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Fennville, Michigan
Main Street Fenville Michigan.JPG
Historic Grain Silos Fennville Michigan.jpg
Kingsley House - Fennville, Michigan.jpg
Top to bottom, left to right:
Main Street/M-89 facing West, historic grain silos, the Kingsley House
Location of Fennville, Michigan
Location of Fennville, Michigan
Country United States
State Michigan
County Allegan
Area
 • Total 1.10 sq mi (2.85 km2)
 • Land 1.09 sq mi (2.83 km2)
 • Water 0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2)
Elevation
666 ft (203 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 1,745
 • Density 1,599/sq mi (617.3/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
49408
Area code(s) 269
FIPS code 26-27740
GNIS feature ID 0625892

Fennville is a city in Allegan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,745 at the 2020 census.

Located on M-89 on the boundary between Manlius Township to the north and Clyde Township to the south, Fennville is located about 11 miles (18 km) southeast of the city of Saugatuck and about 13 miles (21 km) west-northwest of the city of Allegan. It is about 13 miles (21 km) south of Holland and about 16 miles (26 km) northeast of South Haven.

History

Historic Grain Silos Fenville Michigan
Old Silos in town

The "official" and widely accepted account of how the city came to be known as Fennville, is that an early white settler by the name of Elam Atwater Fenn built a saw mill in the immediate vicinity of the current community. This led to people referring to the settlement as "Fenn's Mill" which became the name associated with the post office there. Some early documents pluralized "Mill" to render "Fenn's Mills." The first road through what was to be Fennville was built by Harrison Hutchins and James McCormick in 1837.

A fire (possibly related to the Great Chicago Fire or Great Michigan Fire) destroyed the village in October 1871. About that time, the paperwork (timetables and such) for the recently completed Chicago and Michigan Lake Shore Railroad arrived which identified the community's station as "Fennville." This was thought by some at the time (including Hutchins) to have been the result of clerical error. However, Fenn himself recorded that the change in name had been suggested by and mutually agreed upon among certain leaders of the community in conjunction with the establishment of the new railroad station. The post office name was then changed to "Fennville" to match the station's name. The community was officially incorporated as the village of Fennville on February 20, 1889.

A United States atlas from 1895 indicates the town name was in some cases broken into two words, as in "Fenn Ville." Yet another documented variation was "Fennsville" as found in a plat book from 1873. See References below.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.11 square miles (2.87 km2), of which 1.10 square miles (2.85 km2) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2) is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1890 360
1900 454 26.1%
1910 533 17.4%
1920 547 2.6%
1930 622 13.7%
1940 643 3.4%
1950 639 −0.6%
1960 705 10.3%
1970 811 15.0%
1980 934 15.2%
1990 1,023 9.5%
2000 1,459 42.6%
2010 1,398 −4.2%
2020 1,745 24.8%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 1,398 people, 505 households, and 346 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,270.9 inhabitants per square mile (490.7/km2). There were 588 housing units at an average density of 534.5 per square mile (206.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 72.6% White, 1.9% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 20.7% from other races, and 4.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 39.1% of the population.

There were 505 households, of which 45.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.2% were married couples living together, 17.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 8.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.5% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.36.

The median age in the city was 28.7 years. 34.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.4% were from 25 to 44; 20.7% were from 45 to 64; and 7.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.3% male and 49.7% female.

Education

The Fennville Public Schools district includes:

  • Fennville High School (9-12)
  • Fennville Middle School (6-8)
  • Fennville Elementary School (K-5)
  • Pearl Alternative/Adult Education School (9-12)

The Discovery Elementary School, a chartered public school academy located in Fennville, closed at the end of the 2009 school year.

Notable people

  • Patricia L. Birkholz - Michigan State Senator
  • Edward Hutchinson - United States Representative for the 4th Congressional District of Michigan 1963 – 1977

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Fennville (Míchigan) para niños

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