Charlotte, Michigan
Location of Charlotte, Michigan
Coordinates: 42°33′38″N 84°50′5″W / 42.56056, -84.83472
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Eaton
Area
- Total	6.0 sq mi (15.5 km²)
- Land	6.0 sq mi (15.5 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation	909 ft (277 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	8,389
- Density	1,403.8/sq mi (542.0/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	48813
Area code(s)	517
FIPS code	26-14820[1]
GNIS feature ID	0623117[2]

Charlotte (shar-LOTT, not SHAR-let; IPA: /ʃɑr.'lɒt/) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 8,389. It is the county seat of Eaton County^[3].

Charlotte is in the central portion of the county, on the boundary between Eaton Township and Carmel Township, though politically independent of both. Interstate 69 serves the city, and connects it to the state capital of Lansing. It is located 21.5 miles (34.6 kilometers from downtown Lansing.

Charlotte incorporated as a village on October 10, 1863 and as a city on March 29, 1871. It was designated as the county seat when Eaton County was organized in 1837; however, due to a lack of population and buildings, county functions were conducted at Bellevue until 1840. The city's name was reportedly that of early land-owner E. B. Bostwick's wife.

Geography

Charlotte is situated on gently rolling prairie. The Battle Creek River has its northern bend in the south part of the city, entering from the southeast and exiting to the southwest. The northern part of the city is part of the Thornapple River watershed. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.0 square miles (15.5 km²), of which, 6.0 square miles (15.5 km²) of it is land and 0.17% is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 8,389 people, 3,249 households, and 2,124 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,403.8 per square mile (541.6/km²). There were 3,417 housing units at an average density of 571.8/sq mi (220.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.79% White, 0.94% African American, 0.55% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 1.07% from other races, and 1.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.46% of the population.

There were 3,249 households out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were non-families. 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $37,473, and the median income for a family was $45,759. Males had a median income of $31,573 versus $27,019 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,066. About 7.8% of families and 10.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.3% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Charlotte Public Schools has four elementary schools, a middle school and high school.

A parochial school run by the Church of Saint Mary also serves K-6 students.

There are two alternative education schools, Froebel and The Annex. In addition, special needs children are served by the Eaton Intermediate School District.

For post-secondary students, Olivet College is 10.4 miles to the south and Michigan State University is 25.2 miles to the north.

Further education/training can also be obtained at the Southridge Vocational Center.

Famous residents

A. Whitney Brown of TV's Saturday Night Live, was born in Charlotte.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
2. ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
3. ^ Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

External links

• City of Charlotte
• Charlotte Chamber of Commerce

Coordinates: 42°33′49″N, 84°50′09″W