Saline ( ') is a city in Washtenaw 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 8,948 at the 2020 census. The city borders Saline Township to the southwest, and the two are administered autonomously.

History

Before the 18th century, Native Americans traveled to what is now Saline to hunt wildlife and gather salt from the salt springs they found nearby. In the 18th century, French explorers canoed up to the area and also harvested the salt. They named the local river ''Saline'' ("salty"). Europeans settled the area in the 19th century, most of them from England and Germany. Together with Orange Risdon, a government surveyor generally considered the city's founder, the residents named the town Saline, which was officially established in 1832. In 1870 railroad service, provided by the Detroit-Hillsdale-&-Indiana Railroad, first reached Saline. In 1875 Salinians built one of the city's most famous landmarks, the Second-Empire frame, -story residential building, the Davenport House, a.k.a. Curtis Mansion. The town continued to grow, and in 1931 the Village of Saline became the City of Saline. The Saline Fisheries Research Station was built on the site of a pioneer grist mill. Saline has had its own newspaper since ca. 1874 but the ''Saline Reporter'' was shuttered by its owner, Digital First Media, in 2014. The ''Saline Post'', an independent outlet, now serves the community. The city is popular for its annual Celtic Festival, which attracts people from all over the U.S. and its sister cities Brecon, Wales, United Kingdom (established 1966) and Lindenberg, Germany (established 2003).

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 (1.81%) is water. The Saline River runs through the city.

Major highways

* runs briefly through the center of the city.

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 8,810 people, 3,699 households, and 2,336 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 3,923 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.6%

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 ...

, 1.4% African American, 0.2% Native American, 2.5% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.8% 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 residents of any race were 2.6% of the population. There were 3,699 households, of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.8% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% 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 in the city was 41.1. 24.5% of residents were under age 18; 7.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.2% were from 25 to 44; 29.6% were from 45 to 64; and 14.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.0% male and 53.0% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 8,034 people, 3,148 households, and 2,134 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,213 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.69%

, 0.56% African American, 0.32% Native American, 1.94% Asian, 0.05%

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 ...

, 0.32% from other races, and 1.11% from two or more races.

or Latino residents of any race were 1.73% of the population. There were 3,048 households, out of which 38.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 persons and the average family size was 3.09 persons. In the city, 28.6% of the population was under the age of 18, 5.7% was from 18 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% was 65 years old or older. The median age was 36. For every 100 females, there were 86.6 males. For every 100 females 18 and older, there were 81.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $59,382, and the median income for a family was $73,162. Males had a median income of $51,391 versus $32,254 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 $26,208. About 3.0% of families and 4.0% 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 4.0% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over. The Ann Arbor Railroad also operates as far as Maple Road in the north of the city, but this portion is only used as a siding for the Faurecia Plant and only freight service is offered.

Education

Saline Area Schools operates the public schools. K–3 elementary schools operated by the district include Harvest, Woodland Meadows, and Pleasant Ridge. Heritage School (4–5), Saline Middle School, and Saline High School (in Pittsfield Charter Township) serve the city.

Notable people

* George Matthew Adams, newspaperman * Jennifer Allison, writer * Chris Baker, football player * Meredith Bixby, puppeteer. * Lisa Bonder, professional tennis player and ex-wife of Kirk Kerkorian. * Frank Jay Haynes, photographer * Jeremy Kittel, musician * Bobby Korecky, baseball player * Ann Pellegreno, aviator * Taybor Pepper, football player * Charles Van Riper, pioneer in speech pathology * Bryan Thao Worra, writer

Sister cities

* Brecon,

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

since 1966 * Lindenberg im Allgäu,

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

since 2003Sister Cities - City of Saline, Michigan
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References

External links

City of Saline official website

Saline Area Historical Society
{{Authority control Cities in Washtenaw County, Michigan Populated places established in 1832 1832 establishments in Michigan Territory Michigan State Historic Sites in Washtenaw County, Michigan