Sanford is a village in Midland County 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 ...

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 859 at the 2010 census. The village is located within Jerome Township.

History

In 1864, Charles Sanford, of Madison County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, purchased of land where the village is now located, along with of pine land. The site was first known as the "Salt-Spring Reserve", and was the location of the first

salt well A salt well (or brine well) is used to mine salt from caverns or deposits. Water is used as a solution to dissolve the salt or halite deposits so that they can be extracted by pipe to an evaporation process, which results in a brine or dry produ ...

in the state.

Douglass Houghton Douglass Houghton (September 21, 1809 – October 13, 1845) was an American geologist and physician, primarily known for his exploration of the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan. It was the site of a copper boom and extensive copper mining beginnin ...

, the state surveyor and geologist, supervised sinking the shaft of the well. Charles Sanford moved there in May 1864. He platted the village in 1870. Romig identifies Jay F. Hamilton as the first postmaster of ''Sanfordville'' on June 23, 1871, while the ''Portrait and biographical album of Midland county, Mich.'' lists Phineas Hamilton as the first postmaster. The name was shortened to "Sanford" on July 13, 1871. Also in 1871, the

Pere Marquette Railroad The Pere Marquette Railway operated in the Great Lakes region of the United States and southern parts of Ontario in Canada. It had trackage in the states of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and the Canadian province of Ontario. Its primary connections in ...

built a station in Sanford. In 1982, Sanford voters approved the repeal of its 1963 village charter and became part of Jerome Township, but a Michigan court overturned the election results on the grounds that it should have been presented as one proposal instead of two. The founder's day parade is an important annual event in this old logging village along the

Tittabawassee River The Tittabawassee River flows in a generally southeasterly direction through the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The river begins at Secord Lake in Clement Township, at the confluence of the East Branch and the Middle Branch. From ...

. On May 19, 2020, the Sanford Dam and

Edenville Dam Edenville Dam was an earthen embankment dam at the confluence of the Tittabawassee River and the Tobacco River in Mid Michigan, United States, forming Wixom Lake. The dam was about north of Edenville, mostly in the southeast corner of Toba ...

on the

collapsed, forcing the evacuation of the village and largely destroying its downtown.

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 sits on

Sanford Lake Sanford Lake was a man-made reservoir located in Midland County, Michigan, but is no longer present since the failure of the dam in May 2020. It was formed by the damming of the Tittabawassee River near the town of Sanford, Michigan. It was bu ...

and the

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 859 people, 369 households, and 247 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 410 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 97.6%

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 ...

, 0.1%

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 ...

, 0.6% Native American, 0.7%

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 ...

, 0.5% 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 0.6% 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 ...

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 2.6% of the population. There were 369 households, of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% 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, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.1% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% 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 2.85. The median age in the village was 43.6 years. 21.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.1% were from 25 to 44; 31.5% were from 45 to 64; and 16.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 48.3% male and 51.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 943 people, 382 households, and 260 families residing in the village. The

was 742.1 per square mile (286.7/km). There were 407 housing units at an average density of 320.3 per square mile (123.7/km). The racial makeup of the village was 98.20%

, 0.21%

, 0.11% Native American, 0.64% from

, and 0.85% from two or more races.

of any race were 1.38% of the population. There were 382 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.7% were

living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.2% 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 3.02. In the village, the population was spread out, with 24.9% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males. The median income for a household in the village was $39,063, and the median income for a family was $48,083. Males had a median income of $33,036 versus $28,500 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 $20,599. About 4.4% of families and 8.7% 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 6.4% of those under age 18 and 1.0% of those age 65 or over.

Sources

*Romig, Walter, L.H.D. ''Michigan Place Names''. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1986 *''Portrait and biographical album of Midland county, Mich.'' Evansville, Ind.:Unigraphic, 1976

http://www.hti.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=micounty;cc=micounty;sid=07db77c67a1608e5bfd992f0b9a10046;q1=Sanford;rgn=full%20text;idno=bad1111.0001.001;view=image;seq=00000380]

References

External links

Village of Sanford
{{authority control Villages in Midland County, Michigan Villages in Michigan 1870 establishments in Michigan Populated places established in 1870