Brighton, Michigan

Brighton, Michigan
City
Location of Brighton, Michigan
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Livingston
Area
• Total	3.7 sq mi (9.6 km2)
• Land	3.6 sq mi (9.3 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2)
Elevation	925 ft (282 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	6,701
• Density	1,857.0/sq mi (717.0/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	48114, 48116
Area code	810
FIPS code	26-10620Template:GR
GNIS feature ID	0621987Template:GR

Brighton is a city in Livingston County, the fastest growing county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 6,701. The city is part of the South Lyon-Howell-Brighton Urban Area, which had a population of 106,139 according to the 2000 census. Brighton is one of two incorporated cities in Livingston County, and incorporates land that once part of Brighton Township, Green Oak Township, and Genoa Township.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.7 square miles (9.7 km²), of which, 3.6 square miles (9.3 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (3.22%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 6,701 people, 3,103 households, and 1,746 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,857.0 per square mile (716.7/km²). There were 3,241 housing units at an average density of 898.2/sq mi (346.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.61% White, 0.34% African American, 0.42% Native American, 1.31% Asian, 0.39% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.48% of the population.

There were 3,103 households out of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.3% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.7% were non-families. 37.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.7% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 31.9% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $47,897, and the median income for a family was $62,222. Males had a median income of $48,554 versus $30,877 for females. The per capita income for the city was $28,393. About 3.0% of families and 5.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.9% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.

A majority of Livingston County and the areas neighboring it in Ingham County and Shiawasse County tend to be conservative voters. There is a saying among local republican politics which states, "If I cannot get elected in here, then I will quit politics all together."--Joe Hune

Government

The city of Brighton's wastewater treatment plant facility is located in Hamburg Township and services the city of Brighton and parts of Genoa, Brighton, and Hamburg townships. The city's two water plants also services both the city and parts of Genoa, Brighton and Hamburg townships.

Fire service for the city is provided through a separate governmental entity called the Brighton Area Fire Authority, which also services the Townships of Brighton and Genoa.

Library services for the city is provided through a separate governmental entity called the Brighton District Library, which also services the townships of Brighton, Genoa and Green Oak.

Recreation services for the city is provided through a separate governmental entity called the Southeastern Livingston County Recreation Authority, which also services the townships of Brighton, Genoa and Green Oak, as well as the Brighton Area Schools.

Popular culture

In the fifth episode of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (105), the character Harriet Hayes (played by actress Sarah Paulson) says that she is from Brighton, Michigan.

In Aspen Extreme the movie begins in Brighton, Michigan with the two main characters being maintenance staff at the local ski hill, Mt. Brighton.

The 1987 Horror film, The Gate, starring a young Stephen Dorff, had its world premier at the Brighton Cinemas in Brighton, the producers decided to have the official premier in a town called Hell, Michigan, but Brighton was the nearest town with a Theater large enough to hold the event. Dorff and the other stars of the movie attended the premier.

Business

Brighton is the commercial hub for the surrounding townships in Livingston County. With the addition of new restaurants and bars, Downtown Brighton is establishing itself as the new destination place for southeast Livingston County.

Winter Sports

A frequent notable destination for locals is the cheaper-priced skiing available. Mt. Brighton is close, as well as Mt. Holly, and Pine Knob. Note that Michigan has a great option for beginning enthusiasts, called 'Discover Michigan Skiing & Snowboarding'. Everything needed to learn snowboarding in a day can be had for under 40 per person, and same for skiing at under 30. Details are on included link, and there are at time of writing 18 participating places in Michigan.

George W. Romney - Buried at Brighton's Fairview Cemetery. Republican. Board chairman and president, American Motors,; delegate to Michigan state constitutional convention from 12th Senatorial District,; Governor of Michigan,; resigned 1969; delegate to Republican National Convention from Michigan, 1964; candidate for Republican nomination for President, 1968; U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development,; member of Wayne State University board of governors,.

Kinsley S. Bingham - Bingham was elected as the first Republican Governor of Michigan in 1854 and was re-elected in 1856; he was the first Republican to be elected Governor of any state. He was known as the farmer-governor of Michigan and was instrumental in establishing the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan (today, Michigan State University). Actively campaigned for Abraham Lincoln in the 1860 election. Bingham was elected as a Republican to the United States Senate in 1858 and served in the 36th and 37th Congresses from March 4, 1859, until his death on October 5, 1861, he is interred in Old Village Cemetery in Brighton.

Drew Henson - starred as a high school football, basketball and baseball player at Brighton High School, setting a national record for home runs hit, went on to play quarterback for the Michigan Wolverines, and briefly played for the New York Yankees and Dallas Cowboys, he is currently on the Minnesota Vikings as a 3rd string quarterback

Denny McLain - Star pitcher for the 1968 World Series Champion Detroit Tigers, and 1968 Cy Young award winner resides in the Brighton area (Pinckney).

Mickey Stanley - Very popular outfielder for the Detroit Tigers, and famous for switching to Shortstop in the 1968 World Series has lived in the Brighton area since 1978.

Danny Spanos - Had hit album "passion in the dark" in 1983, and a hit single off the album called "Hot Cherie" . He also played drums for Redbone, a band most famous for its hit single "come and get your love" in the 1970s, at the time going under his given name "George Spannos".

Matthew Lillard - Lived in Brighton for a brief time from 4th grade until Junior year of high school whereafter he moved to California to begin his film acting career.

Schools

Brighton Area Schools District serves the city. Hilton Elementary School, Hornung Elementary School, Lindbom Elementary School, Spencer Elementary School, Hawkins Elementary School, Maltby Middle School, Scranton middle school and Brighton High School.

External links

• Brighton city web site
• FocusBRIGHTON Community Web site
• WHMI 93.5 FM web site
• Daily Press & Argus, the local newspaper
• The Detroit News- Livingston County
• Ann Arbor News - Livingston County
• Mt.Brighton Skiing
• Mt.Holly Skiing
• Pine Knob Skiing
• Discover Michigan Skiing & Snowboarding

42°31′46″N 83°46′49″W