Plymouth, Michigan

City of Plymouth, Michigan
City
Downtown Plymouth
Location in Wayne County the state of Michigan
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Wayne
Government
• Type	Council-Manager
• Mayor	Phil Pursell
• City Manager	Paul Sincock
Area
• Total	2.2 sq mi (5.8 km2)
• Land	2.2 sq mi (5.8 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)  0.45%
Elevation	725 ft (221 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	9.022
• Density	4,048.6/sq mi (1,562.1/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	48170
Area code	734
FIPS code	26-65060Template:GR
GNIS feature ID	0635148
Website	http://www.ci.plymouth.mi.us

Plymouth is a city in Wayne County of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 9,022 at the 2000 census. The city is located within Plymouth Township, but is administratively autonomous. The northern portion of the town is built over where the ghost town of Phoenix once stood, and the nearby lake is still called Phoenix Lake.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.2 square miles (5.8 km²), of which, 2.2 square miles (5.8 km²) of it is land and 0.45% is water. Located 26.3 miles (42.3 km) west of Detroit. Just south of M-14, west of I-275.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 9,022 people, 4,322 households, and 2,277 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,048.6 per square mile (1,562.1/km²). There were 4,498 housing units at an average density of 2,018.4/sq mi (778.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.42% White, 0.57% African American, 0.35% Native American, 1.05% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.30% from other races, and 1.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.31% of the population. 20.4% were of German, 13.2% Irish, 12.4% English, 10.7% Polish and 7.9% Italian ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 4,322 households out of which 22.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.3% were non-families. 41.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.04 and the average family size was 2.81.

In the city the population was spread out with 18.7% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 37.5% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $51,535, and the median income for a family was $76,369. Males had a median income of $52,188 versus $37,113 for females. The per capita income for the city was $33,222. About 1.9% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those age 65 or over.

Notable Residents

• Margaret Dunning, Philanthropist
• Lindsey Hunter, Detroit Pistons guard
• Chris Osgood, Detroit Red Wings goaltender, 4 time Stanley Cup winner.
• Alex Shelley, Current Wrestler in TNA
• Bill Zepp, Former Detroit Tigers Baseball Player
• MIchael Sturdy, Poet and Painter

Events

The Plymouth International Ice Sculpture Spectacular, the largest and oldest ice carving festival in North America, is held every year in Plymouth in late January. Founded in 1982, the weekend-long event draws an average of 500,000 people to Plymouth each year and has helped establish ice carving as a world-class competitive event.

Plymouth's own 'Art in the Park' is Michigan's second largest art fair. Visitors have enjoyed Plymouth Art in the Park since its inaugural event in 1980. Plymouth Art in the Park, founded, directed and managed by mother and daughter team, Dianne Quinn and Raychel Rork, is celebrating its 29th show in 2008.

Another very popular community tradition/event is Plymouth's Fall Festival. This annual event is held the weekend after Labor Day.

History

Main Street and Kellogg Park

Kellogg Park's Fountain

The first settlers to come to what is now known as Plymouth, Michigan, were Keziah (Benjamin) and William Starkweather. Farmers from Preston, Connecticut, they purchased 240 acres (240 acres (0.97 km²)) of land from the United States Government on March 11, 1825, for $1.25 an acre. The Starkweather clan had lived in Preston at least as early as 1694, according to records of a land gift in which Captain John Masons gave land to Robert Starkweather, William's grandfather. William, ninth born of 11 siblings, and his wife Keziah brought their first born son Albert to the area, and built the first home in Plymouth, at the southwest Corner of Main Street and Ann Arbor Trail. The first home was a rustic lean-to, and was later replaced by a log cabin which has since been lost to time. William's eldest son Albert died at age 20 while attending the newly formed University of Michigan as a sophomore. George Anson Starkweather, William's second-born, was the first non-native American born within the boundaries of what is now known as the City of Plymouth. His father William died at 44 years of age, from typhoid, and his mother Keziah two years later, leaving their eldest son George at 20 years of age.

George's grandson, Karl Hillmer Starkweather (who changed his name from Karl Starkweather Hillmer to carry on his mother's maiden name, which did not work out as planned because Karl had all female offspring), was a respected and lifelong Plymouth resident and local historian, and Ford Motor Company employee at the Wilcox Lake Tap Plant in which he was shop steward, died on May 1, 1969. His father, Lewis Hillmer, also served as village president for a time. Notable streets in Plymouth are named after some Starkweather family members, including Blanch, Karmada (after the children Karl, Mary and Davis), Davis, Starkweather (formerly Oak Street), Amelia and Rose. Starkweather Elementary School was named after George Anson Starkweather of Plymouth, which was converted to an adult education center. It was the first elementary school built in Plymouth largely through the efforts of grandson Karl Starkweather, who promoted the need for a ward school in Plymouth to local residents. He was also instrumental in the establishing of the Plymouth Historical Society Museum, and his mother, George's daughter Mary K. Starkweather-Hillmer, was a charter member.

Daisy Manufacturing Company, now Daisy Outdoor Products started in 1882 as Plymouth Iron Windmill Company in Plymouth, Michigan.

In 1886, Plymouth inventor Clarence Hamilton introduced a new idea to the windmill company. It was a combination of metal and wire, vaguely resembling a gun that could fire a lead ball using compressed air. Lewis Cass Hough, then president of the firm, gave it a try and, after his first shot, enthusiastically exclaimed, "Boy, that's a daisy!"

The name stuck and the BB gun went into production as a premium item given to farmers when they purchased a windmill. The gun was such a huge success that Plymouth Iron Windmill soon began manufacturing the Daisy BB gun in place of windmills. On January 26, 1895 the company's board of directors officially voted to change the name to Daisy Manufacturing Company, Inc.

Much to the dismay of Plymouth residents, Daisy moved its corporate offices and manufacturing facilities from Plymouth to Rogers, Arkansas in 1958.

In 2003, the former Daisy factory was converted to Daisy Square Condominiums. Though close enough to railroad tracks to cause resident complaints, space continues to sell. The front wall of the Daisy factory was left standing to be built into the apartment building, but is still free-standing since the completion of the building.

In 2007, Plymouth Township was named 37th Best Place to Live in the United States by CNN Money Magazine.

Schools

Curtis House

Baker House

The Plymouth-Canton Community School District consists of three high schools, five middle schools, and sixteen elementary schools. The district has the only educational park in Michigan, the Plymouth-Canton Educational Park (P-CEP).

Elementary Schools:

• Allen Elementary
• Bentley Elementary
• Bird Elementary
• Dodson Elementary
• Eriksson Elementary
• Farrand Elementary
• Fiegel Elementary
• Field Elementary
• Gallimore Elementary
• Hoben Elementary
• Hulsing Elementary
• Isbister Elementary
• Miller Elementary
• Smith Elementary
• Tonda Elementary
• Workman Elementary

Middle Schools:

• East Middle School
• West Middle School
• Discovery Middle School
• Central Middle School
• Pioneer Middle School

High Schools (make up P-CEP):

• Plymouth High School
• Canton High School
• Salem High School

Photo gallery

• 
  Daisy Square Condos
• 
  Old Town
• 
  Old Town
• 
  Penn Theatre
• 
  U.S. Post Office
• 
  Phoenix Block on Main Street.

References and further reading

• Hillmer, Mary K. Starkweather. My People: Some Ancestors of the Starkweather - Heywood - Hillmer Family From Earliest Known Beginnings to 1948.
• Hudson, Samuel. The Story of Plymouth, Michigan: A Midwest Microcosm. Plymouth, Mich.: Plymouth Historical Society, 1976.
• Kerstens, Elizabeth Kelley. Plymouth's First Century: Innovators and Industry. Chicago: Arcadia Publishing, 2002.
• Kerstens, Elizabeth Kelley. Plymouth in Vintage Postcards. Chicago: Arcadia Publishing, 2003.
• Starkweather, Carlton Lee, M.D. A brief genealogical history of Robert Starkweather of Roxbury and Ipswich. Auburn, N.Y.: Knapp, Peck and Thomson, 1904.

External links

• Daisy Outdoor Products
• Plymouth Art in the Park
• Plymouth Historical Museum
• Plymouth International Ice Sculpture Spectacular