennville is a city in Allegan County
in the U.S. state
of Michigan
. The population was 1,459 at the 2000 census.
The city is situated on M-89
on the boundary between Manlius Township
on the north and Clyde Township
on the south. The city of Saugatuck
is about seven miles (11 km) northwest and Allegan
is about 13 miles (20.9 km) east-southeast.
The city and surrounding region is an American Viticultural Area
, the Fennville AVA
, known for the production of Michigan wine
.
, the city has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), of which, 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (1.85%) is water.
of 2000, there were 1,459 people, 484 households, and 349 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,378.4 per square mile (531.4/km²). There were 552 housing units at an average density of 521.5 per square mile (201.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 73.27% White, 3.15% African American, 0.75% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 19.81% from other races
, and 2.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 32.63% of the population.
There were 484 households out of which 48.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.4% were married couples
living together, 16.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.7% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.01 and the average family size was 3.53.
In the city, the population was spread out with 38.0% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 15.1% from 45 to 64, and 6.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $39,013, and the median income for a family was $40,875. Males had a median income of $32,833 versus $25,556 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $16,127. About 9.7% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.5% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.
The "official" and widely accepted account of how the city came to be known as Fennville, is that an early white settler by the name of Elam Atwater Fenn built a saw mill in the immediate vicinity of the current community. This led to people referring to the settlement as "Fenn's Mill" which became the name associated with the post office there. Some early documents pluralized "Mill" to render "Fenn's Mills." The first road through what was to be Fennville was built by Harrison Hutchins and James McCormick in 1837.
A fire (possibly related to the Great Chicago Fire
or Great Michigan Fire) destroyed the village in October 1871. About that time, the paperwork (timetables and such) for the recently completed Chicago and Michigan Lake Shore Railroad
arrived which identified the community's station as "Fennville." This was thought by some at the time (including Hutchins) to have been the result of clerical error. However, Fenn himself recorded that the change in name had been suggested by and mutually agreed upon among certain leaders of the community in conjunction with the establishment of the new railroad station. The post office name was then changed to "Fennville" to match the station's name. The community was officially incorporated as the village of Fennville on February 20, 1889.
A United States atlas from 1895 indicates the town name was in some cases broken into two words, as in "Fenn Ville." Yet another documented variation was "Fennsville" as found in a plat book from 1873. See References below.
Fennville High School lost two athletes in less than 14 months. In January 2010, a wrestler, Nathaniel Hernandez, 14, died after suffering a seizure at home after he had participated in a match. On the night of Thursday, March 3, 2011, the school's star basketball player, Wes Leonard, died after being lifted up into the air after making the game-winning layup in a 57-55 game against Bridgman High School. "Paramedics tried to revive him with CPR and defibrillation, but he was pronounced dead of cardiac arrest about two hours later," Holland Hospital spokeswoman, Deb Patterson, said. The initial cause of his caradic arrest was from an enlarged heart. He was 16.
The Discovery Elementary School, a chartered
public school academy located in Fennville, closed at the end of the 2009 school year.
Allegan County, Michigan
-Interstates:* I-196* I-196 Business Loop serves the city of Holland.-US highways:* US-31* US-131-Michigan State Trunklines:* M-40* M-89* M-179* M-222-Allegan County Intercounty Highways:* A-2* A-37* A-42* A-45-Demographics:...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
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 1,459 at the 2000 census.
The city is situated on M-89
M-89 (Michigan highway)
M-89 is an east–west state highway in the US state of Michigan. It runs from near Ganges Township to Battle Creek. M-89 passes through Allegan County, Kalamazoo County, Michigan, and Calhoun County. It also briefly crosses the southwest corner of Barry County.-Route description:M-89 begins...
on the boundary between Manlius Township
Manlius Township, Michigan
Manlius Township is a civil township of Allegan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,634 at the 2000 census.-Communities:* The city of Fennville is at the southwest corner of the township, but is administratively autonomous....
on the north and Clyde Township
Clyde Township, Allegan County, Michigan
Clyde Township is a civil township of Allegan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,104 at the 2000 census.- Communities :...
on the south. The city of Saugatuck
Saugatuck, Michigan
Saugatuck is a city in Allegan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 925 at the 2010 census. The city is within Saugatuck Township, but is administratively autonomous....
is about seven miles (11 km) northwest and Allegan
Allegan, Michigan
Allegan is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 4,838. It is the county seat of Allegan County. The city lies within Allegan Township, but is administratively autonomous....
is about 13 miles (20.9 km) east-southeast.
The city and surrounding region is an American Viticultural Area
American Viticultural Area
An American Viticultural Area is a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States distinguishable by geographic features, with boundaries defined by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau , United States Department of the Treasury....
, the Fennville AVA
Fennville AVA
The Fennville AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Allegan County, Michigan. Entirely contained within the larger Lake Michigan Shore AVA, the Fennville AVA borders Lake Michigan on the west, the Kalamazoo River on the north, a game reserve to the east, and the Black River on the south...
, known for the production of Michigan wine
Michigan wine
Michigan wine refers to any wine that is made in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of 2007, there were under wine-grape cultivation and 64 commercial wineries in Michigan, producing 425,000 cases of wine . According to another count there were 112 operating wineries in Michigan in 2007.Wine and...
.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), of which, 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (1.85%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,459 people, 484 households, and 349 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,378.4 per square mile (531.4/km²). There were 552 housing units at an average density of 521.5 per square mile (201.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 73.27% White, 3.15% African American, 0.75% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 19.81% 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 2.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 32.63% of the population.
There were 484 households out of which 48.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 16.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.7% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.01 and the average family size was 3.53.
In the city, the population was spread out with 38.0% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 15.1% from 45 to 64, and 6.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $39,013, and the median income for a family was $40,875. Males had a median income of $32,833 versus $25,556 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 $16,127. About 9.7% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.5% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.
History
A fire (possibly related to the Great Chicago Fire
Great Chicago Fire
The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned from Sunday, October 8, to early Tuesday, October 10, 1871, killing hundreds and destroying about in Chicago, Illinois. Though the fire was one of the largest U.S...
or Great Michigan Fire) destroyed the village in October 1871. About that time, the paperwork (timetables and such) for the recently completed Chicago and Michigan Lake Shore Railroad
Chicago and Michigan Lake Shore Railroad
The Chicago and Michigan Lake Shore Railroad is a defunct railroad which operated in Michigan between 1869 and 1878, and as the Chicago and West Michigan Railroad until 1881....
arrived which identified the community's station as "Fennville." This was thought by some at the time (including Hutchins) to have been the result of clerical error. However, Fenn himself recorded that the change in name had been suggested by and mutually agreed upon among certain leaders of the community in conjunction with the establishment of the new railroad station. The post office name was then changed to "Fennville" to match the station's name. The community was officially incorporated as the village of Fennville on February 20, 1889.
A United States atlas from 1895 indicates the town name was in some cases broken into two words, as in "Fenn Ville." Yet another documented variation was "Fennsville" as found in a plat book from 1873. See References below.
Education
The Fennville Public Schools district includes:- Fennville High SchoolFennville High SchoolFennville High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in grades nine through twelve from Fennville, Michigan, United States, as part of the Fennville Public Schools.-Death of Wes Leonard:...
(9-12) - Fennville Middle School (6-8)
- Fennville Elementary School (K-5)
- Pearl Alternative/Adult Education School (9-12)
Fennville High School lost two athletes in less than 14 months. In January 2010, a wrestler, Nathaniel Hernandez, 14, died after suffering a seizure at home after he had participated in a match. On the night of Thursday, March 3, 2011, the school's star basketball player, Wes Leonard, died after being lifted up into the air after making the game-winning layup in a 57-55 game against Bridgman High School. "Paramedics tried to revive him with CPR and defibrillation, but he was pronounced dead of cardiac arrest about two hours later," Holland Hospital spokeswoman, Deb Patterson, said. The initial cause of his caradic arrest was from an enlarged heart. He was 16.
The Discovery Elementary School, a chartered
Charter school
Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...
public school academy located in Fennville, closed at the end of the 2009 school year.
Notable residents
- Patti Birkholz - Michigan State Senatorhttp://www.senate.michigan.gov/gop/senators/about.asp?District=24
- Edward Hutchinson - United States Representative for the 4th Congressional District of MichiganUnited States Congressional Delegations from MichiganThis is a complete listing of all historical congressional delegations from Michigan to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives.-United States Senate:-Delegates from Michigan Territory:-Members from Michigan:-Notes:...
1963 – 1977