Whitmore Lake is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) and

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

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 community spans the boundary between Green Oak Township in Livingston County and Northfield Township in Washtenaw County. The population of the CDP was 7,584 at the 2020 census.

History

The area was first settled by land surveyors Johnathon Stratton and Luke Whitmore, who came here from nearby

Ann Arbor Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

settlement in 1825. Stratton suggested the name of the new area and the surrounding lake as Whitmore, and it became mapped under that name. In 1829, Whitmore owned land in the area and became the first county treasurer. A post office began operating here on June 9, 1834, with George Dexter serving as the first postmaster. The post office was first named Northfield after its northern location in Northfield Township, but it was changed to Whitmore Lake on December 27, 1854.

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 CDP has a total area of , of which is land and , or 20.37%, is water. The community is located about north of

and about south of

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

. It is situated around the shores of Whitmore Lake, and the CDP also includes the area around the smaller Horseshoe Lake to the south, Lawton Lake to the east and Monahan Lake to the northeast.

Major highways

* runs south–north and forms most of the western boundary of the CDP. * has its eastern terminus with US 23 in Whitmore Lake. *Several of the Mile Roads have their western ends within Whitmore Lake, including 6 Mile Road, 7 Mile Road, 8 Mile Road, and 9 Mile Road.

Demographics

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 2000, there were 6,574 people, 2,663 households, and 1,741 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 2,960 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.05%

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 ...

, 0.93%

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 ...

, 0.46% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.12%

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 ...

, 0.23% from other races, and 1.75% 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 1.46% of the population. There were 2,663 households, out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.7% 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, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were non-families. 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.94. In the CDP, 24.5% of the population was under the age of 18, 7.7% was from 18 to 24, 39.2% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 7.7% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.7 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $51,504, and the median income for a family was $63,113. Males had a median income of $42,174 versus $28,865 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 CDP was $26,066. About 3.5% of families and 5.2% 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 5.8% of those under age 18 and 2.2% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Fourth of July celebration

Each year Whitmore Lake hosts a weekend-long celebration for

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...

. In 2011 it marked its 52nd year with the theme "Ignite the Spirit of America". Typical events include a

fireworks Fireworks are Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large numbe ...

display over the lake, a boat parade, a ski show performed by the Whitmore Lake Water Ski Club, a running / swimming race, and many other events.

Harvest Festival

The Whitmore Lake Harvest Festival is a two-day event that occurs annually at the end of September, and was first established in 2007. The primary function of the 2009 Harvest Festival was to adopt a pet or donate money towards that cause.

Michigan Pond Hockey Classic

The Michigan Pond Hockey Classic is an annual adult pond hockey tournament held on Whitmore Lake. Established in 2008, the event raises funds for families and schools to support youth participation in athletics.

Education

Within Washtenaw County, all portions of the CDP are in the Whitmore Lake Public Schools school district. Within Livingston County, a portion of the CDP is in the Whitmore Lake district, while other parts are in the South Lyon Community Schools and the Brighton Area Schools school districts.
Text list
/ref> The Whitmore Lake High School Trojans are members of the Tri-County Conference.

Notable people

* Dave Alexander, musician, member of the highly influential band The Stooges, born in Whitmore Lake

References

External links

Whitmore Lake Public Schools
{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Livingston County, Michigan Unincorporated communities in Washtenaw County, Michigan Census-designated places in Michigan Unincorporated communities in Michigan Census-designated places in Washtenaw County, Michigan Census-designated places in Livingston County, Michigan Populated places established in 1825 1825 establishments in Michigan Territory