Potterville, Michigan Facts for Kids

Potterville is named after Linus Potter, who settled his family in the area in November, 1844. Linus was elected supervisor of Benton Township in 1846. In 1830, Linus and his wife Diantha came from Cayuga County, New York, by way of the Erie Canal, to Buffalo and then by way of Lake Erie steamboat to Detroit. From there, Linus and Diantha walked to Plymouth, Michigan, a journey of about thirty miles, before walking on to Saline. The pair carried their three-year-old son, George, and their infant daughter, Louisa.

Historical Calamities

On July 6, 1994, a lightning strike at Fox Park injured 22 beach-goers. The lightning struck the water and "walked up the beach."

A rare Michigan earthquake on September 2, 1994, had its epicenter just east of the city. The shock had a body wave magnitude of 3.5 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of V (Moderate). It could be felt through most of Mid-Michigan.

The city experienced a massive train derailment of 35 Canadian National railroad cars over Memorial Day weekend 2002. Due to leaking propane from the cars, the entire city was evacuated. The cause of the derailment was found to have been a faulty rail.

A second Canadian National train derailment occurred in May 2006, though no evacuation was necessary. The cause of this derailment was found to be a failed wheel bearing on the 82nd car.

January 30, 2010 at 11:30 pm a fire occurred in downtown Potterville burning two antique shops, a book store, Masonic Lodge, a dog grooming shop, and two apartments. This fire destroyed historic buildings that were 100 years old. No one was seriously hurt in the fire. Fire fighters from Benton Township, Windsor Township, Delta Township, Charlotte, and Eaton Rapids were initially involved in battling the blaze. When it was found that the city's water system could not keep up with the draw from fighting the inferno, tanker trucks from each of the above departments as well as several other departments in Eaton County were called to assist. It took nearly twelve hours to extinguish the blaze. The fire then rekindled on February 1, 2010 and was again extinguished.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.82 square miles (4.71 km²), of which 1.68 square miles (4.35 km²) is land and 0.14 square miles (0.36 km²) is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1880	471	—
1890	505	7.2%
1900	495	−2.0%
1910	430	−13.1%
1920	330	−23.3%
1930	492	49.1%
1940	547	11.2%
1950	624	14.1%
1960	1,028	64.7%
1970	1,280	24.5%
1980	1,502	17.3%
1990	1,523	1.4%
2000	2,168	42.4%
2010	2,617	20.7%
2019 (est.)	2,752	5.2%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 Census

As of the census of 2010, there were 2,617 people, 952 households, and 702 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,557.7 inhabitants per square mile (601.4/km²). There were 1,112 housing units at an average density of 661.9 per square mile (255.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.2% White, 1.3% African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.7% of the population.

There were 952 households, of which 45.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% were married couples living together, 16.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 26.3% were non-families. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.16.

The median age in the city was 32.4 years. 31.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 30% were from 25 to 44; 23.5% were from 45 to 64; and 7.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.6% male and 51.4% female.

Education

The city is served by Potterville Public School District, whose schools are located on one campus along Main Street just east of N. Hartel Road (M-100). The district mascot is the Vikings, with school colors of maroon and gold. This campus includes an elementary, middle, and high school (including sport facilities). Also sharing this campus are the administration and preschool buildings.

Transportation

Potterville is located approximately 12.6 miles (20.2 kilometers) southwest of downtown Lansing and 7 miles (11.2 kilometers) northeast of Charlotte along Lansing Road at its intersection with Hartel Road/M-100. The city is connected with interstate highway system immediately south of this intersection where M-100 interchanges with I-69. M-100 also connects Potterville to I-96 just north of Grand Ledge.

The city is serviced by Canadian National Railway (CN) along its Flint Subdivision.

Notable people

Joe Davis, announcer for the Los Angeles Dodgers and FOX sports; attended Potterville High School

Potterville, Michigan facts for kids

Contents

History