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Chelsea is a
city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of
Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
. The population was 5,467 at the 2020 census.


History

The area was first settled as early as 1820 within the
Michigan Territory The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroit ...
by settler Cyrus Beckwith. It would be organized as Sylvan Township in 1834. The
Michigan Central Railroad The Michigan Central Railroad (reporting mark MC) was originally chartered in 1832 to establish rail service between Detroit, Michigan, and St. Joseph, Michigan. The railroad later operated in the states of Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois in th ...
constructed a line through the area in 1848, and a post office was first established on January 4, 1849. It was originally named Kendon. The name was changed to Chelsea on July 19, 1850 when the train station opened and community was formally platted. The name Chelsea came from Elisha Congdon, who suggested the name after his hometown of
Chelsea, Massachusetts Chelsea is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts Suffolk County ( ) is located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 797,936, making it the fourth-most populous county in ...
. Chelsea incorporated as a village in 1889. The Chelsea courthouse is housed in a 120-year-old bank building in downtown. The village of Chelsea incorporated into a city in 2004. In 2011, the downtown area of Chelsea was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
as the Chelsea Commercial Historic District. In April 2025, some 300 residents of the town formed a human chain to help move 9,100 books for a bookstore to a new location.


Geography

According to the
U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (1.36%) is water. The
Border-to-Border Trail The Border-to-Border (B2B) Trail is a partially constructed non-motorized trail system in Washtenaw County, Michigan. The system is planned to cover approximately across Washtenaw County, along the Huron River. Planning for the B2B began in 1 ...
runs through the city.


Major highways

* forms the southernmost boundary of the city * runs south–north through the center of the city.


Climate

This climatic region has large, varying seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the
Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system, Chelsea has a
humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...
, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.


Climate


Demographics


2010 census

As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2010, there were 4,944 people, 2,224 households, and 1,284 families living in the city. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 2,436 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.1%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.4%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.3% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino residents of any race were 2.5% of the population. There were 2,224 households, of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.3% were non-families. 37.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.91. The median age in the city was 43.5 years. 22.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24% were from 25 to 44; 25.9% were from 45 to 64; and 22.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 45.5% male and 54.5% female.


2000 census

As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 4,398 people, 1,840 households, and 1,133 families living in the village. The population density was . There were 1,913 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 97.14%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.70%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.27% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.07%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 0.39% from other races, and 0.95% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino residents of any race were 0.82% of the population. There were 1,840 households, out of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.4% were non-families. 35.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.95. In the village, 23.6% of the population was under the age of 18, 5.2% was from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 24.0% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.0 males. The median income for a household in the village was $51,132, and the median income for a family was $72,266. Males had a median income of $50,506 versus $35,579 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the village was $27,609. About 2.5% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 2.9% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.


Economy

Chelsea Milling Company, maker of
Jiffy Mix Jiffy is a brand of baking mixes marketed by the Chelsea Milling Company in Chelsea, Michigan, that has been producing mixes since 1930. The company was previously named Chelsea Roller Mill. They are known for their products being packaged in a ...
, is based in Chelsea. Other employers include Trinity Health Michigan, and the Chrysler Proving Grounds.


Education

The city is home to the Chelsea School District, which covers the city and surrounding rural townships. Chelsea High School is located within the city. The Chelsea District Library serves residents of the city and
Dexter Dexter may refer to: People * Dexter (given name) * Dexter (surname) * Dexter (singer), Brazilian rapper Marcos Fernandes de Omena (born 1973) * Famous Dex, also known as Dexter, American rapper Dexter Tiewon Gore Jr. (born 1993) Places United ...
,
Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...
,
Lyndon Lyndon may refer to: Places * Lyndon, Alberta, Canada * Lyndon, Rutland, East Midlands, England * Lyndon, Solihull, West Midlands, England United States * Lyndon, Illinois * Lyndon, Kansas * Lyndon, Kentucky * Lyndon, New York * Lyndon, Ohio * L ...
, and Sylvan townships. In 2008, the library was named "Best Small Library in America" by
Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...
.


Notable people

* Lynn Allen, NFL player * Dwight E. Beach, U.S. Army general and namesake of Beach Middle School *
Jeff Daniels Jeffrey Warren Daniels (born February 19, 1955) is an American actor. He is known for his work on stage and screen playing diverse characters switching between comedy and drama. He is the recipient of several accolades, including two Primetime ...
, actor of stage and screen. Founded the Purple Rose Theatre Company in Chelsea. * Bill Eversole, racing driver * Laura Kasischke, National Book Critics Circle Award winner, poet, novelist * Tony Scheffler, professional football player for the
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...
* Fallon Henley, Pro wrestler for WWE


Sister cities

* Shimizu,
Hokkaido is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...
, Japan


References


External links


City of Chelsea official website
{{Authority control Cities in Washtenaw County, Michigan 2004 establishments in Michigan Populated places established in 2004