Vandalia is a village in Penn Township within Cass 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 318 at the 2020 census. It is part of the

South Bend South Bend is a city in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. It lies along the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. It is the List of cities in ...

–

Mishawaka Mishawaka () is a city on the St. Joseph River, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States. The population was 51,063 as of the 2020 census. Its nickname is "the Princess City". Mishawaka is a principal city of the South Bend-Mishawaka, Indi ...

, IN-MI, Metropolitan Statistical Area sometimes referred to as

Michiana Michiana ( ) is a region in northern Indiana and southwestern Michigan centered on the city of South Bend, Indiana. The Chamber of Commerce of St. Joseph County, Indiana defines Michiana as St. Joseph County and "counties that contribute at ...

History

The Village of Vandalia was incorporated in 1875 all in thanks to Stephen Bogue and Charles P. Ball who in the years of 1848–49 built a gristmill on this settlement that soon would be call Vandalia. On July 8, 1850, Theron J Wilcox was the colony's first postmaster and Ada Kinsbury is credited with being the area’s first merchant. and the Michigan Central Railroad built a station in 1871. Vandalia hosted a station of the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was an organized network of secret routes and safe houses used by freedom seekers to escape to the abolitionist Northern United States and Eastern Canada. Enslaved Africans and African Americans escaped from slavery ...

. An Underground Railroad memorial sign resides at Milo E. Barnes Park just off M-60. Other locations in Penn Township, in which Vandalia is located, also were affiliated with the Underground Railroad. Vandalia is also known as the nearest incorporated community to the defunct

Rainbow Farm Rainbow Farm was a pro-marijuana campground in Newberg Township, Michigan, Newberg Township, Cass County, Michigan, United States, that was involved in a fatal police standoff on September 3, 2001. The campground was run by Tom Crosslin and his l ...

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 301 people, 107 households, and 77 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 141 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 41.5%

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 ...

, 42.2%

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 ...

, 0.3% Native American, 7.6% Asian, 1.7% from other races, and 6.6% 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 1.7% of the population. There were 107 households, of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.9% 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, 21.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 28.0% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.29. The median age in the village was 39.3 years. 25.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.2% were from 25 to 44; 25.2% were from 45 to 64; and 16.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 53.2% male and 46.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 429 people, 127 households, and 101 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 157 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 37.3%

, 47.6%

, 0.2% Native American, 8.4% Asian, 1.2% from other races, and 5.4% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 2.6% of the population. There were 127 households, out of which 41.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% were

living together, 22.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.7% were non-families. 15.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.38 and the average family size was 3.69. In the village, the population was spread out, with 38.5% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 15.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females, there were 111.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.1 males. The median income for a household in the village was $30,417, and the median income for a family was $31,750. Males had a median income of $28,462 versus $21,875 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 $11,394. About 12.9% of families and 14.7% 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 13.9% of those under age 18 and 15.4% of those age 65 or over. Vandalia Students are bussed to Cassopolis.

Transportation

Education

Vandalia is zoned to Cassopolis Public Schools.

References

{{Coord, 41, 55, 01, N, 85, 54, 53, W, type:city_region:US-MI, display=title Villages in Cass County, Michigan Villages in Michigan South Bend – Mishawaka metropolitan area