Albion, Michigan
Albion is a city in Calhoun County in the south central region of the Lower Peninsula of the U. S. state of Michigan. The population was 8,616 at the 2010 census and is part of the Battle Creek Metropolitan Statistical Area. From the time that the earliest English-speaking settlers arrived, the area has been known as The Forks, because it is situated at the confluence of the north and south branches of the Kalamazoo River; the Festival of the Forks has been held annually since 1967 to celebrate Albion's ethnic heritage. The presence of several major manufacturers since the 19th century has given Albion the reputation of a factory town; this has changed with the closure of several manufacturers, Albion's culture is changing to that of a college town with a strong interest in technology and sustainability issues. Albion College is a private liberal arts college with a student population of about 1,250. Albion is a sister city with France; the first European-American settler, Tenney Peabody, arrived in 1833 along with his brother-in-law Charles Blanchard, a young man named Clark Dowling.
Peabody's family followed soon after. In 1835, the Albion Company, a land development company formed by Jesse Crowell, platted a village and Peabody's wife was asked to name the settlement, she considered the name "Peabodyville", but "Albion" was selected instead, after the former residence of Jesse Crowell. Crowell became the first postmaster in 1838. Albion incorporated as a village in 1855 and as a city in 1885. In 1835, Methodist Episcopal settlers established Albion College, known by a few other names before 1861 when the college was authorized to confer four-year degrees on both men and women; the first classes were held in Albion in 1843. The forks of the Kalamazoo River provided power for mills, Albion became a mill town as well as an agricultural market. A railroad line arrived in 1852. In 1973 Albion was named an All-America City by the National Civic League, it celebrated winning the award on May 15, 1974, when the Governor of Michigan, William Milliken, many dignitaries came to town.
However, in 1975 the closure of a major factory cut the celebration short and new challenges were created overnight. Since that time citizens have mobilized, with support from the Albion Community Foundation founded in 1968, the Albion Volunteer Service Organization, founded in the 1980s with support from Albion College, to address the challenge of diminishing economic opportunity. Key to the City Honor Bestowed: 1964: Aunt Jemima visited Albion on January 25. 1960s: Ann Landers was presented with a key upon her visit to Starr Commonwealth for Boys. Albion has a Council-Manager form of government. City residents elect a City Council members from six districts; the council in turn selects a City Manager to handle day-to-day affairs of the city. The mayor is a voting member of the council. Council members staggered every two years. A mayor is elected every two years; the city levies an income tax of 0.5 percent on nonresidents. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.51 square miles, of which 4.41 square miles is land and 0.10 square miles is water.
Albion is positioned 42.24 degrees north of the equator and 84.75 degrees west of the prime meridian. Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides daily service to Albion, operating its Wolverine both directions between Chicago and Pontiac, via Detroit. Greyhound Lines provides daily intercity city bus service to Albion between Chicago and Detroit. M. F. K. Fisher, food writer, born in Albion Ada Iddings Gale, author and buried in Albion Frank Joranko, football player and coach for Albion College LaVall Jordan, head men's basketball coach for Butler University, born in Albion Martin Wells Knapp, American Methodist evangelist who founded the Pilgrim Holiness Church and God's Bible School and College, born in Albion. Bill Laswell, jazz bassist, record producer and record label owner. For Ever
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Kalamazoo is a city in the southwest region of the U. S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County; as of the 2010 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 74,262. Kalamazoo is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 335,340 as of 2015. Kalamazoo is equidistant from the major American cities of Chicago and Detroit, each less than 150 miles away. One of Kalamazoo's most notable features is the Kalamazoo Mall, an outdoor pedestrian shopping mall; the city created the mall in 1959 by closing part of Burdick Street to auto traffic, although two of the mall's four blocks have been reopened to auto traffic since 1999. Kalamazoo is home to Western Michigan University, a large public university, Kalamazoo College, a private liberal arts college, Kalamazoo Valley Community College, a two-year community college. Known as Bronson in the township of Arcadia, the names of both the city and the township were changed to "Kalamazoo" in 1836 and 1837, respectively.
The Kalamazoo name comes from a Potawatomi word, first found in a British report in 1772. However, the Kalamazoo River, which passes through the modern city of Kalamazoo, was located on the route between Detroit and Fort Saint-Joseph. French-Canadian traders and military personnel were quite familiar with this area during the French era and thereafter; the name for the Kalamazoo River was known by Canadians and French as La rivière Kikanamaso. The name "Kikanamaso" was recorded by Father Pierre Potier, a Jesuit missionary for the Huron-Wendats at the Assumption mission, while en route to Fort Saint-Joseph during the fall of 1760. Legend has it that "Ki-ka-ma-sung," meaning "boiling water," referring to a footrace held each fall by local Native Americans, who had to run to the river and back before the pot boiled. Another theory is that it means "the mirage or reflecting river". Another legend is that the image of "boiling water" referred to fog on the river as seen from the hills above the current downtown.
The name was given to the river that flows all the way across the state. The name Kalamazoo, which sounds unusual to English-speaking ears, has become a metonym for exotic places, as in the phrase "from Timbuktu to Kalamazoo." Today, T-shirts are sold in Kalamazoo with the phrase "Yes, there is a Kalamazoo." The area on which the modern city of Kalamazoo stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell culture, who migrated into the area sometime before the first millennium. Evidence of their early residency remains in the form of a small mound in downtown's Bronson Park; the Hopewell civilization was replaced by other groups. The Potawatomi culture lived in the area. René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, passed just southeast of the present city of Kalamazoo in late March 1680; the first Europeans to reside in the area were itinerant fur traders in the late 18th and early 19th century. There are records of several traders wintering in the area, by the 1820s at least one trading post had been established.
During the War of 1812, the British established a prison camp in the area. The 1821 Treaty of Chicago ceded the territory south of the Grand River to the United States federal government. However, the area around present-day Kalamazoo was reserved as the village of Potawatomi Chief Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish. Six years as a result of the 1827 Treaty of St. Joseph, the tract that became the city of Kalamazoo was ceded. In 1829, Titus Bronson from Connecticut, became the first white settler to build a cabin within the present city limits of Kalamazoo, he platted the town in 1831 and named it the village of Bronson—not to be confused with the much smaller Bronson, about fifty miles to the south-southeast of Kalamazoo. Bronson described as "eccentric" and argumentative, was run out of town; the village was renamed Kalamazoo in 1836, due in part to Bronson's being fined for stealing a cherry tree. Today, a downtown park, among other things, are named for Bronson. Kalamazoo was incorporated as a village in 1838 and as a city in 1883.
The fertile farmlands attracted prosperous Yankee farmers who settled the surrounding area, sent their sons to Kalamazoo to become businessmen and entrepreneurs who started numerous factories. Most of the original settlers of Kalamazoo were from upstate New York. In the 1940s, the city became the first to install curb cuts. In 1959, the city created the Kalamazoo Mall, the first outdoor pedestrian shopping mall in the United States, by closing part of Burdick Street to auto traffic; the Mall was designed by Victor Gruen, who designed the country's first enclosed shopping mall, which had opened three years earlier. Two of the mall's four blocks were reopened to auto traffic in 1999 after much debate. An F3 tornado struck downtown Kalamazoo on May 13, 1980, killing five and injuring 79. On February 20, 2016, Kalamazoo became the site of a random series of shootings in which six people were killed. A prime suspect was apprehended by police without incident. In the past, Kalamazoo was known for its production of windmills, buggies, cigars, stoves and paper products.
Agriculturally, it once was noted for celery. Although much of it has become suburbanized, the surrounding area still produces farm crops corn and soybeans. Kalamazoo was the original home of Gibson Guitar Corporation, which spawned the still-local Heritage Guitars; the company was incorporated as "Gibson Mandolin - Guitar Co. Ltd" on October 11, 1902, by the craftsman
Hope College
Hope College is a private, Christian liberal arts college in Holland, Michigan. It opened in 1851 as the Pioneer School by Dutch immigrants four years after the community was first settled; the first freshman college class matriculated in 1862 and Hope received its state charter in 1866. Hope College is affiliated with the Reformed Church in America and it retains a Christian atmosphere; the school's 125 acres campus is adjacent to the downtown commercial district and has been shared with Western Theological Seminary since 1884. Hope's motto is taken from Psalm 42:5: "Spera in Deo"; the college's emblem is an anchor. This is drawn from a speech made by Albertus van Raalte, the leader of the community, on the occasion of the founding of the Pioneer School in 1851: "This is my anchor of hope for this people in the future,"; the primary-level Pioneer School was expanded to secondary, soon after, college level education as Hope College. Van Vleck Hall, which housed the Pioneer School, is the oldest building on campus and now serves as a dormitory.
It is the second oldest building in the city. The first freshman college class matriculated in 1862, Hope received its state charter in 1866; the college admitted its first female students in 1878. 2015 marks Hope College's 150th year of education. In honor of this celebration, Hope College held many events throughout 2015; the celebration began with the 150th commencement on May 3, 2015. The year held two grand openings, the Kruizenga Art Museum and the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts, the groundbreaking ceremony of the Jim and Martie Bultman Student Center; the College sponsored the Presidential Colloquium lecture series which featured an address by David Brooks on Christian education in the 21st century. The college offers 90+ majors, all of which lead to a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science in Engineering, or Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, it has a student population of about 3,400 with a student-to-faculty ratio of 12:1. The college offers off-campus study programs in several US cities, including Philadelphia, Washington, D.
C. and Chicago, overseas programs for the summer, semester, or an entire academic year. Among its international programs, a long-standing summer semester in Vienna is popular among students. Hope maintains strong ties to the Reformed Church of America and seeks to educate students within the historic Christian faith while maintaining a rigorous academic education. In addition, Hope College is a member of the Great Lakes Colleges Association. Courses offered at Hope are divided into five disciplines. General Education While taking courses in General Education at Hope, students encounter a diverse array of topics rooted in the liberal arts education. Regardless of his or her major, students take courses in the areas of art, language, literature and sciences. Students participate in a First-Year Seminar course and a Senior Seminar course; these courses were developed to help transition students out of their college career. Arts and Humanities The Fine and Performing Arts degree at Hope College consists of four departments, which include Art and Art History, Dance and Theatre.
The Humanities division includes the departments of English, History and Classical Language and Religion. The Arts division at Hope College seeks to "educate every student and the community in the transformational power of the arts." Hope College was the first private, liberal arts college to hold national accreditation in art, dance and theatre. Natural and Applied Sciences The Natural and Applied Sciences programs at Hope College include Biology and Molecular Biology, Computer Science, Engineering and Environmental Sciences, Neuroscience and Physics. Many of these departments offer research positions for students in the summer and provide summer camps for elementary to high school students. Social Sciences A Social Science degree at Hope College consists of the departments of Communication and Business, Kinesiology and Justice minor, Political Science and Sociology/Social Work. Pre-health programs There are a wide variety of pre-health programs offered by Hope at the undergraduate level; these programs include Chiropractic Medicine, Genetic Counseling, Occupational Therapy, Pharmacy, Physician Assistant, Physical Therapy, Public Health, Speech Language Pathology and Veterinary Medicine.
Other pre-health professions include Athletic Training, nd Pre-clinical Psychology. Accreditation Hope College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association, with professional accreditation from the following: Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology American Chemical Society Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education Council on Social Work Education National Association of Schools of Art and Design National Association of Schools of Dance National Association of Schools of Music National Association of Schools of Theatre Housing On-campus housing is provided in 11 residence halls, 15 apartment buildings, 70+ houses that the college owns near the campus. A small percentage of students—primarily juniors and Holland residents—live off-campus. All full-time students without commuter status are required to live in on-campus housing for three years. Demographics The majority of Hope students come from the greater Great Lakes region - in 2012 90% of the student body comes from the states of Michigan, Illinois, New York, Wisconsin, a
United States
The United States of America known as the United States or America, is a country composed of 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the United States is the world's third or fourth largest country by total area and is smaller than the entire continent of Europe's 3.9 million square miles. With a population of over 327 million people, the U. S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D. C. and the largest city by population is New York City. Forty-eight states and the capital's federal district are contiguous in North America between Canada and Mexico; the State of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean; the U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, stretching across nine official time zones. The diverse geography and wildlife of the United States make it one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries.
Paleo-Indians migrated from Siberia to the North American mainland at least 12,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century; the United States emerged from the thirteen British colonies established along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the colonies following the French and Indian War led to the American Revolution, which began in 1775, the subsequent Declaration of Independence in 1776; the war ended in 1783 with the United States becoming the first country to gain independence from a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, with the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, being ratified in 1791 to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties; the United States embarked on a vigorous expansion across North America throughout the 19th century, acquiring new territories, displacing Native American tribes, admitting new states until it spanned the continent by 1848. During the second half of the 19th century, the Civil War led to the abolition of slavery.
By the end of the century, the United States had extended into the Pacific Ocean, its economy, driven in large part by the Industrial Revolution, began to soar. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the country's status as a global military power; the United States emerged from World War II as a global superpower, the first country to develop nuclear weapons, the only country to use them in warfare, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. Sweeping civil rights legislation, notably the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968, outlawed discrimination based on race or color. During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union competed in the Space Race, culminating with the 1969 U. S. Moon landing; the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the world's sole superpower. The United States is the world's oldest surviving federation, it is a representative democracy.
The United States is a founding member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States, other international organizations. The United States is a developed country, with the world's largest economy by nominal GDP and second-largest economy by PPP, accounting for a quarter of global GDP; the U. S. economy is post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge-based activities, although the manufacturing sector remains the second-largest in the world. The United States is the world's largest importer and the second largest exporter of goods, by value. Although its population is only 4.3% of the world total, the U. S. holds 31% of the total wealth in the world, the largest share of global wealth concentrated in a single country. Despite wide income and wealth disparities, the United States continues to rank high in measures of socioeconomic performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP, worker productivity.
The United States is the foremost military power in the world, making up a third of global military spending, is a leading political and scientific force internationally. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a world map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America in honor of the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci; the first documentary evidence of the phrase "United States of America" is from a letter dated January 2, 1776, written by Stephen Moylan, Esq. to George Washington's aide-de-camp and Muster-Master General of the Continental Army, Lt. Col. Joseph Reed. Moylan expressed his wish to go "with full and ample powers from the United States of America to Spain" to seek assistance in the revolutionary war effort; the first known publication of the phrase "United States of America" was in an anonymous essay in The Virginia Gazette newspaper in Williamsburg, Virginia, on April 6, 1776. The second draft of the Articles of Confederation, prepared by John Dickinson and completed by June 17, 1776, at the latest, declared "The name of this Confederation shall be the'United States of America'".
The final version of the Articles sent to the states for ratification in late 1777 contains the sentence "The Stile of this Confederacy shall be'The United States of America'". In June 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote the phrase "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" in all capitalized letters in the headline of his "original Rough draught" of the Declaration of Independence; this draft of the document did not surface unti
Angola, Indiana
Angola is a city in Pleasant Township, Steuben County, United States. The population was 8,612 at the 2010 census; the city is the county seat of Steuben County. Angola was founded by Thomas Gale and Cornelius Gilmore on June 28, 1838, is home to Trine University; the town is served by the Indiana Toll Road. The Angola post office has been in operation since 1838; the Angola Commercial Historic District, Steuben County Courthouse, Steuben County Jail are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The center of Angola is located at 41°38′13″N 85°0′3″W, the intersection of U. S. 20 and State Road 127. The roads are known to the citizens of Angola as North and South Wayne street and West and East Maumee street. According to the 2010 census, Angola has a total area of 6.387 square miles, of which 6.34 square miles is land and 0.047 square miles is water. The National Weather Service reports that Angola's average January temperatures are a maximum of 28.8 °F and a minimum of 13.7 °F. Average July temperatures are a maximum of 82.0 °F and a minimum of 60.4 °F.
There are an average of 7.5 days with highs of higher. There an average of 28.1 days with highs of 32 °F or lower and an average of 2.3 days with lows of 0 °F or lower. The record high temperature was 106 °F on July 13, 1936; the record low temperature was −27 °F on January 4, 1981. The average annual precipitation is 37.27 inches. There are an average of 119.4 days with measurable precipitation. The wettest year was 1950, with 52.48 inches and the driest was 1971, with 24.07 inches. The most precipitation in one month was 12.23 inches in May 1943. The most precipitation in a 24-hour period was 5.00 inches on July 9, 1951. The average annual snowfall is 34.7 inches. There are an average of 22.0 days with measurable snowfall. The snowiest season was 1981-82 with 74.9 inches. The most snowfall in one month was 31.5 inches in January 1999, including the record 24-hour snowfall of 14.3 inches on January 3, 1999. As of the 2010 census, there were 8,612 people, 3,111 households, 1,815 families residing in the city.
The population density was 1,358.4 inhabitants per square mile. There were 3,499 housing units at an average density of 551.9 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 93.6% White, 1.4% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.1% from other races, 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.3% of the population. There were 3,111 households, which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.7% were married couples living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.4% had a male householder with no wife present, 41.7% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone, 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.99. The median age in the city was 30.3 years. 22.1% of residents were under the age of 18. The gender makeup of the city was 50.6% male and 49.4% female. As of the 2000 census, there were 7,344 people, 2,769 households, 1,578 families residing in the city.
The population density was 1,736.4 people per square mile. There were 3,012 housing units at an average density of 712.1 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 94.00% White, 0.82% African American, 0.44% Native American, 1.23% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.92% from other races, 1.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.89% of the population. There were 2,769 households out of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.0% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 43.0% were non-families. 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.5% had someone living alone, 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.99. In the city, the population was spread out with 22.7% under the age of 18, 20.7% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 17.0% from 45 to 64, 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.8 males.
For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $34,925, the median income for a family was $43,848. Males had a median income of $32,031 versus $23,258 for females; the per capita income for the city was $16,750. About 8.1% of families and 10.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.5% of those under age 18 and 13.2% of those age 65 or over. 88.3 WEAX 100.3 WLKI-FM wlki 92.7 ESPN Angola 101.3 U-Rock 63 WINM The Herald Republican, the daily newspaper based in Angola and serving Steuben County, was formed through the merger of two longstanding weekly newspapers in Angola, the Steuben Republican and The Angola Herald. The newspapers consolidated their printing plants in 1925 and their ownership in the 1960s merging into one publication in 1980. Two years they were sold to Home News Enterprises, which expanded the paper to a twice-weekly format in 1989, in August 2001 to KPC Media Group of Kendallville, which converted The Herald Republican to a daily in September 2001.
Angola is located within the Metropolitan School District
Holland, Michigan
Holland is a city in the western region of the Lower Peninsula of the U. S. state of Michigan. It is situated near the eastern shore of Lake Michigan on Lake Macatawa, fed by the Macatawa River; the city spans the Ottawa/Allegan county line, with 9.08 square miles in Ottawa and the remaining 8.13 square miles in Allegan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 33,051, with an Urbanized Area population of 113,164, Holland, MI Urbanized Area as of 2015, ACS Demographic and Housing Estimates: Holland is the largest city in Ottawa County, as of 2013 part of the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Muskegon Metropolitan Statistical Area. Holland was founded by Dutch Americans, is in an area that has a large percentage of citizens of Dutch American heritage, it is home to Hope College and Western Theological Seminary, institutions of the Reformed Church in America. In February of 1996 the Holland City Council approved a sister city relationship between Santiago de Querétaro, Querétaro and the City of Holland, Michigan, USA.
Ottawa County was populated by Ottawa Indians. In 1846, Reverend Alex Tomasik established the Old Wing Mission as an outreach to the native population. Holland was settled in 1847 by Dutch Calvinist separatists, under the leadership of Dr. Albertus van Raalte. Dire economic conditions in the Netherlands compelled them to emigrate, while their desire for religious freedom led them to unite and settle together as a group. Van Raalte and his colony settled on land in the midst of the Ottawa people's Old Wing Mission Colony near the Black River where it streamed to Black Lake which, in turn, led to Lake Michigan. Joint occupation by the two communities was not a marriage made in heaven; the Dutch settlers purchased the land from the natives, who moved north in an effort to preserve their way of life and culture. In 1848, Michigan suffered from a smallpox epidemic. In consideration of the massive influx settlers into the Ottawa County area, Chief Peter Waukazoo and Reverend George Smith decided to move the community as well as the Holland-area Ottawa Mission from Holland up to Northport via on boats and canoes.
In Holland's early history, Van Raalte was a spiritual leader, as well as overseeing political and financial matters. In 1847 Van Raalte established a congregation of the Reformed Church in America, which would be called the First Reformed Church of Holland. On March 25, 1867, Holland was incorporated as a city with Isaac Cappon being the city's first mayor; the city suffered a major fire on October 8–9, 1871, the same time as the Great Chicago Fire in Illinois and the deadly Peshtigo Fire in Wisconsin. Because of the Great Michigan Fire and Port Huron, Michigan burned at the same time. Holland was known as the "City of Churches." There are 170 churches in the greater Holland area, many of which are with the Reformed Church in America and Christian Reformed Church in North America denominations. The city is the home to the church that started the trend of the "What Would Jesus Do?" bracelets in 1989. In 1987, a 23-year-old City Council member Phil Tanis was elected mayor of Holland, becoming its youngest mayor while he was still a Hope College student.
The city is best known for its Dutch heritage, which serves not only as a part of the city's cultural identity, but the local economy as well: the Tulip Time Festival in May and various Dutch-themed attractions augment the nearby Lake Michigan shoreline in attracting thousands of tourists annually. The Holland Museum contains exhibits about the city's history. Another, the Cappon House Museum, was built in 1874 and is a historic museum that once housed the first mayor of Holland, Dutch immigrant Isaac Cappon; the Settlers House Museum, a building that survived the great fire, contains furnishings and relics from the 19th Century. Holland's downtown is listed in the National Register of Historic Places; the "Snowmelt Project" established pipes transporting warm water from the nearby power plant to travel underneath downtown with the purpose of clearing the streets and sidewalks in the downtown area of any snow. Nearby Holland State Park is a Michigan State Park. Across the channel from the State Park is the Holland Harbor Light, known as "Big Red."
De Zwaan, an original 250-year-old Dutch windmill, is situated on a municipal park. Its height is 125 feet with 40-foot sails. Holland boasts an annual Fiesta, organized by Latin Americans United for Progress on the Saturday closest to May 5. Holland is host to the annual Tulipanes Latino Art & Film Festival, held to celebrate the Latino contribution to the culture. In 2013, Farmer's Insurance named the Holland/Grand Haven Area the most secure mid-sized city in the United States. In 2010, Holland was ranked the second healthiest/happiest town in the United States by the Well-being Index. In 2006, CNN Money named Holland as one of the top five places to retire; each May Holland hosts an annual Tulip Time Festival. Tulip planting and the festival began in 1930. Six million tulips are used throughout the city. Tulips are planted along many city streets, in city parks and outside municipal buildings as well as at tourist attractions like Dutch Village, the city-owned Windmill Island Gardens, at a large tulip farm named Veldheer Tulip Gardens.
It is held the second week of May, during to the tulip blooming season. Cruise ships such as the Yorktown from the Great Lakes Cruising Company make Holland a port of call. About one million tourists visit Tulip Time each year, for which the community finds innovat
Alma, Michigan
Alma is the largest city in Gratiot County in the U. S. state of Michigan. The population was 9,383 at the 2010 census, it was incorporated as the Village of Alma in 1872 and became a city in 1905. Alma's hosts the annual Highland Festival which brings members of Scottish clans and interested onlookers together for a weekend of Highland dancing, bagpipes and camaraderie; the Highland Festival is held each year over Memorial Day weekend. Alma College, a small liberal-arts institution of 1,300 students, is located in town and focuses on multidisciplinary learning in a residential setting. Alma is the birthplace of both the modernist architect Ralph Rapson and writer/composer/lyricist Dan Goggin. Alma was the home of Leonard Refineries, Inc. which sold gasoline and other petroleum products throughout the lower peninsula of Michigan from 1936 when the company was founded until 1966. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.09 square miles, of which 5.93 square miles is land and 0.16 square miles is water.
Alma was founded in 1853 by Ralph Ely. First known for the Alma Springs Sanitarium and promoted in the 1880s by millionaire lumberman and capitalist Ammi Willard Wright, it achieved its greatest prominence nationally in the 1910s and 1920s as home of the Republic Motor Truck Company the largest exclusive truck manufacturer in the world. In 1953 Alma became the first place that 96 octane, was produced; as of the census of 2010, there were 9,383 people, 3,468 households, 2,033 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,582.3 inhabitants per square mile. There were 3,784 housing units at an average density of 638.1 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 92.8% White, 0.9% African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 2.8% from other races, 2.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.1% of the population. There were 3,468 households of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.4% were married couples living together, 15.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.0% had a male householder with no wife present, 41.4% were non-families.
34.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone, 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age in the city was 30.8 years. 21.4% of residents were under the age of 18. The gender makeup of the city was 46.9% male and 53.1% female. As of the census of 2000, there were 9,275 people, 3,220 households, 2,022 families residing in the city; the population density was 1,729.7 per square mile. There were 3,476 housing units at an average density of 648.2 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 93.75% White, 0.53% African American, 0.52% Native American, 0.75% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 2.57% from other races, 1.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.21% of the population. There were 3,220 households out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.6% were married couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.2% were non-families.
30.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.9% had someone living alone, 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.98. In the city, the population was spread out with 21.9% under the age of 18, 20.4% from 18 to 24, 23.0% from 25 to 44, 17.8% from 45 to 64, 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $33,536, the median income for a family was $44,229. Males had a median income of $35,013 versus $20,655 for females; the per capita income for the city was $18,218. About 8.5% of families and 11.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.1% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over. US 127 Bus. US 127 M-46 Public bus transportation is provided on a dial-a-ride service basis by DART Transportation from 7:30 a.m.-8:00 p.m. during weekdays within the city limits and to surrounding areas.
Indian Trails provides daily intercity bus service to Alma between St. Ignace and East Lansing, Michigan; the Morning Sun newspaper, based in Mt. Pleasant, serves the Alma area as its daily newspaper. Alma is home to three commercial radio stations. WQBX plays satellite-fed hot adult contemporary music, sister station WFYC is an ESPN Radio affiliate. Standalone AM WMLM, licensed to nearby St. Louis, plays classic country music satellite-fed; the Alma area is located about midway between Saginaw and Grand Rapids, thus receives TV and radio signals from both cities, as well as Mt. Pleasant and Lansing. Dan Goggin and writer Randy Ebright, drummer for Mexican band Molotov. 1902–1927 Betty Mahmoody, author of Not Without My Daughter. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Alma has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfa" on climate maps. Alma College Al
