Grosse Pointe, Michigan

Grosse Pointe is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. One of the five "Grosse Pointe" suburbs of Detroit, the city of Grosse Pointe is located on the shore of Lake St. Clair and borders Detroit to the northeast, roughly east of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 5,678.

Grosse Pointe was originally incorporated as a village in 1880, and then as a city in 1934.

History

It was incorporated as a city in 1934. There are five Grosse Pointes: Grosse Pointe Park, Grosse Pointe City, Grosse Pointe Farms, Grosse Pointe Woods, and Grosse Pointe Shores.

Together with Grosse Pointe Park and Grosse Pointe Farms, the city comprises part of the southern Pointes, which are older and more densely populated than the northern Pointes (Grosse Pointe Woods and Grosse Pointe Shores). It became heavily populated between 1910 and 1930 as one of Detroit's first commuter suburbs; in the previous century, Grosse Pointe was home to cottages, resorts, farms, and widely spaced lakefront mansions. Grosse Pointe ("the City"), Grosse Pointe Farms, and Grosse Pointe Park make up the Grosse Pointe South High School district. Grosse Pointe Woods and Grosse Pointe Shores make up the Grosse Pointe North High School district. Downtown Grosse Pointe, along Kercheval Avenue from Neff to Cadieux, nicknamed "The Village," is considered by many locals to be the central downtown for all five of the Grosse Pointes, although each of them (except Grosse Pointe Shores) has several blocks of retail properties.

Geography

thumb|left|175px|Aerial view of the [[Grosse Pointe shoreline]]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The water is part of Lake St. Clair.

left|thumb|[[Jefferson Avenue (Detroit)|Jefferson Avenue at the border between Grosse Pointe and Grosse Pointe Farms]]

The street layout of Grosse Pointe is basically a grid inside of its Cadieux, Mack, and Fisher Road boundaries. Inside this small rectangle, most blocks contain rows of single-family homes built between 1910 and 1950, on parcels wide on average. Some streets offer large backyards, such as Washington and Lakeland, while other streets are more compact. In some areas, homes are configured in a traditionally urban, close-together fashion, while other nearby blocks may offer yards up to wide.

Home sizes and styles vary widely, from , but slightly under on average. Most of the largest homes are within a few blocks of the lakefront; there are several blocks of mansions south of Kercheval Avenue. Predominant architecture includes the neo-Georgian, Tudor Revival, Dutch Colonial, and arts and crafts styles. Some Victorian homes and traditional bungalow homes can also be found, mostly just north and south of the Village retail district. Some blocks, generally just south of the Village, have townhouses and apartments. Most of these were built in the 1920s, and can be seen along St. Paul, Maumee, and Jefferson avenues, mostly west of Rivard Boulevard, and between Notre Dame and Cadieux south of the Village retail district.

There are retail and low-rise office buildings along Kercheval Avenue in the Village district, on Fisher Road near Grosse Pointe South High School, and along Mack Avenue bordering Detroit.

Climate

This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Grosse Pointe has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Grosse Pointe, Michigan – Racial and ethnic composition

!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!% 2000

!% 2010

|White alone (NH)

|5,449

|4,973

|style='background: #ffffe6; |5,087

|96.10%

|91.74%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |89.59%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|44

|176

|style='background: #ffffe6; |180

|0.78%

|3.25%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.17%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |13

|0.07%

|0.11%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.23%

|Asian alone (NH)

|59

|83

|style='background: #ffffe6; |86

|1.04%

|1.53%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.51%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0

|0.02%

|0.09%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%

|Other race alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2

|0.00%

|0.07%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.04%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|30

|76

|style='background: #ffffe6; |154

|0.53%

|1.40%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.71%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|83

|98

|style='background: #ffffe6; |156

|1.46%

|1.81%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.75%

|Total

|5,670

|5,421

|style='background: #ffffe6; |5,678

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Grosse Pointe had a population of 5,678. The median age was 44.9 years. 21.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.7 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 2,293 households in Grosse Pointe, of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 55.0% were married-couple households, 14.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. of 2010, there were 5,421 people, 2,236 households, and 1,481 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,446 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.2% White, 3.3% African American, 0.1% Native American, 1.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.2% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.8% of the population.

There were 2,236 households, of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.8% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.06.

The median age in the city was 44.7 years. Residents under the age of 18 were 26.4% of the city's population; 4.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.3% were from 25 to 44; 33.4% were from 45 to 64; and 16.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.4% male and 53.6% female.

2000 census

As of the census Grosse Pointe Woods and Grosse Pointe Shores attend Grosse Pointe North High School

The Grosse Pointes are also home to one of the state's top private/independent schools, University Liggett School in Grosse Pointe Woods. Liggett serves grades prekindergarten through 12th grade. Liggett is known for its progressive curriculum, starting with the Reggio Emilia approach in prekindergarten and lower school grades.

Notable places

right|thumb|250px|The Grosse Pointe waterfront along [[Lake St. Clair at Neff Park]]

Neff Park, at the foot of University Place. A restricted-access park with pier and harbor on southern Lake St. Clair, pool, playgrounds, picnic areas, volleyball courts, and ice-skating in the winter.
George Elworthy Field. A city park with tennis courts, pickleball courts, sports fields (including Little League Baseball diamonds), and playgrounds, within walking distance of the Village.
Grosse Pointe Unitarian Church (Maumee near Neff), the only church within the one square mile city.

==Notable people==

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Gregg Alexander, singer, frontman of the New Radicals
Anita Baker, singer, winner of eight Grammys
Kevin Barnes, singer-songwriter for Of Montreal
Roy D. Chapin Jr., chairman and CEO of American Motors Company
Antonio Cipriano, American actor and singer
Laura Devon, actress
Jeffrey Eugenides, Pulitzer-Prize winning author, attended University Liggett School
Edsel Ford, automaker, resided and died in Grosse Pointe Shores
Edsel Ford II, automaker, resides in Grosse Pointe Farms
Elena Ford, auto executive, granddaughter of Henry Ford II, resides in Grosse Pointe Farms
Henry Ford II, auto executive, lived in Grosse Pointe
Martha Firestone Ford, principal owner and chairwoman of the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL), widow of William Clay Ford Sr., and daughter of Harvey S. Firestone Jr.
Jared Lee Gosselin, Grammy-winning music producer
Julie Harris, actress, Emmy, Tony and Grammy Award winner and Oscar nominee, born in Grosse Pointe
Edward Herrmann, actor, attended Grosse Pointe High School
Hal Hudson, professional baseball pitcher, Chicago White Sox and St. Louis Browns
John Hughes, American film director, producer, and screenwriter famous for numerous films including Home Alone, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Sixteen Candles, grew up in Grosse Pointe
Julanne Johnston, silent-film actress
Maya Joint, professional tennis player
Bill Kennedy, actor, TV Talk Show Host (Bill Kennedy at the Movies, channel 50, 1pm, in the 60's thru 80's), resided in Grosse Pointe
Aaron Krickstein, professional tennis player
David Legwand, NHL hockey player
Matt Letscher, actor
Lisa LoCicero, actress, General Hospital
John Lowery, guitarist for Mötley Crüe, Rob Zombie, David Lee Roth, Marilyn Manson, Rob Halford's 2wo, and K.d. lang, among others
Debbie Massey, LPGA Tour golfer, twice winner of Women's British Open, born in Grosse Pointe
Michael McCarron, professional ice hockey player
Jim Miller, former NFL quarterback
Carly Piper, swimmer, gold medalist at 2004 Athens Olympics
Michael Quatro, Prog-rock keyboardist and 60s rock promoter
Suzi Quatro, Rock bassist and actress from Happy Days
J.K. Simmons, actor, Academy Award winner for Whiplash, born in Grosse Pointe
Geralin Thomas, organizer, consultant
Mark Tremonti, guitarist for Creed and Alter Bridge
Corey Tropp, NHL hockey player
Zach Werenski, Hockey player in the Columbus Blue Jackets organization, gold medalist at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics
Meg White, drummer of the White Stripes
Armani Williams, racing driver
Ralph Wilson, owner of the Buffalo Bills, resided and died in Grosse Pointe Shores

In popular culture

In the 1990s CBS television series, Northern Exposure, the lead character Maggie O'Connell was a rugged bush pilot living in a remote log cabin, but had been raised in a privileged family in Grosse Pointe. In S4, E14, Maggie and Joel visit her family in an episode entitled "Grosse Pointe, 48230."

The 1993 book The Virgin Suicides (and the 1999 film of the same name) were about a 1970s era white family in Grosse Pointe. The book was written by Jeffrey Eugenides. The film was directed by Sofia Coppola and starred Kirsten Dunst.

In the 1997 film, Grosse Pointe Blank, John Cusack plays an LA-based hitman who grew up in Grosse Pointe. After going to Detroit for a job, he returns to his hometown for a class reunion.

In 2000, there was a short-lived TV series on the WB network called Grosse Pointe. It was created by Darren Star and the ensemble cast included Irene Molloy, Al Santos and Joely Fisher. The series often featured appearances by actors from other Darren Star series including Sarah Michelle Gellar, Kristin Davis and Jason Priestley. The series was a show within a show, focusing on the actors in a TV show that was set in an affluent Detroit suburb but mimicked the characters of Aaron Spelling's hit, Beverly Hills 90210. Grosse Pointe only lasted one season with 17 episodes.

Grosse Pointe Garden Society was a 2025 NBC series that lasted one season. It revolved around four suburban people who share a murderous secret. It received favorable reviews from critics.

In the final scene of the movie Gran Torino (2008) the character Thao is seen driving the 1972 Ford Torino along Lakeshore Drive, also known as Jefferson Avenue.

References

External links

City of Grosse Pointe official website
Grosse Pointe Historical Society
Lewis Maire Elementary School
Grosse Pointe Public Library
Grosse Pointe News – weekly newspaper
Grosse Pointe War Memorial (Russell Alger Mansion)