Elberta is a village in

Benzie County Benzie County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 17,970. The county seat is Beulah. The county was initially set off in 1863 and organized in 1869.

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 sove ...

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 372 at the 2010 census. The village located in the east of Gilmore Township, on the south side of Lake Betsie, which is formed by the

Betsie River The Betsie River ( ') is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed November 21, 2011 river in the U.S. state of Michigan. The river is mostly within Benzie County (which takes i ...

before flowing into Lake Michigan. The village is on

M-22 M-22 are a British-German DJ and producer duo consisting of Matt James and Frank Sanders. On March 22, the duo met, through a joint production, which is the reason for their stage name. History On March 22, 2015, the duo met during a joint p ...

just south of Frankfort. M-168, previously one of the shortest state highways in Michigan, extended from a junction with M-22 in downtown Elberta to the former Ann Arbor Railroad ferry docks in Elberta. Elberta was first settled in 1855 and incorporated as South Frankfort in 1894. It was renamed Elberta in 1911 for the local Elberta

peach The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-f ...

. The village's founder is said to be George M. Cartwright.

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 t ...

, the village has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The downtown is at . *Elberta is part of

Northern Michigan Northern Michigan, also known as Northern Lower Michigan (known colloquially to residents of more southerly parts of the state and summer residents from cities such as Detroit as " Up North"), is a region of the U.S. state of Michigan. A popul ...

Highways

* *

Ferry and rail transport

From the 1890s to July, 1950, the Ann Arbor Railroad operated launched ferries from docks at Elberta. The ferries crossed Lake Michigan to two points in Wisconsin, and a fourth ferry line went north to

Gladstone, Michigan Gladstone is a city in Delta County in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. First settled in 1877, Gladstone's original name was Minnewasca. The population was 4,973 at the 2010 census. U.S. Highways 2 and 41 run concurrently t ...

in the

Michigan Upper Peninsula The Upper Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. – is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula by t ...

. In the same period, the Ann Arbor Railroad operated a train a day south to and from Cadillac, Owosso, Durand, Ann Arbor, and then to its southern terminus in

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according ...

.''Official Guide of the Railways,'' January 1950, Ann Arbor section

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 372 people, 173 households, and 101 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 229 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 95.2%

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 ...

, 0.8%

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 ...

, 0.8% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 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 2.2% 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 ...

or Latino of any race were 3.5% of the population. There were 173 households, of which 22.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.6% were non-families. 34.7% 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 2.15 and the average family size was 2.71. The median age in the village was 47.8 years. 18.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.2% were from 25 to 44; 33.1% were from 45 to 64; and 21.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 51.9% male and 48.1% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 457 people, 190 households, and 124 families living in the village. The population density was . There were 237 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 95.62%

, 0.66%

, 1.31% Native American, 0.22% from

, and 2.19% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.88% of the population. There were 190 households, out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.2% were married couples living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.7% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.90. In the village, the population was spread out, with 29.3% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.6 males. The median income for a household in the village was $28,403, and the median income for a family was $31,250. Males had a median income of $27,159 versus $21,806 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 $13,594. About 9.0% of families and 10.7% 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 13.6% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.

Notes

External links

Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University, Bibliography for Benzie CountyFrankfort-Elberta Area Chamber of CommerceVillage of Elberta home page
{{authority control Villages in Benzie County, Michigan Villages in Michigan Traverse City micropolitan area Michigan populated places on Lake Michigan 1894 establishments in Michigan Populated places established in 1894