Hamtramck, Michigan

Hamtramck is a city in Wayne County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 22,976. Hamtramck is surrounded by the city of Detroit on all sides, except for a small portion of the western border which touches the similarly surrounded city of Highland Park. Hamtramck is named for the soldier Jean Francois Hamtramck who was the first American commander of Fort Shelby, the fortification at Detroit. Hamtramck was originally settled by Eastern European immigrants, particularly Poles, who still make up a large proportion of the population. It is sometimes confused with Poletown, a traditional Polish neighborhood which lies mostly in the city of Detroit and includes a small part of Hamtramck. Over the past twenty years, a large number of immigrants from the Middle East (especially Yemen) and South Asia (especially Bangladesh) have moved to the city and dramatically changed the city's ethnic diversity.

Recently, Hamtramck's city council voted unanimously to amend the city's noise ordinance to allow loudspeaker broadcasts of the Islamic call to prayer and Christian church bells.

History

1796 - Colonel Jean Francois Hamtramck took possession of Detroit after British troops evacuated.
1798 - The Township of Hamtramck was established.
1901 - Hamtramck was established as a village.
1908 - Saint Florian's parish is the first Catholic church in Hamtramck
1910 - Dodge Brothers Motor Car Company break ground for an automotive plant in Hamtramck; rapid influx of European immigrants begins.
1914 - Dodge Brothers plant begins operations.
1922 - Hamtramck is incorporated as a city to protect itself from annexation by Detroit; Peter C. Jezewski is the first mayor.
1926 - St.Florian's present church edifice is built

Geography

Hamtramck is mostly encircled by Detroit except a small portion that touches the city of Highland Park. Hamtramck lies about five miles (8 km) from the center of Detroit. The I-75 Freeway roughly runs along this city's western border and I-94 runs near its southern border.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.5 km² (2.1 mi²), all land.

Demographics

As of the census ² of 2000, there were 22,976 people, 8,033 households, and 4,851 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,204.3/km² (10,900.5/mi²). There were 8,894 housing units at an average density of 1,627.5/km² (4,219.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 60.96% white (which includes people of Middle Eastern ancestry), 15.12% African American, 0.43% Native American, 10.37% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 1.14% from other races, and 11.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.31% of the population.

There were 8,033 households out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.3% were married couples living together, 16.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.6% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.59.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.8% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 31.9% from 25 to 44, 17.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 110.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,616, and the median income for a family was $30,496. Males had a median income of $29,368 versus $22,346 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,691. About 24.1% of families and 27.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.9% of those under age 18 and 18.1% of those age 65 or over.

Culture

Hamtramck flourished from 1910 to 1920 as thousands of European immigrants, particularly German and Polish, were attracted by the growing automobile industry. The city has grown increasingly enthnically diverse but still bears many reminders of its Polish ancestry in family names, street names and businesses. A recent survey found 26 native languages spoken by Hamtramck schoolchildren. The city's motto is "A League of Nations".

At the time of the 2000 census, Hamtramck was again experiencing considerable growth, with over 8,000 households and a population of almost 23,000.

Hamtramck is noted for its pączki and produces a large quantity of these delicacies on the day before Ash Wednesday.

In 1997, the Utne Reader named Hamtramck one of "the 15 hippest neighborhoods in the U.S. and Canada" in part for its punk and alternative music scene, its Buddhist temple, its cultural diversity, and its laid back blue-collar neighborhoods. And in May of 2003, Maxim Blender selected Hamtramck as the second "Most Rock N' Roll City" in the U.S., behind Williamsburg in Brooklyn, NY.

Hamtramck is also the home of several of Michigan's most distiguished nightclubs. The Polish Art Center, located in the middle of Jos. Campau, is one of the most popular shops in Hamtramck. In it, one can find many Polish works of art and art from other areas of Europe.

Hamtramck was also once noted as "Rat City USA" due to the high population of rats in the area. The high infestation was due to a waste worker strike in which city garbage was not picked up for nearly a month. Hamtramck's rat population has dwindled thanks to the introduction of new city issued garbage cans.

Hamtramck Blowout

The Hamtramck Blowout is an annual music festival in Hamtramck. It is said to be the largest festival of its sort in the world. There's usually over 200 bands there and the festival lasts for 4 days all over bars in the neighborhood.

Schedule and band info

External links

Cities in Michigan | Wayne County, Michigan | Metro Detroit | Polonia