Michigan Center is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Jackson County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, Michigan Center had a population of 4,609. The CDP is located within Leoni Township on the eastern border of the city of Jackson.

Michigan Center was platted as "Michigan Centre" in 1837 by Abel Fitch and Paul Ring, although there were settlements in the area from at least 1834. The name was presumably derived from the proximity to the Michigan meridian which divided the state into eastern and western portions for surveying. The community is not close to any sort of geographical center of the state. Fitch became the first postmaster in 1838.

Michigan Center began developing as a mill town on a tributary of the Grand River. There was a station on the Michigan Central Railroad. However, nearby Jackson rapidly outpaced Michigan Center, which has since become a bedroom community to the city.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and (11.58%) is water.

Michigan Center is in eastern Jackson County, in the southern part of Leoni Township. The CDP shares a slight western border with the city of Jackson but is otherwise surrounded by Leoni Township on the north, east, and west with a southern boundary with Napoleon Township.

The community is situated primarily around the northern end of Center Lake, formed by a dam on a tributary of the Grand River in 1911. Several other nearby lakes on the same tributary form a connected chain of lakes: Round Lake, Price Lake, Moon Lake, Little Dollar Lake, Dollar Lake, Olcott Lake, Little Olcott Lake, Wolf Lake and Little Wolf Lake. Local residents travel between the first several lakes using small boats or personal watercraft.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Michigan Center had a population of 4,609. The median age was 43.0 years. 20.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 105.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 104.4 males age 18 and over.

96.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 4.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,963 households in Michigan Center, of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 45.4% were married-couple households, 21.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

See also

  • Michigan Center High School

References

  • Michigan Center School District
  • Carp Carnival