Mendon is a village in St. Joseph 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 village is located within Mendon Township. As of 2023, the estimated population is 868. The population was 870 at the 2010 census.

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 , of which is land and is water.

History

This area along the St. Joseph River was settled in the colonial period by French pioneers from Quebec and France. They traded with the

Potawatomi The Potawatomi (), also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American tribe of the Great Plains, upper Mississippi River, and western Great Lakes region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, ...

and other Algonquian-speaking tribes of the area. After United States acquisition of this territory following the American Revolution, settlers began to enter from eastern states in the early 19th century. The original county of St. Joseph was divided by Americans into townships. Mendon township was settled in 1831. The village of Mendon was platted in 1845. On April 11, 1905, city activists who supported a public library received a matching construction grant from the Carnegie Foundation. They built the Mendon Township Library, which is one of the many Carnegie Libraries still in operation to this day. Mendon is the home of two landmarks that are listed 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 Marantette House was added to the list in 1973; it was built by an ethnic French man from Detroit who had traded with the Potawatomi at their settlement of Nottawaseepe. The Marantette Bridge, built at the end of the 19th century, was listed in 2001.

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 870 people, 319 households, and 241 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 349 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 96.9%

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 ...

, 0.8%

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, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 1.5% 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 2.2% of the population. There were 319 households, of which 39.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% 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, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 24.5% were non-families. 20.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.08. The median age in the village was 37.1 years. 28.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.2% were from 25 to 44; 28.4% were from 45 to 64; and 10.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 49.4% male and 50.6% female.

2000 census

According to the

of 2000, there were 917 people, 334 households, and 245 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 364 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 96.84%

, 0.65%

, 0.44% Native American, 0.55%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.44% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 2.07% of the population. There were 334 households, out of which 38.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.8% were

living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% were non-families. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.23. In the village, the population was spread out, with 31.4% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 17.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males. The median income for a household in the village was $40,000, and the median income for a family was $41,625. Males had a median income of $34,479 versus $27,692 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 $17,266. About 3.9% of families and 5.9% 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 9.3% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.

Culture

Mendon Riverfest

Each year, the village celebrates the Mendon Riverfest at Reed River Park on the banks of the St. Joseph River. This festival began in 1987 at the historic Wakeman House, but relocated around 1989, when the size of the festival became too large for the venue. The Mendon Riverfest takes place annually on the third weekend in August, from Thursday through Saturday. Some of the signature activities include the Lip Sync Contest, the Canoe Swamp, Casino Night, and the Toy Boat Race. On Saturday night a fireworks display is set off over the banks of the St. Joseph River.

Mendon Kiwanis Showboat

Beginning as a Minstrel Show in 1956, The Mendon Kiwanis Showboat, Has become a cultural staple. With its Focus on Local Music, Talent, and comedy what's not to love. It is also the Largest fundraiser for the local Mendon Kiwanis Club. In 2017 it raised Nearly $10,000 USD, much of which stayed local and went to funding food programs and scholarships for the kids in the town of Mendon. On the first full Weekend of every November,† at the Mendon Elementary Auditorium, This Fundraiser takes place. Each Year it brings together a Chorus of local talent to perform in a variety show. For the first fifty years of its existence the show's format and theme remained largely unchanged. It Used to be Based on turn of the century Mississippi River Steam Boat shows and the musical 'Showboat' By Oscar Hammerstein II.

Education

Mendon Junior/Senior High School is one of the top academic schools in southwestern Michigan. Mendon Junior/Senior High School scored better in writing on the spring 2009 Michigan Merit Exam than any other school in the region. They finished second in reading and third in English language arts. Mendon Junior/Senior High School has had an outstanding football program. In 1999 it won its sixth state championship in Division 8.Associated Press, "Mendon captures sixth state high school football championship"
''The Herald Palladium'', November 27, 1999; accessed August 13, 2018 Since then, it has won seven more state championships. In 2011 it defeated Fowler High School (Michigan) with a score of 33–0 in the

Michigan High School Athletic Association The Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) is a service organization for high school sports in Michigan and is headquartered in East Lansing, Michigan, East Lansing. It is a member of the National Federation of State High School Assoc ...

(MHSAA) Division 8 Championship game.

Notable people

* Nathan Bombrys, professional rugby managing director; grew up in Mendon *

Pete Estes Elliot Marantette "Pete" Estes (January 7, 1916 – March 24, 1988) was an American automotive engineer and executive; he is best known as the fifteenth president of General Motors, from 1974 to 1981. He had previously been the Chief Engineer at P ...

, fifteenth president of

General Motors General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...

; born in Mendon * David Small, author and illustrator; resides in Mendon * Sarah Stewart, author; resides in Mendon * George L. Yaple, congressman and candidate for governor; lived in and is buried in Mendon

References

External links

Mendon Community Schools website
{{Authority control Villages in St. Joseph County, Michigan Villages in Michigan