Saline, Michigan
Saline (pronounced sə-lēn as in Celine) is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 8,034.
The city is southwest of the City of Ann Arbor and northwest of the City of Milan, where U.S. 12 (aka Michigan Avenue) intersects the Saline River, a tributary of the River Raisin. The city is bounded on the southwest by Saline Township; on the southeast by York Charter Township; on the northeast by Pittsfield Charter Township; and on the northwest by Lodi Township.
The city is popular for its annual Celtic Festival, which is known to attract people from all over the United States. It is also the hometown of the Saline Fiddlers and Fiddlers Restrung, two nationally renowned high school bluegrass/fiddle groups. Saline, whose well-regarded school district is perhaps its biggest draw, is ranked the 42nd best place to live in the United States in a 2005 CNN/Money Magazine poll, and also made CNN/Money's list of best places to retire.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.1 km² (4.7 mi²). 12.0 km² (4.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.64%) is water.
Saline's sister cities are Brecon, Wales and Lindenberg, Germany.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 8,034 people, 3,148 households, and 2,134 families residing in the city. According to the U.S. Census Bureau 2004 population estimate the population as of July 1, 2004 was 8,859.[1] The population density was 670.0/km² (1,736.3/mi²). There were 3,213 housing units at an average density of 267.9/km² (694.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.69% White, 0.56% African American, 0.32% Native American, 1.94% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 1.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino 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 and the average family size is 3.09. In the city the population was spread out with 28.6% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 86.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, 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 for the city was $26,208. About 3.0% of families and 4.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.0% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.
Famous People
Chris Baker (Football Player)
History
Before the 18th century, Native Americans travelled to the area now called Saline to hunt wildlife and gather salt from the salt springs they found there. In the 18th century, French explorers canoed up to the area and also harvested the salt. They named the local river Saline, which is the French word for salt. Europeans settled the area in the 19th century, most of them coming from England and Germany. Together with Orange Risdon, a government surveyor who is generally considered to be the city's founder, the residents named the town Saline, which was officially established in 1832. One of the city's most famous landmarks was constucted in 1875, the Second-Empire frame, two and one half story residential building, the Davenport House, AKA Curtis Mansion. The town continued to grow, and in 1931 the Village of Saline became the City of Saline.[2]
City Government
Gretchen Driskell is the current mayor of Saline. Reelected in 2006, she is the city's longest serving mayor and its first female mayor.
Sister Cities
Schools
Administration
High school
- Saline High School (Grades 9-12) is located in Pittsfield Charter Township, just east of the City of Saline. Approved as part of Community Project 2000 and completed in August 2004, Saline High School is the largest in Michigan at approximately 480,000 ft², totalling in $60,000,000.00, or $125.00 per square foot. It replaces the old high school which was approximately half its size. This building has 54 general classrooms, one-eight lane stretch pool, two gymnasiums (a 2,200 seat gymnasium, and an auxilary gymnasium), a television studio, a 1,100 seat auditorium, and an extensive library.
Middle School
- Saline Middle School (Grades 7-8) moved into the "old" High School on Maple Road for the 2006-2007 school year. At 250,000 square feet, it is twice the size of the now vacant Saline Liberty School. This building can house up to 1,100 students, as well as the Senior Center which occupies one wing of the facility. It still has, even though slightly smaller than the "Liberty School's", a woodshop.
Elementary schools
- Heritage (Grades 5-6)
- Woodland Meadows (Grades 1-4)
- Harvest Elementary School] (Grades 1-4)
- Pleasant Ridge (Grades 1-4)
- Houghton (Grades K-1)
Currently Vacant
- Saline Liberty School, most recently used as the Saline Middle School, on Ann Arbor-Saline Road is currently unused for school purposes. Various groups and organizations rent the facility periodically, including the Saline District Library, which temporarily moved their books to the library in Liberty School so their facility could have an addition installed.
References
- ^ U.S. Census Bureau 2004 Population Estimates
- ^ History of Saline. Dikeman, Agnes L. Saline Area Historical Society. http://salinehistory.org/index.php?section=history&content=index. Retrieved 18 April 2006.
- ^ http://city-saline.org/about/sister%20city