Harrison is a city in and

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Clare 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 2,150 at the 2020 census. The community was settled as early as 1877 and was named after

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was the ninth president of the United States, serving from March 4 to April 4, 1841, the shortest presidency in U.S. history. He was also the first U.S. president to die in office, causin ...

. Harrison is near the junction of US 127 and M-61. US 127 bypasses the city to the east, while Bus. US 127 runs through the center of the city. Wilson State Park and Budd Lake are located within the city.

History

Harrison was first designated as the new centralized location of the county seat of Clare County in 1877. It would become a replacement for Farwell, which was the first county seat when Clare County was formally organized in 1871. The Flint and Pere Marquette Railroad platted the village in 1879 and set aside property for a new county government after the previous courthouse in Farwell burned down. The Harrison post office opened on January 27, 1880 and was named after former president

. The new community incorporated as a village in 1885 and later as a city in 1891.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The city's motto is "20 Lakes in 20 Minutes" due its proximity to numerous lakes. Budd Lake is mostly located within the city limits, while the northern coastline extends into Hayes Township. The only other lake within the city limits is Little Long Lake, which also extends into Hayes Township.

Major highways

* runs south–north just outside the eastern border of the city. * is a business route of US 127 that runs through the center of the city. * is a state highway that enters the west-central part of the city and then runs concurrently with Bus. US 127.

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 2,114 people, 913 households, and 524 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 1,306 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.7%

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 ...

, 1.7%

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 ...

, 0.8% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 3.1% 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 2.5% of the population. There were 913 households, of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.0% 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, 15.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.6% were non-families. 37.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.79. The median age in the city was 42.1 years. 21% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.4% were from 25 to 44; 27.4% were from 45 to 64; and 18.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.1% male and 50.9% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,108 people, 857 households, and 526 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,187 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.78%

, 2.04%

, 0.62% Native American, 0.71% Asian, 0.43% from other races, and 1.42% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.47% of the population. There were 857 households, out of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.0% were

living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.6% were non-families. 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.83. In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.3% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $26,392, and the median income for a family was $35,179. Males had a median income of $32,500 versus $20,909 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 $15,443. About 14.1% of families and 18.5% 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 20.8% of those under age 18 and 15.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The city of Harrison is served entirely by Harrison Community Schools, which is centrally located within the city and serves a large part of the northern portion of the county. Mid Michigan Community College has a Harrison campus located just to the southeast in Hatton Township.

Images

File:Harrison, MI post office.jpg, File:Harrison, MI welcome sign.jpg, File:Harrison, MI city hall.jpg, File:Harrison, MI fire department.jpg, File:Harrison, MI library.jpg, File:William Henry Wilson House (Michigan).jpg,

References

External links

City of Harrison official websiteHarrison Area Chamber of Commerce
{{Authority control Cities in Clare County, Michigan County seats in Michigan Populated places established in 1877 1877 establishments in Michigan Michigan State Historic Sites