Fenton is a city 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, ...

that lies mostly in Genesee County, with small portions in neighboring Oakland and Livingston Counties. It is part of the

Flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Historically, flint was widely used to make stone tools and start ...

Metropolitan statistical area.

History

It was first established in 1834 and was originally named "Dibbleville" after Clark Dibble, one of the first settlers. It was platted in 1837 as "Fentonville" by William M. Fenton who later became lieutenant governor of Michigan. When the settlement was incorporated as a village in 1863 the name Fenton was used. The settlement's post office used the name Fentonville from 1837 until 1886, when it adopted the current name. In the 1970s, the city leveled its downtown buildings and closed Leroy Street as part of an urban renewal plan. On August 24, 2007, an EF2

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...

hit Fenton, damaging several homes and a school, and almost completely destroying the soon to be opened Tractor Supply Company, tearing off its roof. This left many people without power, putting the city in a state of emergency. There were no fatalities or serious injuries. In July 2011, the first proposed building, Cornerstone, to restore the city's old downtown area was announced. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 11,756. The city was incorporated from Fenton Township in Genesee County, and the city and township are administratively autonomous. Fenton includes several historic buildings. It was home to the first aviation school in Michigan and the A.J. Phillips Fenton Museum.

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 an area of , of which is land and (4.57%) is water. Numerous municipalities in Michigan span two counties, but Fenton is one of two municipalities in Michigan to span three; the other is Lansing. The overwhelming majority of Fenton is in Genesee County, with a total area of , of which is land and is water. The Genesee County portion represents 98.29% of Fenton's area and 99.99% of its population. Of Fenton's 11,747 residents, all but 10 live in Genesee County. The other 10 live in Fenton's Livingston County portion, which has a land area of . A minuscule portion with no residents extends into Oakland County with a land area of . The Tipsico Lake Project is a brownfield redevelopment project to restore the land and surrounding area.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, there were 12,050 people, 5,025 households, and 3,060 families living in the city. The population density was . The racial makeup of the city was 93% White, 1.6% African American, 0.5% Asian, and 4.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.1% of the population. There were 5,025 households, of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.9% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.1% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34, and the average family size was 3.00. The median age of the city was 38.2 years. 23.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 31.5% were from 25 to 44; 22.3% were from 45 to 64, and 16.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 44.4% male and 55.6% female.

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 11,756 people, 5,067 households, and 2,953 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 5,572 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.1%

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 ...

, 1.3%

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 ...

, 0.3% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 2.0% 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 2.5% of the population. There were 5,067 households, of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.8% 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, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.7% were non-families. 34.9% 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 2.27 and the average family size was 2.96. The median age in the city was 36 years. 24.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 29.7% were from 25 to 44; 22.8% were from 45 to 64, and 14.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.8% male and 53.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 10,582 people, 4,335 households, and 2,709 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 4,569 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.25%

, 0.60%

, 0.39% Native American, 0.95% Asian, 0.66% from other races, and 1.16% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.80% of the population. There were 4,335 households, out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were

living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.5% were non-families. 30.7% 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 2.38 and the average family size was 3.01. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.4% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 33.7% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $47,400, and the median income for a family was $55,637. Males had a median income of $44,874 versus $30,435 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 $22,435. About 4.4% of families and 6.2% 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 5.9% of those under age 18 and 12.4% of those age 65 or over.

Infrastructure

Schools World of Wonder North Road Elementary State Road Elementary Tomek Elementary Andrew G. Schmidt Middle School Fenton High School

Highways

US Highway 23 runs north and south through the west side of the city as a

freeway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...

. The original routing of US 23 ran northeast along Shiawassee Avenue to Leroy Street, then north along Leroy to the northern edge of the city. The portion of old US 23 south of Silver Lake Road, along with Silver Lake Road itself west back to US 23, was designated a

business route A business route (or business loop, business spur, or city route) in the United States is a short special route that branches off a parent numbered highway at its beginning, continues through the central business district of a nearby city or to ...

of US 23 in 1958, before being removed as a state trunkline in 2006.

Utilities

The municipality operates its own water system.

Notable people

* Cynthia Roberts Gorton (1826–1894), blind poet and author * Ira W. Jayne (1882–1961), Wayne County Circuit Court Chief Judge

References

Notes

Sources

External links

City of Fenton official website
{{Authority control Cities in Genesee County, Michigan Cities in Livingston County, Michigan Cities in Oakland County, Michigan Metro Detroit Populated places established in 1834 1834 establishments in Michigan Territory