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Lawton, Michigan

Coordinates: 42°10′2″N 85°50′47″W / 42.16722°N 85.84639°W / 42.16722; -85.84639
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Lawton, Michigan
Village
Official seal of Lawton, Michigan
Seal
Location of Lawton, Michigan
Location of Lawton, Michigan
Coordinates: 42°10′2″N 85°50′47″W / 42.16722°N 85.84639°W / 42.16722; -85.84639
CountryUnited States
StateMichigan
CountyVan Buren
Area
[1]
 • Total2.33 sq mi (6.02 km2)
 • Land2.29 sq mi (5.93 km2)
 • Water0.04 sq mi (0.09 km2)
Elevation
791 ft (241 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total1,850
 • Density807.86/sq mi (311.87/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
49065
Area code269
FIPS code26-46500[2]
GNIS feature ID0630224[3]
Websitewww.lawtonmi.org

Lawton is a village in southeastern Van Buren County, Michigan, United States. The population was 1,900 at the 2010 census.

History

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Lawton was named for Nathaniel Lawton, an early settler. The Village of Lawton came into existence in 1848 when the Michigan Central Railroad reached this destination. Nathan Lawton who the village is named after, was from Waterford, New York and had purchased property when it became available when Michigan received statehood. Upon the railroad reaching here in 1848, Mr. Lawton donated several acres of land for the construction of a depot that was originally named Paw Paw Station. In 1851 when a post office was being established the name of the town was named for Mr. Lawton. Though Nathan Lawton never lived here two of his sons, George and Charles moved here and made this town their home. Around 1860 a few local men began experimenting with growing grapes. In 1868 the first grapes were taken to market. From there the grape industry took off and in now one of Southwest Michigan's largest industries with several wineries in the area as well as a Welch Grape Juice Factory located in Lawton that has been part of Lawton since 1919. [4][5]

Geography

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According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 2.36 square miles (6.11 km2), of which 2.32 square miles (6.01 km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) is water.[6]

Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1860426—
18701,081153.8%
1880747−30.9%
18907885.5%
190094219.5%
19101,04210.6%
19201,0733.0%
19301,1547.5%
19401,134−1.7%
19501,2066.3%
19601,40216.3%
19701,358−3.1%
19801,55814.7%
19901,6858.2%
20001,85910.3%
20101,9002.2%
20201,850−2.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]

2010 census

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As of the census[8] of 2010, there were 1,900 people, 730 households, and 457 families living in the village. The population density was 819.0 inhabitants per square mile (316.2/km2). There were 788 housing units at an average density of 339.7 per square mile (131.2/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 91.0% White, 0.7% African American, 0.9% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 5.6% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.8% of the population.

There were 730 households, of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.8% were married couples living together, 16.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.4% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.07.

The median age in the village was 38.9 years. 25.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.5% were from 25 to 44; 23.1% were from 45 to 64; and 19.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 45.1% male and 54.9% female.

2000 census

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As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 1,859 people, 610 households, and 428 families living in the village. The population density was 823.0 inhabitants per square mile (317.8/km2). There were 668 housing units at an average density of 295.7 per square mile (114.2/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 90.75% White, 1.24% African-American, 0.75% Native American, 0.05% Asian, 3.98% from other races, and 3.23% from two or more races. 11.62% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 610 households, out of which 38.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% were married couples living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 27.2% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.0 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $36,250, and the median income for a family was $40,909. Males had a median income of $32,614 versus $25,208 for females. The per capita income for the village was $15,600. 11.5% of the population and 6.7% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 8.2% of those under the age of 18 and 16.7% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Notable residents

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  • Henry Ford (1825–1894), Michigan state senator and Lawton village president (not to be confused with the industrialist Henry Ford)[9][10]
  • Charlie Maxwell Charles Richard Maxwell (born April 8, 1927) is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball with the Boston Red Sox (1950–52, 1954), Baltimore Orioles (1955), Detroit Tigers (1955–62) and Chicago White Sox (1962–64). Lawton High School 1944, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, and Chicago White Sox. Nicknames included "The South Paw from Paw Paw, (given by the Detroit Tigers announcer Van Patrick because of Maxwell's unusually-named hometown of Paw Paw, Michigan), "Smokey," "Sunday Charlie", and the "The Sabbath Smasher", the latter two given in recognition of his propensity for hitting home runs on Sundays.


See also

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References

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  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  3. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  4. ^ Chicago and North Western Railway Company (1908). A History of the Origin of the Place Names Connected with the Chicago & North Western and Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railways. p. 93.
  5. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 183.
  6. ^ "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 2, 2012. Retrieved November 25, 2012.
  7. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  8. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 25, 2012.
  9. ^ Bingham, Stephen D. (1888). Early History of Michigan: With Biographies of State Officers, Members of Congress, Judges and Legislators. Thorp & Godfrey, state printers – via Internet Archive.
  10. ^ Ellis, Franklin (1880). History of Berrien and Van Buren Counties, Michigan – via Google Books.
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Media related to Lawton, Michigan at Wikimedia Commons

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