Dryden is a village in Lapeer 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, ...

. The population was 1,023 at the 2020 census. The village is located within Dryden Township.

History

The Village of Dryden was settled in 1836 and was called Amboy. It was located 1 mile North of its present-day located at Dryden and Mill Roads. In 1837, then known as Lomond, held its first town meeting since settling the previous year. A store was built here as early as 1840 by Mr. Johnathan Sweet who owned most of the land. It was known as ''Lamb's Corners'' in homage to the man who bought the land from Mr. Sweet, John M. Lamb, starting in 1846 and the named stayed for several years. The name Dryden for its village was eventually picked and it was to pay honor to the poet,

John Dryden John Dryden (; – ) was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate. He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration (En ...

. The 1840s was the decade in which many businesses were first established in the village. It was incorporated as a village in 1887.

Education

Dryden has two schools. Dryden Elementary for Preschool through 6th grade and Dryden Jr./Sr. High School for 7th through 12th grade. Additionally there is the Dryden Township Library.

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 village has a total area of , all land.

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 951 people, 368 households, and 260 families living in the village. 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 387 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 98.0%

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 ...

, 0.4% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.1% 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 1.1% of the population. There were 368 households, of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% 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, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 29.3% were non-families. 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.06. The median age in the village was 38.6 years. 27.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.1% were from 25 to 44; 27.2% were from 45 to 64; and 12.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 49.8% male and 50.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 815 people, 285 households, and 224 families living in the village. The population density was . There were 312 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 97.42%

, 0.74% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.49% from other races, and 1.10% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.23% of the population. There were 285 households, out of which 42.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.2% were

living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.1% were non-families. 16.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.10. In the village, the population was spread out, with 29.1% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 9.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.0 males. The median income for a household in the village was $54,375, and the median income for a family was $57,639. Males had a median income of $39,226 versus $22,115 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 village was $21,180. About 2.3% of families and 5.7% 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 ...

, including 5.5% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Dryden holds the distinction of being the original home of Champion Homes (1953), whose approximately 150 employees who produced manufactured housing and recreational vehicles until relocating in the 1980s.

Notable people

George Owen Squier George Owen Squier (March 21, 1865 – March 24, 1934) was an American general, scientist, and inventor best known for inventing and popularizing what today is called Muzak. Life and military career Squier was born in Dryden, Michigan. He g ...

, major general in the United States Army; founded Muzak. *

Paul Mitchell (politician) Paul Mitchell III (November 14, 1956 – August 15, 2021) was an American businessman and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2017 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party for most of his Congressional tenure, he left the ...

, former member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

* Katie Hettinger,

late model Late Model stock car racing, also known as late model racing and late models, refers to a type of auto racing that involves purpose-built cars simultaneously racing against each other primarily on oval tracks. This type of racing was early-on ...

and

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...

driver.

References

{{authority control Villages in Lapeer County, Michigan Villages in Michigan Populated places established in 1836 1836 establishments in Michigan Territory Dryden