Kaleva ( ) is a village in Manistee County in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

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 507 at the 2020 census.

History

Kaleva was founded in 1900 and became a refuge for Finnish settlers. The name of the village comes from the ''

Kalevala The ''Kalevala'' () is a 19th-century compilation of epic poetry, compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Karelian and Finnish oral folklore and mythology, telling a story about the Creation of the Earth, describing the controversies and retaliatory ...

'', the national epic of

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. There are two Michigan historical markers in the town. The historic John J. Makinen Bottle House is one, and Kaleva itself is the subject of the second.

Geography

Kaleva is in central Manistee County, within Maple Grove Township. It is part of the region of

Northern Michigan Northern Michigan (also known as Northern Lower Michigan and colloquially within Michigan as "Up North") is a region of the U.S. state of Michigan. The region, which is distinct from the more northerly Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Upper Peninsul ...

. Manistee, the

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 ...

, is to the southwest, while

Cadillac Cadillac Motor Car Division, or simply Cadillac (), is the luxury vehicle division (business), division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Its major markets are the United States, Canada and China; Cadillac models are ...

is to the east-southeast. An abandoned C&O Railroad line from Manistee to

Traverse City Traverse City ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although it partly extends into Leelanau County. The city's population was 15,678 at the 2020 census, while the four-county Traverse C ...

passes through the village. There are no railroad tracks remaining. 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 of Kaleva 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 470 people, 206 households, and 125 families residing 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 259 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 94.7%

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 ...

, 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 ...

, 0.6% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 1.9% from other races, and 2.1% 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 6.0% of the population. There were 206 households, of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.7% 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, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.3% were non-families. 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age in the village was 39.6 years. 23% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.9% were from 25 to 44; 28.5% were from 45 to 64; and 11.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 47.9% male and 52.1% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 509 people, 212 households, and 136 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 251 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 94.30%

, 0.39%

, 2.36% Native American, 1.38% from other races, and 1.57% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 3.93% of the population. There were 212 households, out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% were

living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.8% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.93. In the village, the population was spread out, with 27.3% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males. The median income for a household in the village was $30,714, and the median income for a family was $30,909. Males had a median income of $26,161 versus $18,750 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 $13,400. About 15.0% of families and 17.4% 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 18.5% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.

Auto racing

Northern Michigan Dragway is a 1/8-mile asphalt dragstrip located three miles north of town on Potter Road. In 2009 Northern Michigan Dragway celebrated its 40th season of operation. It is the only asphalt dragstrip in the state north of

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

. The first race at Northern Michigan Dragway was held on Memorial Day 1970. It was formerly known as Manistee County Dragwa

Notes

External links

*
Kaleva Historical Society
{{authority control Villages in Manistee County, Michigan Villages in Michigan Populated places established in 1900