Saranac is a village in Boston Twp,
Ionia County
Ionia County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 66,804. The county seat is Ionia. The Ionia County Courthouse was designed by Claire Allen, a prominent southern Michigan architect.
Ion ...
in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
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 1,325 at the
2010 census. Today, Saranac serves as a retail and services hub for agricultural areas surrounding the village.
History
![Saranac sign](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Saranac_sign.jpg)
Saranac had its roots in 1836, when a
Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...
judge by the name of Jefferson Morrison purchased the land where Lake Creek meets the Grand River. Soon after, he sold parts of the land to Dwight & Hutchinson from
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 together, they founded the village. Proceeding quickly, the proprietors named it Saranac and held a public sale in Detroit. There they sold off many Saranac lots without doing much to ensure the integrity of their original records.
Soon after, Dwight & Hutchinson became concerned over the lack of development of the village by the lot-purchasers and gave Cyprian S. Hooker land on which to build a saw mill. Construction began in 1837, but didn't see completion until 1841. Partnering with a furniture maker named Jerry Stocking, the two set out to make their fortunes in the new village. However, they did not find success, and in 1846, the gentlemen gave up and moved away. Other villagers followed suit, convinced the village was doomed.
In 1847, a merchant named Ammon Wilson moved in and set up shop on Stocking's former property and later built a warehouse to ship wheat to Grand Rapids, which saw considerable success. The village grew around it; a tavern and a hotel soon followed.
In 1851, proprietors of the sold-off lots were allowed to re-dub the township "Boston", due to an oversight in Dwight & Hutchinson's records and it wouldn't be until 1859 that popular demand would see the name changed back to "Saranac".
Schools, stores, and churches, followed in the subsequent years.
In 1857, the first train to reach Saranac rolled through, marking a significant period of growth for the village.
Lorren Denman a noted kiln operator also was raised in Saranac.
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 village has a total area of , of which is land and is water.
The village is located along the
Grand River Valley, within a deep glacial drainage channel and is intersected by the
Grand River. The landscape itself is dominated by dense forest, and sprawling, open farmland. The forest is closely associated with the basin of the Grand River and its floodplains and
wetlands
A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...
. However, wetlands have dwindled over the years, due to drainage and filling in order to improve agricultural opportunities within the region. This is not atypical within the state of Michigan, despite the vast ecological importance that Michigan's wetlands possess.
Government
Saranac is a
general-law village with an elected council consisting of a president, clerk, treasurer, and six trustees.
Demographics
2010 census
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2010, there were 1,325 people, 573 households, and 339 families residing in the village. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was . There were 616 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 97.4%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 0.2%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.2%
Native American, 0.4%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.8% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 1.1% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 2.7% of the population.
There were 573 households, of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.2% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.8% were non-families. 36.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 3.01.
The median age in the village was 37.2 years. 28% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.2% were from 25 to 44; 25.8% were from 45 to 64; and 15.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 47.6% male and 52.4% female.
2000 census
As of the census
of 2000, there were 1,326 people, 568 households, and 348 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,142.1 per square mile (441.4/km). There were 589 housing units at an average density of 507.3 per square mile (196.0/km). The racial makeup of the village was 98.11% White, 0.08% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.08%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, 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 the original p ...
, 0.68% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.36% of the population.
There were 568 households, out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.1% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.6% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the village, the population was spread out, with 27.0% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.8 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $31,350, and the median income for a family was $41,250. Males had a median income of $35,221 versus $24,750 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the village was $15,867. About 5.9% of families and 11.3% 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 t ...
, including 12.5% of those under age 18 and 17.4% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
*
J Harlen Bretz
J Harlen Bretz (2 September 1882 – 3 February 1981) was an American geologist, best known for his research that led to the acceptance of the Missoula Floods and for his work on caves.
Early life and education
Bretz was born on 2 September 188 ...
, geologist
References
External links
Village website
{{Coord, 42, 55, 46, N, 85, 12, 47, W, type:city_region:US-MI, display=title
Villages in Ionia County, Michigan
Villages in Michigan
Grand Rapids metropolitan area