Richland is a village in

Kalamazoo County Kalamazoo County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. , the population was 261,670. The county seat is Kalamazoo. Kalamazoo County is included in the Kalamazoo–Portage, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area. Etymology The nam ...

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 751 at the 2010 census, up from 593 at the 2000 census. The village is within Richland Township, about northeast of

Kalamazoo Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 73,598. It is the principal city of the Kalamazoo–Portage metropolitan are ...

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 , 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 751 people, 347 households, and 221 families living 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 376 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 ...

, 0.4%

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 ...

, 1.2% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 3.5% 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 1.5% of the population. There were 347 households, of which 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.4% 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, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.3% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.75. The median age in the village was 46.8 years. 21.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.9% were from 25 to 44; 31.4% were from 45 to 64; and 22.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 43.9% male and 56.1% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 593 people, 258 households, and 170 families living in the village. The population density was . There were 301 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 96.29%

, 0.17%

, 0.17% Native American, 1.35% Asian, 0.17% from other races, and 1.85% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.52% of the population. There were 258 households, out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were

living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.84. In the village, the population was spread out, with 24.6% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 80.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.1 males. The median income for a household in the village was $50,938, and the median income for a family was $58,542. Males had a median income of $42,250 versus $30,956 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 $23,777. About 1.2% of families and 1.4% 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 none of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.

History

Richland is located in the middle of what was once the Gull Prairie, an upland area relatively free of trees and maintained by natural and man-made fires. The area had a few Pottawatamie villages, one was located on the west side of nearby Gull Lake. Fish and game were plentiful, and the land was very fertile. Since there were few trees to clear, the prairie was among the first areas of

to be settled. By the 1830s, the Native Americans had been forced west, and Richland was a thriving frontier village. The village even contended with Prairie Ronde for the county seat, but the centrally-located village of Bronson (now

) was ultimately chosen. Lacking a flowing stream that would have provided water power, Richland never developed significant industry and remained a sleepy farm community until the late twentieth century. In the 1980s and 1990s, small employers such as Richard Allen Medical moved to the edge of town, and Richland became a bedroom community for Kalamazoo. The high quality of the local Gull Lake School District also drew people from surrounding areas. New subdivisions were built in what had been hilly farm country.

Notable people

Brothers Charles S. May and

Dwight May Dwight May (September 8, 1822 – January 28, 1880) was a politician from the U. S. state of Michigan who also served as officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Early life May was born in Sandisfield, Massachusetts to Rockwell a ...

, both lieutenant governors of Michigan during the 19th Century, were raised in Richland.

Education

*Richland Elementary School *Thomas M. Ryan Intermediate School *Gull Lake Middle School * Gull Lake High School *The Montessori School - Preschool *Vineyard Academy

References

External links

* {{authority control Villages in Kalamazoo County, Michigan Villages in Michigan Kalamazoo–Portage metropolitan area