Shepherd is a village in Isabella County in the U.S. state of

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. The population was 1,469 at the 2020 census. The village is located within Coe Township.

History

The community was first settled by lumberman Isaac Shepherd and others along the Salt River. It was given a post office named Salt River on August 8, 1857 and formally

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bea ...

ted in 1866. By 1885, the railroads expanded into the area, and Salt River received a station named Shepherd, as it was located on Isaac Shepherd's estate. The name of the post office was changed to Shepherd on March 8, 1887. That same year, most of the community was destroyed by a fire but soon rebuilt and incorporated as a village in 1889. In 1958, the village began hosting the annual Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival, which has grown to includes many exhibits, crafts, music, food, and a parade.

Geography

According to the

U.S. 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 , all land.

Major highways

* runs south–north just east of the village boundaries and is accessible via exit 135 (Blanchard Road).

Climate

This

climatic Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorological ...

region is typified by large 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 is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Shepherd 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 freezing ...

, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.

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 in ...

of 2010, there were 1,515 people, 640 households, and 412 families living in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...

was . There were 699 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 94.2%

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 o ...

, 0.5%

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 ...

, 1.3% Native American, 0.3%

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 ...

, 0.9% 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 2.8% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties forme ...

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 3.2% of the population. There were 640 households, of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.3% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.6% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age in the village was 37.5 years. 24.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.7% were from 25 to 44; 27.8% were from 45 to 64; and 13% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 46.7% male and 53.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,536 people, 619 households, and 417 families living in the village. The population density was . There were 641 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 96.35%

, 0.46%

, 0.52% Native American, 0.33%

, 0.65% from

, and 1.69% from two or more races.

of any race were 2.34% of the population. There were 619 households, out of which 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.9% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.5% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% 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 3.07. In the village, the population was spread out, with 27.5% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.5 males. The median income for a household in the village was $40,804, and the median income for a family was $49,135. Males had a median income of $33,011 versus $21,950 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 $17,689. About 9.2% of families and 10.5% 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 14.7% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

Len Kasper Len Kasper is an American sportscaster. As of 2021 he is the radio play-by-play announcer for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball, teaming with color analyst Darrin Jackson on ESPN 1000 and the Chicago White Sox Radio Network. From ...

, radio announcer for the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

, grew up in Shepherd

Images

File:Shepherd, Michigan historic image (1911).jpg, File:Shepherd, Michigan post office.jpg, File:Shepherd, MI village office.jpg,

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in Isabella County, Michigan Villages in Michigan Populated places established in 1857 1857 establishments in Michigan