![Ecorse, Michigan W Jefferson Ave](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/Ecorse%2C_Michigan_W_Jefferson_Ave.jpg)
Ecorse ( ') is a city in
Wayne County in the U.S. state of
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
. The population was 9,512 at the
2010 census.
Ecorse is part of the
Downriver
Downriver is the unofficial name for a collection of 18 cities and townships in Wayne County, Michigan, south of Detroit, along the western shore of the Detroit River.
The place is sometimes referred to as South Detroit.
Etymology
The name ...
community within
Metro Detroit
The Detroit metropolitan area, often referred to as Metro Detroit, is a major metropolitan area in the U.S. State of Michigan, consisting of the city of Detroit and its Southeast Michigan, surrounding area. There are varied definitions of the a ...
. The city shares a northwestern border with the city of
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
and also borders the cities of
Lincoln Park to the west,
River Rouge to the north, and
Wyandotte to the south. The city shares its name with the
Ecorse River
The Ecorse River is an U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed November 7, 2011 river in southern Michigan. Because of its small size, it is often identified as Ecorse Creek. ...
, which forms its southern border with Wyandotte. The
Detroit River
The Detroit River flows west and south for from Lake St. Clair to Lake Erie as a strait in the Great Lakes system. The river divides the metropolitan areas of Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario—an area collectively referred to as Detro ...
forms the city's eastern border as part of the
Canada–United States border
The border between Canada and the United States is the longest international border in the world. The terrestrial boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: Can ...
with
LaSalle,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
.
Etymology
Native American tribes of this area used this area as a burial ground. When
French colonists settled here in the last two decades of the 18th century, they named the waterway ''"Rivière Aux Échorches",'' which means "The River of the Barks" in
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
.
["The History of Ecorse]
, Ecorse Public Library, accessed September 26, 2009
History
In 1836, after the community had become part of United States territory, it was settled by more English speakers, who named it Grand Port. The community was unincorporated within
Ecorse Township.
[City of Ecorse website]
, Community History webpage, accessed 18 October 2011 In 1903 the settlement was incorporated as the village of Ecorse.
[ With the opening of its first steel mill in 1923, Michigan Steel Mill, Ecorse began to become an economic force in the region. The village incorporated as a city in 1942.][
Since the later 20th century and restructuring of heavy industry, the city, like many industrial inner-ring suburbs, has fallen into economic decline. In December 1986, the Wayne County Circuit Court issued a court order appointing a receiver for the bankrupt city. The receivership would last until August 1990, but the city's finances were monitored by the state of Michigan for another ten years.
By September 2009, with the city facing a $9 million deficit and a federal corruption probe, Governor ]Jennifer Granholm
Jennifer Mulhern Granholm (born February 5, 1959) is a Canadian-American lawyer, educator, author, political commentator, and politician serving as the 16th United States secretary of energy since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, she pre ...
declared a financial emergency Financial emergency is a state of receivership for the State of Michigan's local governments.
History
DateFormat = yyyy
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Period = from:1988 till:2010
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for Ecorse, and appointed an emergency financial manager. On September 25, 2009, Ecorse Mayor Herbert Worthy and city Controller Erwin Hollenquest were arrested on charges of conspiracy, bribery, and fraud.
On May 1, 2013, the City of Ecorse was moved from under an emergency manager to a state transition advisory board, which includes the previous emergency manager.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), 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 Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (24.12%) is water.
The Detroit River
The Detroit River flows west and south for from Lake St. Clair to Lake Erie as a strait in the Great Lakes system. The river divides the metropolitan areas of Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario—an area collectively referred to as Detro ...
forms the eastern border of the city, and the Ecorse River
The Ecorse River is an U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed November 7, 2011 river in southern Michigan. Because of its small size, it is often identified as Ecorse Creek. ...
forms the southern boundary. Mud Island
Mud Island is a small peninsula located in Memphis, Tennessee. It is bordered by the Mississippi River to the west and the Wolf River and Harbor Town to the east. Mud Island River Park is located within the Memphis city limits, 1.2 miles fr ...
within the Detroit River is part of Ecorse and is included in the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge
The Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge is the only international wildlife refuge in North America. Established in 2001 and managed jointly by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Canadian Wildlife Service, it is located in ...
.
Education
Primary and secondary schools
Ecorse Public Schools operates the public schools in the city. These include Ralph J. Bunche School (PreK-3), Grandport Elementary School (4-7), and Ecorse Community High School (8-12). Project Excel is a 3-8 magnet school in Ecorse.
Public libraries
Ecorse Public Library is located in the city. Two Dearborn architects, Bennett and Straight, designed the current library complex, which was built to be fireproof.[The History of Ecorse Public Library]
." Ecorse Public Library. Retrieved on October 22, 2009.
The first library services appeared in Ecorse in 1922, when a group of books from the Wayne County Library Service were placed for local use at Loveland's Pharmacy. During the following year, the owner of the pharmacy moved his business to gain a larger space and dedicated a section of the new location to the library. Due to a lack of space for a new book collection, library services were stopped in 1925. Services resumed on March 22, 1926, when the library re-opened in the DeWallot building with 600 volumes of books; for the first time the library had its own quarters. By 1929 the Ecorse library had four staff members. Two operated other library branches in Ecorse: one in the Ecorse Municipal Building and one located on Visger Road.
The current Ecorse Public Library opened on December 12, 1948, with a dedication by Mayor William Vosine. The library's cost was $150,000. The American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members ...
selected the library as one of the best small libraries in the United States.
Parks and recreation
Ecorse has a Senior Center and a rowing club. The John D. Dingell Park is located along the Detroit River
The Detroit River flows west and south for from Lake St. Clair to Lake Erie as a strait in the Great Lakes system. The river divides the metropolitan areas of Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario—an area collectively referred to as Detro ...
.
Demographics
2010 census
At the 2010 census there were 9,512 people in 3,646 households, including 2,285 families, in the city. The population density was . There were 4,544 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup
A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...
of the city was 44.0% White (36.5% non-Hispanic white), 46.4% African American, 0.8% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 4.0% from other races, and 4.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.4%.
Of the 3,646 households 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 24.7% were married couples living together, 29.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 8.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.3% were non-families. 31.3% of households were one person and 11.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.26.
The median age was 35.4 years. 27.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.7% were from 25 to 44; 25.3% were from 45 to 64; and 12.8% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.3% male and 52.7% female.
2000 census
At the 2000 census there were 11,229 people in 4,339 households, including 2,733 families, in the city. The population density was 4,175.1 per square mile (1,611.7/km²). There were 4,861 housing units at an average density of 1,807.4 per square mile (697.7/km²). The racial makeup
A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...
of the city was 52.18% White, 40.56% African American, 0.65% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.36% from other races, and 3.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.94%. and 5.8% Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
ancestry according to Census 2000
The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 cen ...
. 92.7% spoke English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
only, while 6.3% spoke Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
.
Of the 4,339 households 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.0% were married couples living together, 25.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 31.1% of households were one person and 10.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.23.
The age distribution was 27.8% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% 65 or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.3 males.
The median household income was $27,142 and the median family income was $32,374. Males had a median income of $33,915 versus $22,500 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,468. About 17.3% of families and 22.6% 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 t ...
, including 34.2% of those under age 18 and 12.2% of those age 65 or over.
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Cities in Wayne County, Michigan
Metro Detroit
Michigan populated places on the Detroit River
Populated places established in 1903
1903 establishments in Michigan