Brooklyn is a village in Jackson County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,313 at the 2020 census. It is located in the Irish Hills region of southern Michigan, just north of U.S. Route 12 along M-50. The village is located within Columbia Township. Michigan International Speedway is just to its south in Cambridge Township.
History
The village was founded by Calvin Swain, who filed the first land claim on June 16, 1832, and named his settlement Swainsville. In a town meeting vote on August 5, 1836, the community elected to change the town's name to Brooklyn. The town is named after Brooklyn, New York.
The area has historically been a summer vacation spot for residents of metropolitan Detroit who owned cottages near lakes in the area.
The Ford Motor Company Brooklyn Plant opened in 1939. It made parts for B-24 bombers during World War II. Then, after the war, it made components for Ford cars and trucks through 1966, when the plant was closed.
The Michigan International Speedway opened in 1968. It is used primarily for NASCAR events.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which is land and (0.98%) is water.
Brooklyn is located in a portion of central lower Michigan known for its lush, rolling green landscapes in the Irish Hills area of Southeast Michigan, which contains scenic lakes surrounding Hayes State Park, Watkins Lake State Park and County Preserve, and Cambridge Junction Historic State Park. The village is southeast of Jackson, southwest of Ann Arbor, southeast of Lansing and from Detroit.
Major highways
- (4 miles (6 km) south)
Demographics
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 1,206 people, 577 households, and 306 families living in the village. The population density was . There were 661 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 96.9% White, 0.2% African American, 0.7% Native American, 1.3% Asian, and 0.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.9% of the population.
There were 577 households, of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.7% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 47.0% were non-families. 41.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.86.
The median age in the village was 43.6 years. 22.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.8% were from 25 to 44; 24.9% were from 45 to 64; and 23% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 43.4% male and 56.6% female.
2000 census
As of the census