Warren, Michigan

City of Warren
City
The Comerica Building near Warren's civic center. The Comerica Building near Warren's civic center.
Official seal of City of Warren Seal
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Macomb
Incorporated	1957
Government
• Type	Council-Strong Mayor
• Mayor	James R. Fouts
Area
• Total	34.3 sq mi (88.9 km2)
• Land	34.3 sq mi (88.8 km2)
• Water	0.04 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation	627 ft (191 m)
Population
• Total	138,247
• Density	4,031.8/sq mi (1,556.7/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
Area code	586
FIPS code	26-84000Template:GR
GNIS feature ID	1615781Template:GR
Website	http://www.cityofwarren.org/

Warren is a city in Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 138,247, making Warren the largest city in Macomb County, the third largest city in Michigan, and Metro Detroit's largest suburb.

The city is home to a wide variety of businesses, including General Motors Technical Center, the United States Army Detroit Arsenal, home of the Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) and the Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC), the headquarters of Big Boy Restaurants International, The Cadillac Motor Car Division of General Motors, Campbell Ewald, and Asset Acceptance. The current mayor is James R. Fouts, who was elected to his first mayoral term in November 2007.

History

The village of Warren, the predecessor of today's city, was a much smaller one square mile within the boundaries of Warren Township, Macomb County, Michigan, named for War of 1812 veteran, and frontier cleric, Rev. Abel Warren. Rev. Warren was a Methodist Episcopal preacher who left his native New York in 1824 for Shelby Township. He went throughout southeastern Michigan, baptizing, marrying, and burying pioneers of the area, as well as establishing congregations.

Th village was centered on the corner of Mound Road and Chicago Road, around what was called "Beebe's Corners," a carriage stop between Detroit and Utica. The village had a population of 582 in 1940 and 727 in 1950.

Warren was incorporated as a city in 1957 and consists of what was previously Warren Township, less the city of Center Line, which is encircled by Warren. Between 1950 and 1960, Warren's population soared from 42,653 to 89,426. This population explosion was fueled in part by white flight from its southern neighbor of Detroit in that decade. This change in population continued into the next decade when the city's population doubled again. As the community has matured, its population has begun to gradually decline.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, Warren has a total area of 34.3 square miles (89 km²), of which, 34.3 square miles (89 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²) of it is water. The city covers a six mile-by-six mile (10 km x 10 km) square in the southwest corner of Macomb County in suburban Detroit (minus Center Line). Other cities bordering on Warren are Detroit, Hazel Park, Madison Heights, Sterling Heights, Fraser, Roseville, and Eastpointe.

Main highways

Interstate highways

• I-696 cuts east and west through the middle of Warren.

Michigan State Trunklines

• M-53, which is Van Dyke Avenue, and leads into Van Dyke Freeway runs north and south, and (roughly) bisects the city.
• M-97 also known as Groesbeck Highway named for former Governor Alex Groesbeck is near the eastern edge of Warren. It comes north from Detroit, and is a fast and wide diagonal connector to northern Macomb County.
• M-102 more commonly known as Eight Mile Road or more esoterically as Base Line Road is the city's south border.

Unnumbered roads

Mound Road is an important north-south artery in the city. East-west travel is mainly on the mile roads. Most notably are 8 Mile Road, which is on the southern border of Warren with Detroit; 11 Mile Road, which serves as a service drive for I-696, and 14 Mile Road, which is on the northern border of Warren with Sterling Heights

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1900	2,567		—
1910	2,445		−4.8%
1920	3,564		45.8%
1930	14,269		300.4%
1940	22,126		55.1%
1950	42,653		92.8%
1960	89,426		109.7%
1970	179,260		100.5%
1980	161,134		−10.1%
1990	144,864		−10.1%
2000	138,247		−4.6%
2008 (est.)	133,939

In 2000, there were 138,247 people, 55,551 households, and 36,714 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,556.6/km² (4,031.8/sq mi). There were 57,249 housing units at an average density of 1,669.6 per square mile (644.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.3% White, 2.7% African American, 3.1% Asian, 0.4% Native American, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.3% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. 1.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

The top six reported ancestries in Warren are Polish (21.0%), German (20.4%), Irish (11.5%), Italian (10.6%), English (7.3%), and French (5.3%).

There were 55,551 households out of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.05.

The city’s population was spread out with 22.9% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $44,626, and the median income for a family was $52,444. Males had a median income of $41,454 versus $28,368 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,407. 7.4% of the population and 5.2% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 9.5% were under the age of 18 and 5.8% were 65 or older.

File:WarrenHouse.jpg

A house in Warren. This is the typical house style and size and thousands can be seen around the city as well as in nearby Sterling Heights and Center Line.

There are a number of distinguishing characteristics about Warren which render it unique among American cities of its relative size. Warren was one of the fastest-growing municipalities in the country between 1940 and 1970, roughly doubling its population every 10 years. In 1940 the official population of Warren Township was 22,146; in 1950, it was 42,653; in 1960, after Warren Township had become the City of Warren, population had risen to 89,240; and by 1970 it had grown to 179,260.

Since 1970, Warren has been consistently one of the faster-declining cities in population in the country. The population shed 10% during each of the next two decades (1980: 161,060; 1990: 144,864), and continued its downward trend by shedding another 4.6% of its population by 2000. Warren’s population is currently one of the oldest among large cities in the United States. 17.3% of Warren's population was 65 or older at the last census, tied for fifth with Hollywood, FL among cities with 100,000+ population, and in fact the highest-ranking city in this metric outside of Florida or Hawaii. Warren is ranked 1st in the nation for longevity of residence. Residents of Warren on average have lived in that community 35.5 years, compared to the national average of eight years for communities of 100,000+ population.

Warren once had the distinction of having been the "whitest" large city as well. In 1970, whites made up 99.5% of its total population of 179,274, by far the highest among U.S. cities of 100,000+ population; only 838 non-whites lived within the city limits. (Another Detroit suburb Livonia, held the distinction of being America's "whitest city" as of the 2000 Census.) The white population has dropped only gradually in the past few decades, to 98.2% in 1980, 97.3% in 1990, and 91.3% in 2000. However the 2000 figure for non-Hispanic whites was 90.4%. Warren remains a population center for people of Polish, Lebanese, Ukrainian, Scots-Irish, and Chaldean descent.

The post-1970 population change in Warren has been so pronounced that by 2000 there were 1,026 Filipinos in Warren as well as 1,145 Asian Indians in the city, and 1,559 American Indians. Many of the American Indians in Warren originated in the Southern United States with 429 Cherokee and 66 Lumbee. In fact the Lumbee were the third largest American Indian "tribe" in the city, with only the 193 Chippewa outnumbering them.

Education

Public Schools

Warren is served by six public school districts, including:

• Center Line Public Schools
• East Detroit Public Schools
• Fitzgerald Public Schools
• Van Dyke Public Schools
• Warren Consolidated Schools
• Warren Woods Public Schools

The Macomb Intermediate School District oversees the individual school districts.

Secondary schools serving Warren include:

• Warren Woods Tower High School
• Paul K. Cousino Sr. High School
• Lincoln High School
• Warren Mott High School
• Center Line High School (Center Line)
• East Detroit High School (Eastpointe)

Private Schools

• De La Salle Collegiate High School (all-boys')

Postsecondary institutions

• The south campus of Macomb Community College
• Davenport University
• The Warren Center for Central Michigan University.

Culture and recreation

Fountains in Warren City Center, with farmer's market in background

The public library system comprises four branches, and the city recreation department supports a community center and a recreation center along with a system of 24 parks. The Warren Symphony Orchestra gives several concerts per season. In 2003 the city built a brand new Community Center where the old Warren High School was. It has an auditorium, several gyms and conference rooms, three pools, and the 'Top voted' fitness center in Michigan as of 2006. Also in 2006, Warren Community Center was voted 'The best Community/Recreation Center in Michigan.'

Crime

Warren
Crime rates* (2003)
Violent crimes
Homicide	2.2
Rape	57.6
Robbery	135.4
Aggravated assault	373.7
Total violent crime	568.9
Property crimes
Burglary	549.4
Larceny-theft	1,656.7
Arson	46.8
Total property crime	2,252.9
Notes *Number of reported crimes per 100,000 population. Source: 2003 FBI Report of Offenses Known to Law Enforcement

The crime rate in Warren is mostly balanced as neutral. The city has a high violent crime rate and a low property crime rate compared to other cities in Metro Detroit. The city's crime rate in 2003 was 91.4% of the national average. Larceny-theft was the most popular crime, making up 58.7% of the city's crime rate.

Since 2000, there have been 35 reported known murders; five in 2001, three in 2003, six in 2004, five in both 2005 and 2006, seven in 2007, and four in 2008. Since 2000, the violent crime rate has dropped 16.2%.

The Warren Police Department serves as the main law enforcement agency in the city. The department is highly connected to community policing. The Citizen Emergency Response Team (CERT) is a main link between the police department and citizens for assisting and reporting in emergency situations.

Historical markers

There are nine recognized Michigan historical markers in the city. They are:

• Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant which built a quarter of the Sherman tanks produced by the United States in World War II, and which produced M1 Abrams tank (along with a plant in Lima, Ohio) until 1996.
• Detroit Memorial Park Cemetery. Inventor Elijah McCoy is buried there, as noted on the historical marker. Former member of the band The Supremes Florence Ballard is also buried there.
• Erin - Warren Fractional District No. 2 School
• General Motors Technical Center
• Governor Alexander Joseph Groesbeck
• John Theisen House
• Village of Warren
• Warren Township District No. 4 School
• Warren Union Cemetery

The tenth and eleventh markers are technically in Center Line, Michigan but are included because of their proximity (both in distance and in history) to Warren:

• St. Clement Catholic Church
• St. Clement Catholic Cemetery

Additionally, about two dozen markers have been placed around designated cites in the city by the Warren Historical and Genealogical Society.

External links

• City of Warren official site
• Warren Public Library
• Rev. Abel Warren's Obituary as delivered by Rev. John Russell
• Warren, Michigan at Curlie