Clare is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

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, ...

. Located near the center of Michigan's Lower Peninsula, the city is located mostly in Clare County, while a small portion extends south into Isabella County. The city had a population of 3,254 at the 2020 census. Clare was settled as early as 1870 and contains two listings on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

: the Clare Downtown Historic District and the Clare Congregational Church. The city is located along the junction of U.S. Route 10 and U.S. Route 127, and each highway has a business route ( Bus. 10 and Bus. US 127) through the downtown area. M-115 also runs through the city. The convergence of these highways as well as the historic junction of the Ann Arbor and Pere Marquette railroads has led to the city being nicknamed the "Crossroads of Michigan". The city is also nicknamed the "Gateway to the North" and the "City of Festivals".

History

Clare was founded with the coming of the Pere Marquette Railroad in 1870. It was named after the county, which was named after

County Clare County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. The Clare post office opened on January 20, 1871. It incorporated as a village in 1879 and as a city in 1891. Cops & Doughnuts is a bakery that opened in 2009 in the former Clare City Bakery that dates back to 1896.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (2.87%) is water. The south branch of the Tobacco River flows through the city and also contains Lake Shamrock.

Climate

This climatic 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 divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Clare 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 cold ...

, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.

Transportation

Major highways

* runs along the northeastern portion of the city. * runs south–north along the western boundary of the city and merges with US 10. * is a business loop route through downtown Clare. * is a business loop route that has portions concurrent with Bus. US 10 in downtown Clare. * enters from the west and has its eastern terminus at Bus. US 127 / Bus. US 10 in downtown Clare.

Airport

Clare Municipal Airport is a public airport located in the northeast corner of the city limits.

Bus

* Indian Trails has a station in Clare that provides daily intercity bus service between St. Ignace and

East Lansing East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Most of the city lies within Ingham County, Michigan, Ingham County, although a small portion extends north into Clinton County, Michigan, Clinton County. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

Trails

* Pere Marquette Rail-Trail is a

rail trail A rail trail or railway walk is a shared-use path on a Right of way#Rail right of way, railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed but may also share the rail corr ...

that has its western terminus in Clare. * Pere Marquette State Trail is a bicycle and multi-use trail that runs through the city.

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 3,118 people, 1,354 households, and 764 families residing 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 1,534 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 85.0%

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 ...

, 4.7%

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 ...

, 0.9% Native American, 6.1% Asian, 1.5% from other races, and 1.8% 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 6.5% of the population. There were 1,354 households, of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.0% 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, 15.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.6% were non-families. 36.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age in the city was 36.1 years. 23.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 11.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.3% were from 25 to 44; 22.9% were from 45 to 64; and 16.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 45.2% male and 54.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 3,173 people, 1,380 households, and 783 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,487 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 89.35%

, 8.25%

, 0.60% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.41% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 9.58% of the population. There were 1,380 households out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.9% were

living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.2% were non-families. 38.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.92. In the city the population was spread out with 24.7% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 20.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 78.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $27,299, and the median income for a family was $36,194. Males had a median income of $28,365 versus $19,861 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 $18,006. About 10.6% of families and 16.0% 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 16.3% of those under age 18 and 13.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The city of Clare is served entirely by its own school district, Clare Public Schools, which is centrally located within the city and serves the southeastern portion of the Clare County and the northeastern portion of Isabella County.

Sister cities

* Ennis,

since 1986 * Nakhodka,

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

since 1997 * Nantong,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

since 2005 * Surulere,

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

since 2009 *

Ipoh Ipoh (, ) is the capital city of the Malaysian States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Perak. Located on the Kinta River, it is nearly north of Kuala Lumpur and southeast of George Town, Penang, George Town in neighbouring Penang ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

since 2010 * Dharavi,

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

since 2011

Notable people

* Fred C. Reger, Wisconsin state politician, born in Clare * Debbie Stabenow, politician who served in the U.S. Senate from 2001 to 2025, grew up in Clare * Wayne Terwilliger, World War II veteran and Major League Baseball player, born in Clare * Cody Vance, Professional wrestler currently wrestling under the name of Cody Preston for AEW, who graduated from Clare High School in 2010.

Images

File:Clare, MI post office.jpg, File:Clare, MI city hall.jpg, File:Clare, MI library.jpg, File:Cops & Doughnuts (Clare, Michigan).jpg,

References

External links

City of Clare official websiteClare Public SchoolsClare Chamber of Commerce website
{{Authority control Cities in Clare County, Michigan Cities in Isabella County, Michigan Superfund sites in Michigan 1870 establishments in Michigan Populated places established in 1870