Belleville is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. A western suburb of Detroit, Belleville is located roughly southwest of

downtown Detroit Downtown Detroit is the central business district and a Neighborhoods in Detroit, residential area of the city of Detroit, Michigan, United States. Locally, "downtown" tends to refer to the 1.4 square mile region bordered by M-10 (Michigan high ...

, and southeast of Ann Arbor, and is completely surrounded by Van Buren Township. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 4,008. Belleville Lake is the city's principal geographic feature, and the city was also home to the National Strawberry Festival until the COVID pandemic.

History

The community was named in honor of landowner James Bell by adroitly choosing the French word for "beautiful town". The hamlet was platted in 1847 with the main thoroughfares still used today designated Main, Liberty, and High Street. About 1881, the Belleville depot on the Detroit line of the

Wabash Railroad The Wabash Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. It served a large area, including track in the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and Missouri and the province of Ontario. Its primary con ...

began serving travelers from across the region and the country. Belleville was established as a village in 1905, when its governance separated from Van Buren Township by an act of the State Legislature. Located on the Huron River which was a natural trade route, the village had long been a thriving center for lumber businesses with saw mills located along the shores of the river. The large expanses of woodlands were removed to make way for farmland, industry and increasing population. To generate more electrical power in the region, in early 1926 the Detroit Edison Company built the French Landing Dam on the river east of Belleville, thereby creating Belleville Lake. Belleville Lake is the largest inland lake in Wayne County, stretching 6 miles and covering 1,200 acres. The traditional downtown is nestled on the southern shore of Belleville Lake. Belleville achieved city status on 14 May 1946.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (5.00%) is water. Belleville Lake was created by damming the Huron River when the French Landing Dam and Powerhouse was built in 1925 in neighboring Van Buren Township.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 3,991 people, 1,755 households, and 1,005 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

was . There were 1,965 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 80.6%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 14.1%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.4% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 1.0% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 3.8% of the population. There were 1,755 households, of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.8% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.7% were non-families. 36.2% 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 2.26 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age in the city was 40 years. 21.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.4% were from 25 to 44; 28.2% were from 45 to 64; and 14.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.7% male and 53.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 3,997 people, 1,842 households, and 1,022 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,931 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 87.54%

, 7.88%

, 0.40% Native American, 1.18% Asian, 0.95% from other races, and 2.05% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 2.53% of the population. There were 1,842 households, out of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% were

living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.5% were non-families. 37.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.87. In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.9% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 32.8% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $44,196, and the median income for a family was $56,071. Males had a median income of $47,759 versus $30,145 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $25,927. About 3.5% of families and 6.0% 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 1.5% of those under age 18 and 13.3% of those age 65 and over.

Arts and culture

Festivals

From 1977 through 2019, Belleville hosted an annual festival, called the National Strawberry Festival. The Strawberry Festival generated considerable media coverage. People from all over Wayne County came to celebrate Belleville's economic supporter, the strawberry.

Points of interest

In the 1930s, Belleville had a reputation as a resort community where the wealthy of Detroit maintained getaway estates. Henry Ford and Charles Lindbergh once owned summer cottages on Belleville Lake, in the neighborhood of Harmony Lane.

Music

Techno music produced in the mid-to-late 1980s by Juan Atkins, Derrick May, and Kevin Saunderson (collectively known as The Belleville Three), along with Eddie Fowlkes, Blake Baxter, James Pennington and others is viewed as the ''first wave'' of techno from Detroit.

Education

Belleville is in the Van Buren Public Schools district. Belleville High School, Owen Intermediate, and Edgemont Elementary are located within the city limits of Belleville.

Sister city

The city is twinned with Machynlleth,

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

Notable people

* John Rodney McRae (1934-2005), suspected serial killer * Bryce Underwood (born 2007), American football quarterback

Gallery

File:Belleville Michigan - Belleville Area Museum.jpg, File:Belleville, Michigan - Main Street Looking South.jpg, File:Belleville, Michigan - 5 Points.jpg, File:Belleville Michigan Edison Lake viewed from Doane's Landing.JPG, File:Belleville High School, Belleville, MI.jpg,

References

External links

Belleville Community Web Portal
{{Authority control Cities in Wayne County, Michigan Metro Detroit 1847 establishments in Michigan Populated places established in 1847