Mount Clemens, Michigan | |
|---|---|
    Clockwise from top: Downtown Mount Clemens, Michigan Transit Museum, Fountain Stage, City Hall | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Nicknames: Bath City, Da Clem | |
 Location inMacomb County and Michigan | |
  Mount Clemens  Mount Clemens | |
| Coordinates:42°35′48″N82°52′49″W / 42.59667°N 82.88028°W /42.59667; -82.88028 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Michigan |
| County | Macomb |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council–manager |
| • Mayor | Laura Kropp |
| • City manager | Gregg Shipman |
| • City council | Commissioners
|
| Area | |
• Total | 4.20 sq mi (10.89 km2) |
| • Land | 4.09 sq mi (10.60 km2) |
| • Water | 0.11 sq mi (0.29 km2) |
| Elevation | 604 ft (184 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 15,697 |
• Estimate (2023)[5] | 15,378 |
| • Density | 3,757.4/sq mi (1,450.75/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 48043 (general) 48046 (P.O. box) |
| Area code | 586 |
| FIPS code | 26-55820[6] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0632785[7] |
| Website | mountclemens |
Mount Clemens is a city in the U.S. state ofMichigan. The population was 15,697 at the2020 census.[4] It is thecounty seat ofMacomb County[8] and part of theDetroit metropolitan area.
Mount Clemens was first surveyed in 1795 after theRevolutionary War by Christian Clemens, who settled there four years later. Clemens was the son of a Pennsylvanian Mennonite farming family[9] Clemens and his friend Oliver Wiswell purchased a distillery built in 1797 by John Brooks[9][9] , which attracted workers and customers, helping to settle the area. Brooks and Clemens platted the land, and the town was named after Clemens in 1818. It received a post office in 1821, withJohn Stockton as the first postmaster. Christian Clemens is buried at Clemens Park, located just north of downtown.[10][11]
Indian mounds were in the vicinity, more specifically just north of theClinton River near the present location ofSelfridge Air National Guard Base.[12]
The settlement filed for incorporation as a village in 1837, but this was not acted upon by the legislature until 1851. It was incorporated as a city in 1879. It became the seat of Macomb County on March 11, 1818.[10][11]
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The Mount Clemens Public Library opened in 1865 by Professor Silas Wood on the third floor of the Union School (Alexander Macomb School presently).[13][9] The next expansion site for library space existed downtown in 1890 in the basement of the courthouse (present site of the Macomb County Building). By 1895 it yet again outgrew it's location and was relocated temporarily to the Chamber of Commerce Building (current site of N. Walnut street and New Street corner). Eager use by citizens and mineral bath tourists necessitated further growth supplemented by philanthropist support. Andrew Carnegie was solicited for donations to fund a new building for the library at the (present) corner of Southbound Gratiot Avenue and Macomb Pl in 1902. From 1904 to 1968 the public library operated out of the Carnegie building until it became the Art Center in 1970[9] (presently theAnton Art Center). TheMount Clemens Public Library currently sits opposite from Mount Clemens High School on Cass and Mack avenues.
Historically, Mount Clemens' largest industry for more than 100 years, from 1873 to 1974, was tourism related to themineral baths, drawn from springs that were scattered throughout the city. Such mineral baths were very popular and were tourist destinations. At the peak of the industry, the city had 11 bathhouses and several hotels related to this trade. The first bathhouse was built in 1873 and was known as "The Original"; it was located on the corner of Jones and Water streets. The bathhouse burned in 1883, but it was rebuilt even larger the following year to accommodate the crowds of customers. Over the years, noted visitors such as film actorsClark Gable andMae West, athletesBabe Ruth andJack Dempsey, news magnateWilliam Randolph Hearst, and the wealthyVanderbilt family vacationed in the city to take advantage of the mineral springs baths.
As of 1998, the only remaining bathhouse building from this era is St. Joseph's Sanitarium and Bath House[14]. It has recently been renamed as Select Specialty Hospital and is owned by Select Medical Corporation. This last bath house is in danger of being demolished, but the Friends of Historic Preservation are working with the city to preserve it.
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The Olympia Salon & Spa, located in the Martha Washington Sanitarium on Cass Avenue, is again offering mineral baths.[15]
From about 1898 to 1950, theMount Clemens Sugar Company operated, processingsugar beets into refined sugar.
Throughout the late 20th century, the suburban expansion ofmetropolitan Detroit and itsexurbs affected the city of Mt. Clemens as well as its surrounding townships.
Mount Clemens is in south-central Macomb County, 20 miles (32 km) northeast ofdowntown Detroit, 37 miles (60 km) southwest ofPort Huron, and 3 miles (5 km) west ofLake St. Clair. TheClinton River runs through the city. The city is almost completely surrounded byClinton Township, except for the far east side which bordersHarrison Township.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, Mount Clemens has a total area of 4.21 square miles (10.90 km2), of which 4.09 square miles (10.59 km2) are land and 0.11 square miles (0.28 km2), or 2.69%, are water.[3]
| Climate data for Mount Clemens, Michigan (Selfridge Air National Guard Base) 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1896–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 63 (17) | 71 (22) | 84 (29) | 94 (34) | 93 (34) | 104 (40) | 106 (41) | 100 (38) | 100 (38) | 90 (32) | 80 (27) | 69 (21) | 106 (41) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 31.6 (−0.2) | 34.2 (1.2) | 43.5 (6.4) | 56.3 (13.5) | 68.1 (20.1) | 78.1 (25.6) | 82.2 (27.9) | 79.9 (26.6) | 73.0 (22.8) | 60.5 (15.8) | 47.5 (8.6) | 36.5 (2.5) | 57.6 (14.2) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 24.8 (−4.0) | 26.3 (−3.2) | 34.7 (1.5) | 46.1 (7.8) | 57.4 (14.1) | 67.6 (19.8) | 72.0 (22.2) | 70.3 (21.3) | 63.0 (17.2) | 51.5 (10.8) | 39.9 (4.4) | 30.3 (−0.9) | 48.7 (9.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 17.9 (−7.8) | 18.5 (−7.5) | 25.9 (−3.4) | 35.9 (2.2) | 46.7 (8.2) | 57.0 (13.9) | 61.9 (16.6) | 60.7 (15.9) | 53.1 (11.7) | 42.5 (5.8) | 32.4 (0.2) | 24.1 (−4.4) | 39.7 (4.3) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −23 (−31) | −24 (−31) | −8 (−22) | 8 (−13) | 20 (−7) | 32 (0) | 34 (1) | 38 (3) | 28 (−2) | 17 (−8) | 3 (−16) | −20 (−29) | −24 (−31) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 2.22 (56) | 1.75 (44) | 2.45 (62) | 3.36 (85) | 3.59 (91) | 3.31 (84) | 3.82 (97) | 3.68 (93) | 3.17 (81) | 2.82 (72) | 2.60 (66) | 2.19 (56) | 34.96 (888) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 10.6 (27) | 8.5 (22) | 5.2 (13) | 0.7 (1.8) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 1.3 (3.3) | 5.9 (15) | 32.2 (82) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 13.8 | 10.2 | 11.8 | 13.0 | 12.2 | 10.1 | 9.9 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 10.9 | 11.4 | 12.0 | 134.3 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 9.8 | 7.2 | 4.8 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 5.4 | 30.1 |
| Source:NOAA[16][17] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 1,302 | — | |
| 1870 | 1,768 | — | |
| 1880 | 3,057 | 72.9% | |
| 1890 | 4,748 | 55.3% | |
| 1900 | 6,576 | 38.5% | |
| 1910 | 7,707 | 17.2% | |
| 1920 | 9,488 | 23.1% | |
| 1930 | 13,497 | 42.3% | |
| 1940 | 14,389 | 6.6% | |
| 1950 | 17,027 | 18.3% | |
| 1960 | 21,016 | 23.4% | |
| 1970 | 20,476 | −2.6% | |
| 1980 | 18,991 | −7.3% | |
| 1990 | 18,405 | −3.1% | |
| 2000 | 17,312 | −5.9% | |
| 2010 | 16,314 | −5.8% | |
| 2020 | 15,697 | −3.8% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 15,378 | [5] | −2.0% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[18] | |||
As of the census[19] of 2010, there were 16,314 people, 6,714 households, and 3,542 families living in the city. Thepopulation density was 4,008.4 inhabitants per square mile (1,547.7/km2). There were 7,582 housing units at an average density of 1,862.9 per square mile (719.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 70.0%White, 24.8%African American, 0.3%Native American, 0.5%Asian, 0.8% fromother races, and 3.6% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino residents of any race were 2.9% of the population.
There were 6,714 households, of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.6% were married couples living together, 16.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 47.2% were non-families. 39.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.96.
The median age in the city was 38.3 years. 20.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.9% were from 25 to 44; 27.8% were from 45 to 64; and 13% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.5% male and 48.5% female.
As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 17,312 people, 7,073 households, and 3,854 families living in the city. The population density was 4,107.0 inhabitants per square mile (1,585.7/km2). There were 7,546 housing units at an average density of 1,790.2 per square mile (691.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 75.79%White, 19.61%African American, 0.73%Native American, 0.49%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 0.76% fromother races, and 2.59% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino residents of any race were 2.33% of the population.
There were 7,073 households, out of which 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.2% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.5% were non-families. 39.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the city, 21.6% of the population was under the age of 18, 9.0% was from 18 to 24, 34.3% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $37,856, and the median income for a family was $50,518. Males had a median income of $41,005 versus $27,896 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $21,741. About 10.0% of families and 14.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.1% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.
The city government is composed of a mayor, the current being Laura Kropp, and a city council. The city has been facing financial hardships for some time. Approximately 42% of properties in the city aretax-exempt, resulting in lost revenue of $1.2 million.[20] In an attempt to raise funds to combat a $960,000 budget deficit for 2010, former Mayor Barb Dempsey solicited donations to the city's general fund from tax-exempt organizations like churches, schools and a hospital, in order to pay for services like fire protection, streetlights and roads.[21] The city already disbanded the 113-year-old police department in 2005 to cut costs. The Macomb County Sheriff’s Office[22] now provides primary policing services in Mount Clemens. The deficit is projected to reach $1.5 million in 2011.
I-94 provides a connection northeast toPort Huron and toDetroit, which is to the southwest.
M-3 (Gratiot Ave) runs through the center of Mount Clemens, roughly parallel to I-94
M-59 (Hall Rd) passes north of the city limits, running west toUtica
M-97 (Groesbeck Hwy) passes through the west side of the city, roughly parallel to M-3SMART bus route 560/565Gratiot.
Canadian National provides Class 1 Freight service to Mount Clemens with the old Grand Trunk Western Detroit to Port Huron line previously for passenger rail services. The Mount Clemens Station that used to provide passenger rail service now operates theMichigan Transit Museum. The station was active between 1859 and 1954.
Municipalities and communities ofMacomb County, Michigan,United States | ||
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| Civil townships | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
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