Sparta is a village in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,244 at the 2020 census. The village is located within Sparta Township.

Sparta is part of the Grand Rapids metropolitan area and is located about north of the city of Grand Rapids.

History

The Sparta area was first settled in 1844, with the township formally organized in 1846. The first settler in what is now the village was Jonathan Nash in 1846. Calling the place Nashville, he built a sawmill on Lick Creek. Subsequently, he changed the name of the creek to Nash Creek. Seeing as there was already a Nashville in Michigan, the state legislature suggested Sparta. The village was platted in 1867 and incorporated in 1883.

During World War II, Sparta was host to a German prisoner of war camp. The POWs were put to work as farmhands because many of the farmhands from the town had left to go fight in the war. The prisoners were treated relatively well, and later even wrote letters to the owner of the farm they worked on saying such things as, "I like to think back on the nice time we could spend on your farm."

Music

In the early to late 1960s, Sparta was home to Fenton Records, an independent record company and recording studio. The label recorded many local bands, as well as other Michigan garage bands. Due to the limited runs of the records, Fenton vinyl 45rpms are highly collectable, often selling for hundreds of dollars each. Many of the records were compiled on a CD called Scream Loud!!!: The Fenton Records Story (Way Back Records).

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which is land and (0.40%) is water.

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2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Sparta had a population of 4,244. The median age was 36.3 years. 22.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 89.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 87.3 males age 18 and over.

97.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 2.2% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,742 households in Sparta, of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 40.3% were married-couple households, 18.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 32.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. of 2010, there were 4,140 people, 1,644 households, and 1,059 families living in the village. The population density was . There were 1,782 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 94.5% White, 1.3% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 1.6% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.2% of the population.

There were 1,644 households, of which 37.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% were married couples living together, 16.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.6% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.12.

The median age in the village was 34 years. 28.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.3% were from 25 to 44; 21.7% were from 45 to 64; and 13.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 47.1% male and 52.9% female.

2000 census

As of the census

  • Ahmed Fareed, television media personality for NBCSN
  • Vivian Martin, stage and silent film actress
  • Cody Stamann, professional UFC fighter

References

  • Village of Sparta official website