Durand is a city in

Shiawassee County Shiawassee County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 68,094. The county seat is Corunna, and the largest city in the county is Owosso. In 2010, the center of populat ...

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 t ...

. The population was 3,446 at the 2010 census. Nicknamed "Railroad City, USA", it is best known for its large

train station A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing ...

which was a major hub for the Grand Trunk Western and Ann Arbor railroads during most of the 20th century, and is currently served by

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada. ...

. Additionally, several freight carriers use a

rail yard A rail yard, railway yard, railroad yard (US) or simply yard, is a series of tracks in a rail network for storing, sorting, or loading and unloading rail vehicles and locomotives. Yards have many tracks in parallel for keeping rolling stock or ...

in the city, which is accessible from all directions.

History

Durand was originally called Vernon Center, and under the latter name was

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 1836 and named from its location in Vernon Township. The present name is for congressman George Durand of

Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city and seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. Located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the region known as Mid Michigan. At the 2020 census, Flint had a population of ...

. Durand was incorporated as a village in 1887 and as a city in 1932. In a 1967 National Educational Radio Network radio series, local seniors discussed the early 20th Century history of the town; there were at one point over 10 bars in town where locals could get alcohol and there were often fights, with men coming from other towns to fight the tough men of Durand. Residents also recalled the

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and Cat ...

burning crosses downtown and organizing rallies against local Catholic residents. The railroad was a fascination with the local children, who often got too close to the tracks and about "once a generation" a child would lose their life playing along the railroad tracks.

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 th ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (0.47%) is water.

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 inc ...

of 2010, there were 3,446 people, 1,350 households, and 852 families living in the city. 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 RosenberPopu ...

was . There were 1,575 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.3%

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 ...

, 0.6%

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 ...

, 1.0% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.5% 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 for ...

or Latino of any race were 2.9% of the population. There were 1,350 households, of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% 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 ...

living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.9% were non-families. 31.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.08. The median age in the city was 37.2 years. 25.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.3% were from 25 to 44; 24.1% were from 45 to 64; and 15.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.8% male and 53.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 3,933 people, 1,481 households, and 1,008 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,561 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.95%

, 0.08%

, 0.66% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.56% from other races, and 1.65% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.78% of the population. There were 1,481 households, out of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were

living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.10. In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.2% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $36,563, and the median income for a family was $43,306. Males had a median income of $42,716 versus $22,033 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 city was $17,273. About 8.9% 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 ...

, including 16.0% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.

Infrastructure

Highways

* forms a northwest boundary of Durand * ends at I-69 slightly outside the northwest corner of the city limits

Railways

Railroads have always played a major role in Durand's history and economy.

, the national passenger rail system, provides daily service on the ''Blue Water'' route between

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

and Port Huron,

. Amtrak trains stop at the historic Durand Union Station which is located at the junction of major east/west (historically, Grand Trunk Western, east to Port Huron and Toronto, west to Chicago), and north/south (historically, Ann Arbor Railroad, north to Elberta, Michigan, south to Toledo, Ohio) rail lines. Freight railroads operating in Durand include

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN i ...

(CN), Huron and Eastern Railway (HESR), and Great Lakes Central Railroad (GLC).

References

Notes

Sources

External links

Durand Union StationCity of Durand Public OfficialsDurand Area SchoolsDurandNOW.com
{{Authority control Cities in Shiawassee County, Michigan 1887 establishments in Michigan Populated places established in 1887