Madison Heights, Michigan

History

Originally part of Royal Oak Township, Madison Heights incorporated as a city by popular vote on January 17, 1955, and chartered on December 6 that same year, becoming the tenth city government in southern Oakland County. At that time, the 7.2 square miles (18.6 km²) city was one of the largest suburban communities in the Metro Detroit area. The first city hall was located at 26305 John R Road, the former township offices. On April 5, 1963, a new municipal building was dedicated which is on the present location at 300 West Thirteen Mile Road. The city lies in the Interstate 696 (I-696) and I-75 corridor and is served by two primary school districts, Lamphere and Madison, as well as a full-service municipal government. Today, Madison Heights' mayor is Brian Hartwell.

Today

Madison Heights is part of Oakland County's Automation Alley. There are more than 1,300 commercial and industrial businesses and services within the city's 7.2 square miles (18.6 km²), and the city is proud to have a majority of small businesses, as well as more than 100 major companies within its borders, such as Best Buy, Coca-Cola, Commercial Steel Treating Corporation, Costco, CVS Pharmacy, Henkel Technologies, Home Depot, Meijer, Micro Center, Ogura Corporation, Sam's Club, Hungry Howie's, Target, UPS, WOW!, Culver's, and Sears. The city has 23 shopping centers, 11 hotels, more than 860,000 square feet (80,000 m²) of office space, and seven industrial parks that include 10,000,000 square feet (900,000 m²).

While 91% of the buildings in Madison Heights are single-family homes or condominiums (approximately 9,800 residential property owners), 60% of the tax base is fueled by light industrial or commercial property. Madison Heights was named a "High Tech Hot Spot" by a local magazine. The city's average number of fires per 1,000 people is 4.12, well below the national average of 6.7 fires per 1,000 people. The city contains 15 voting precincts, totaling more than 21,000 registered voters. Robert Earl Richardson was the first Chief of Police when the city was chartered in December 1955.

There are more than 112 miles (180 km) of road within Madison Heights, of which the city maintains 105 miles (169 km), 95 miles (153 km) for snow removal, sweeping, and patching. Interstate 75 passes north to south on the west side of the city, and Interstate 696 is the major feature of its southern border. The junction of these two highways is shared with Royal Oak and Hazel Park on the southwest corner of Madison Heights.

As of the 2010 census Madison Heights had a residential vacancy rate of 7.1%.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.09 square miles (18.36 km²), all land.

Culture

The Telway Hamburger System is a long-standing 24-hour restaurant in Madison Heights known for its sliders (small hamburgers) and its unique late-night crowds.

The Chinese Cultural Center is located in Madison Heights.

Economy

The Hungry Howie's Pizza corporate headquarters is located in Madison Heights. Madison Heights is also home to Moosejaw.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 29,694 people, 12,712 households, and 7,543 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,188.2 inhabitants per square mile (1,617.1/km²). There were 13,685 housing units at an average density of 1,930.2 per square mile (745.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.9% White, 6.4% African American, 0.5% Native American, 5.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.7% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.5% of the population.

There were 12,712 households of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.0% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.7% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 3.02.

The median age in the city was 38.3 years. 20.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 30.4% were from 25 to 44; 26.6% were from 45 to 64; and 13.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.1% male and 50.9% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 31,101 people, 13,299 households, and 8,005 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,341.3 people per square mile (1,677.1/km²). There were 13,623 housing units at an average density of 1,901.6 per square mile (734.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.60% White, 1.82% African American, 0.44% Native American, 4.97% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.46% from other races, and 2.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.61% of the population.

There were 13,299 households out of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.2% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.8% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the city, the population was spread out with 22.1% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 35.4% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $42,326, and the median income for a family was $51,364. Males had a median income of $41,478 versus $29,345 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,429. About 7.0% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.8% of those under age 18 and 13.0% of those age 65 or over.

Asian Demographic

As of 2009 there are several Vietnamese businesses, including markets, restaurants, and specialty shops along Dequindre and John R in Madison Heights. Nicole Rupersburg of Metro D Media wrote that the prevalence of Vietnamese businesses is due to the higher than average Vietnamese population in Madison Heights. The area along John R caters to a pan-Asian clientele and other Asian businesses are present with Vietnamese ones.

168 Asian Mart (168亚洲超市), a 38,000-square-foot (3,500 m²) supermarket, is the largest Asian supermarket in southeast Michigan, and one of the largest in the state. the store, owned by Ricky and Cindy Dong of Troy, opened on Monday June 1, 2015. Ricky Dong originated from Fuzhou, Fujian, China.

According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2008 1.9% of people in Madison Heights were of Vietnamese descent. About 0.2% of all people in Michigan and about 0.2% of people in Oakland County are of Vietnamese descent, making the Madison Heights figures ten times the state average. Rupersburg wrote that "comparable" areas around Madison Heights have Vietnamese descent figures of 0.3.

The Chinese Cultural Center (CCC) is located in Madison Heights.

Education

Madison District Public Schools and Lamphere Public Schools have public schools serving Madison Heights

Madison Heights is also home to Bishop Foley Catholic High School, a private school.

Four Corners Montessori Academy is a public charter school also located in Madison Heights.

The Japhet School was located in Madison Heights until 2013, when it moved to Clawson.

Notable residents