Dexter, Michigan
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Dexter is a city in Washtenaw County,
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, ...
, in the United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 4,500. Established in 1830 as a village, Dexter was incorporated as a city on November 20, 2014.


History

On March 20, 1966, the Dexter area experienced "one of the most infamous of all
UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO) is an object or phenomenon seen in the sky but not yet identified or explained. The term was coined when United States Air Force (USAF) investigations into flying saucers found too broad a range of shapes ...
sightings in history" when local truck driver Frank Mannor spotted a glowing object near his home. Astronomer
J. Allen Hynek Josef Allen Hynek (May 1, 1910 – April 27, 1986) was an American astronomer, professor, and ufologist. He is perhaps best remembered for his UFO research. Hynek acted as scientific advisor to UFO studies undertaken by the U.S. Air Force un ...
visited Dexter and declared the Dexter mass sighting was probably caused by "swamp gas," a term which has since become closely affiliated with UFO sightings. Hynek's swamp gas theory prompted then-Michigan Congressman (and future president)
Gerald R. Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was the 38th president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Ford assumed the p ...
to call for a thorough Congressional investigation of "the rash of reported sightings of unidentified flying objects in southern Michigan". On March 15, 2012, Dexter was struck by a large EF3 tornado causing substantial damage to local houses and businesses, yet no injuries were reported. On November 4, 2014, Dexter residents voted to adopt a new charter, officially turning the former village into a city.


Geography

According to the
U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (1.52%) is water. Dexter is located along the
Huron River The Huron River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed November 7, 2011 river in southeast Michigan, southeastern Michigan, rising out of the Huron Swamp in Springfie ...
and contains small portions of two metro parks: Hudson Mills Metropark and Dexter–Huron Metropark. The
Border-to-Border Trail The Border-to-Border (B2B) Trail is a partially constructed non-motorized trail system in Washtenaw County, Michigan. The system is planned to cover approximately across Washtenaw County, along the Huron River. Planning for the B2B began in 1 ...
runs through the city.


Transportation

The WAVE Community Connector Bus stops at several Dexter locations daily and on weekends. Its regular route travels between Chelsea and Ann Arbor, where it transfers to AATA bus #30. Washtenaw County's
Border-to-Border Trail The Border-to-Border (B2B) Trail is a partially constructed non-motorized trail system in Washtenaw County, Michigan. The system is planned to cover approximately across Washtenaw County, along the Huron River. Planning for the B2B began in 1 ...
links downtown Dexter to Hudson Mills Metropark. A connecting trail to Dexter-Huron Metropark is also under construction. Completion is estimated to be in Autumn 2019. Dexter has a depot built around 1840 when the Central Railroad of Michigan from
Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
ended here. Today, no trains stop here, but it is the home of the Ann Arbor Model Railroad Club and is almost completely surrounded by old railroad memorabilia, such as old
level crossing A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, Trail, path, or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line or the road etc. crossing over or under using an Overpass#Railway, o ...
signals and baggage carts. Downtown Dexter's main thoroughfares were originally known as A, B, C, D, and E Streets. Today, these are known as Alpine, Broad, Central, Dover, and Edison Streets.


Demographics


2020 census

According to 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 2020, the population of Dexter was 6,696, with 2,466 households. Of these households, 96% are owner-occupied, with a median home value of $372,300. The median monthly owner cost for homes with a mortgage is $2,154, and $720 without a mortgage. Renters in Dexter pay a median gross rent of $958. In terms of racial makeup, 93.2% of the population is White, 1.5% is Asian, 0.3% is
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 ...
, 0.0% is Native American, 0.8% are from other races, and 4.3% are 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 individuals of any race make up 3.6% of the population. The age distribution of the population that was reported to the census: 26% of residents are under 18 years old, 19% are 64 years or older, and 46.3% are female. 100% of residents in Dexter are high school graduates, and 54.5% have a bachelor’s degree or higher. The mean travel time to work is 29.4 minutes. The
median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of und ...
in Dexter is $125,128, and 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 is $54,671. Approximately 5.1% of the population lives 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 ...
.


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 4,067 people, 1,590 households, and 1,067 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 1,704 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.7%
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 ...
, 1.1%
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, 2.8% Asian, 0.8% from other races, and 2.2% 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 people of any race were 2.8% of the population. Since the 2000 census, Dexter's population grew 62.9%, the largest population growth in the state during that time period. There were 1,590 households, of which 42.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.8% 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, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.9% were non-families. 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.20. The median age in the city was 36.2 years. 31% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 32.6% were from 25 to 44; 23.2% were from 45 to 64; and 8.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.1% male and 52.9% female.


2000 census

At the 2000
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 ...
, there were 2,338 people, 1,013 households and 641 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,106 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.58%
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 ...
, 0.43%
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 ...
, 0.30% Native American, 1.03% Asian, 0.26% from other races, and 1.41% 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 people of any race were 0.98% of the population. There were 1,013 households, of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.6% 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, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.7% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.92. 26.4% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 38.1% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 88.2 males. The
median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of und ...
was $50,510, and the median family income was $62,697. Males had a median income of $49,375 versus $30,213 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 $27,974. About 2.8% of families and 4.5% 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 6.3% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.


Arts and culture

In 2008 the Encore Musical Theatre Company was founded at 3126 Broad Street by Broadway veteran and Michigan native Dan Cooney and Anne & Paul Koch. It is a non-profit musical theatre, recognized by the Actors' Equity Association. Their stated mission is to create quality, original theatrical productions with an emphasis on musical theatre, utilizing a unique mixture of Broadway and local talent of all levels, while engaging and entertaining a wide spectrum of the surrounding communities. In 2020 the company purchased the Copeland Building, at 7714 Ann Arbor Street, from Dexter Schools where they will resume productions once renovations are completed. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the company got creative and offered performances on an outdoor stage at their new location.


Media

Dexter is served by two weekly newspapers. The ''Dexter Leader'' covers events in Dexter and Washtenaw County. The ''Sun Times News'' is a weekly newspaper with a free mailed distribution that covers events in Dexter, Chelsea, and surrounding rural areas.
The Ann Arbor News ''The Ann Arbor News'' is a newspaper serving Washtenaw and Livingston counties in Michigan. Published daily online through MLive.com, the paper also publishes print editions on Thursdays and Sundays. History Original publication Published i ...
(and its Mlive online component) regularly includes coverage of events and stories in Dexter. The quarterly '' Community Observer'' is delivered free to all permanent residents of Dexter and covers events in Dexter, Saline and Chelsea. The ''Observer'' also produces a ''Community Guide'' each fall. Dexter High School publishes ''The Squall'' a student-run newspaper that is also available to Dexter residents via subscription. It has won several national high school journalism awards.


Education

Dexter Community Schools is the public school district that includes all of the municipality. Schools in the district include Beacon Elementary School (Y5–2), Anchor Elementary School (Y5–2), Wylie Elementary School (3–4), Creekside Intermediate School (5–6), Mill Creek Middle School (7–8), and Dexter High School. Dexter High School is ranked 45th among high schools in Michigan. Dexter Community School is part of the larger Washtenaw Intermediate School District (WISD), which also serves Ann Arbor and other surrounding communities. Dexter is also served by several nearby private and charter schools, including Daycroft Montessori, Emerson School (K–8), and Honey Creek Community School (K–8). The Dexter Cooperative Nursery School is a non-profit community-run preschool. Since 2012, Dexter High School has offered an
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a two-year educational programme primarily aimed at 16-to-19-year-olds in 140 countries around the world. The programme provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry int ...
.


Athletics

Dexter is home to the high school boys' cross country team that tied the state record for most consecutive
Michigan High School Athletic Association The Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) is a service organization for high school sports in Michigan and is headquartered in East Lansing, Michigan, East Lansing. It is a member of the National Federation of State High School Assoc ...
state championship titles with five, winning from 2002 through 2006. Since 2011, the city of Dexter has been home to a vintage base ball team called the Union Base Ball Club of Dexter. Founded in 1978, the Dexter Ringers Horseshoe Club is a competitive horseshoe club that plays its annual season every summer at Dexter's First Street Park. The public park is located on Edison Street and features twelve horseshoe pits. In 2003, the Dexter Baseball Club was formed. It later became the Dexter Little League (DLL) and has 400–500 boys and girls aged 6 to 14 playing on 40+ baseball and softball teams each year. The DLL hosted the 8–10 boys' state baseball tournament in 2019.


Notable people

*Dr. Royal S. Copeland, US senator from
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
and sponsor of early food and drug legislation * Benny Frey, Major League Baseball player who pitched for the
Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...
* Arthur Hills, golf course architectDeegan, Jason, "Golf course designer's work can be seen around area, and in book," ''
Crain's Detroit Business Crain Communications Inc. is an American publishing conglomerate based in Detroit, Michigan, United States, with 13 foreign subsidiaries. History Gustavus Dedman "G.D." Crain Jr. ( Gustavus Demetrious Crain Jr.; 1885–1973), previously the ci ...
'', April 5, 2004 (found through
Factiva Factiva is a business information and research tool owned by Dow Jones & Company. Factiva aggregates content from both licensed and free sources. Providing organizations with search, alerting, dissemination, and other information management c ...
)
* Harrison Jeffords,
colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
in the Union Army and a hero of the
Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was a three-day battle in the American Civil War, which was fought between the Union and Confederate armies between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle, won by the Union, ...
* Mark Koernke, right-wing militia activist *
Rob Malda Rob Malda (born May 10, 1976), also known as CmdrTaco, is an American Internet content author, and former editor-in-chief of the website Slashdot. Career Malda is an alumnus of Hope College and Holland Christian High School. In 1997, Malda an ...
,
open-source software Open-source software (OSS) is Software, computer software that is released under a Open-source license, license in which the copyright holder grants users the rights to use, study, change, and Software distribution, distribute the software an ...
proponent and founder of
Slashdot ''Slashdot'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''/.'') is a social news website that originally billed itself as "News for Nerds. Stuff that Matters". It features news stories on science, technology, and politics that are submitted and evaluated by site ...
* Katharine Dexter McCormick, biologist,
women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...
tte, and
philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...
; known as the "mother of the pill," she funded the research that led to the
birth control pill The combined oral contraceptive pill (COCP), often referred to as the birth control pill or colloquially as "the pill", is a type of birth control that is designed to be taken orally by women. It is the oral form of combined hormonal contra ...
(along with
Margaret Sanger Margaret Sanger ( Higgins; September 14, 1879September 6, 1966) was an American birth control activist, sex educator, writer, and nurse. She opened the first birth control clinic in the United States, founded Planned Parenthood, and was instr ...
) * Edie Parker, Beat generation figure and wife of
Jack Kerouac Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac (; March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969), known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Of French-Canadian ...
; Kerouac-Parker's family owned the Oak Ridge Farm in Dexter * Milo Radulovich, symbol of 1950s red scare resistance who was featured on journalist
Edward R. Murrow Edward Roscoe Murrow (born Egbert Roscoe Murrow; April 25, 1908 – April 27, 1965) was an American Broadcast journalism, broadcast journalist and war correspondent. He first gained prominence during World War II with a series of live radio broa ...
's October 20, 1953, episode of ''
See It Now ''See It Now'' is an American newsmagazine and documentary series broadcast by CBS from 1951 to 1958. It was created by Edward R. Murrow and Fred W. Friendly, with Murrow as the host of the show. From 1952 to 1957, ''See It Now'' won four Em ...
''


References


External links


City of Dexter official websiteDexter Area Chamber of CommerceDexter District LibraryDexter Community SchoolsDexter Area Historical Society & Museum
{{Coord, 42, 20, 18, N, 83, 53, 19, W, type:city_region:US-MI, display=title Cities in Washtenaw County, Michigan Populated places established in 1824 1824 establishments in Michigan Territory