East Jordan is a city in Charlevoix 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 2,239 at the 2020 census. The city is at the end of the south arm of

Lake Charlevoix Lake Charlevoix ( ) is a lake in Charlevoix County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the third largest inland lake in the state with a surface area of over and of shoreline. The maximum depth in the main basin is and in the south arm, . T ...

at the mouth of the

Jordan River The Jordan River or River Jordan (, ''Nahr al-ʾUrdunn''; , ''Nəhar hayYardēn''), also known as ''Nahr Al-Sharieat'' (), is a endorheic river in the Levant that flows roughly north to south through the Sea of Galilee and drains to the Dead ...

. The corporate headquarters of EJ, an international company formerly known as East Jordan Iron Works, is located in East Jordan. EJ was founded in East Jordan in 1883.

History

The area was first settled by Canadian William Empey in 1873. He built the first store here in 1874 at the mouth of the

at the southernmost point of

. He became the first postmaster when the post office opened on May 31, 1878. The community absorbed the nearby village of South Arm and incorporated as the village of East Jordan in 1887. It incorporated as a city in 1911. East Jordan grew quickly, and by 1890, it boasted a large ironworks company now known as EJ. The city was serviced by two railroads. With these two railroad connections, and the ability to ship cargo up Lake Charlevoix to Lake Michigan, East Jordan quickly grew into a major manufacturing center. To this day, four industrial corporations still operate within the town. In 1899, the Detroit and Charlevoix Railroad built their mainline through the East side of the city, and in 1901, the

East Jordan and Southern Railroad The East Jordan and Southern Railroad was a shortline railroad that operated from 1901 to 1961 between East Jordan and Bellaire, Michigan.Edson, 1999, p. 37. History During the lumbering era of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the area ar ...

began operations on the western end of the city. In 1932, the Detroit and Charlevoix was abandoned, and the East Jordan and Southern closed in 1961 after the

East Jordan Iron Works EJ Group, formerly East Jordan Iron Works, is an American manufacturer of iron products, headquartered in East Jordan, Michigan. The company manufactures and distributes iron construction castings ( Municipal castings), fabricated products, compo ...

ended shipping by rail. East Jordan contains two listing 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

East Jordan Lumber Company Store Building The East Jordan Lumber Company Store Building is a commercial building located at 104 Main Street in East Jordan, Michigan. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. It is next to, and shares a wall with, the Votruba Block ...

and the

Votruba Block The Votruba Block is a commercial building located at 112 Main Street in East Jordan, Michigan. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. It is next to, and shares a wall with, the East Jordan Lumber Company Store Buildin ...

were both built in 1899 and are located next to each other in the city's downtown area.

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 (23.47%) is water. The city boundaries contain an exclave which is used to incorporate the East Jordan City Airport to the southeast of the city.

Major highways

* enters the city from the east and has its western terminus at M-66. within East Jordan. * runs south–north through the western portion of the city. * is a county-designated highway that runs through the center of the city and briefly concurrent with M-32.

Climate

This climatic region has 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, East Jordan 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.

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 2,351 people, 952 households, and 613 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 1,189 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.0%

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 ...

, 0.2%

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 ...

, 1.6% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.3% 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 people of any race were 2.3% of the population. There were 952 households, of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.2% 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, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.6% were non-families. 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.01. The median age in the city was 37.1 years. 27.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.4% were from 25 to 44; 24.5% were from 45 to 64; and 15.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.7% male and 51.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,507 people, 946 households, and 658 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,083 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.38%

, 0.40%

, 1.76% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.76% from other races, and 2.55% from two or more races.

or Latino people of any race were 1.60% of the population. There were 946 households, out of which 36.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.1% were

living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were non-families. 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.11. In the city, the population was spread out, with 30.5% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 17.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $35,924, and the median income for a family was $39,669. Males had a median income of $31,597 versus $20,385 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 $14,920. About 7.5% of families and 10.6% 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 12.5% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

East Jordan is served by its own school district, East Jordan Public Schools, which is centered in the city and serves larger portions of several townships.

References

{{Authority control Cities in Charlevoix County, Michigan Populated places established in 1873 1873 establishments in Michigan