Walled Lake, Michigan

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Walled Lake, Michigan
settlement_type = City


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image_caption =
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mapsize = 250x200px
map_caption = Location in Oakland County and the state of Michigan


mapsize1 =
map_caption1 =
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_name1 = Michigan
subdivision_name2 = Oakland
government_type =
leader_title =
leader_name =
established_date =
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 6.4
area_total_sq_mi = 2.5
area_land_km2 = 5.9
area_land_sq_mi = 2.3
area_water_km2 = 0.5
area_water_sq_mi = 0.2
elevation_ft = 942
elevation_m = 287
population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 6,713
population_metro =
population_density_km2 = 1,141.8
population_density_sq_mi = 2957.3
timezone = Eastern (EST)
utc_offset = -5
latd = 42 |latm = 32 |lats = 16 |latNS = N
longd = 83 |longm = 28 |longs = 52 |longEW = W
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
postal_code_type = ZIP codes
postal_code = 48390-48391
area_code = 248
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 26-83060GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 1615720GR|3
footnotes =
website =

Walled Lake is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 6,713 at the 2000 census.

Origins of the Name

The town's name is said to have been given by the first settler, Walter Hewitt, in 1825. Upon his arrival, he noticed what appeared to be a stone wall along the lake's western bank, possibly constructed by earlier Potawatomi Indian tribes. [ [http://www.lorimarshick.com/WLHistory.html Walled Lake History] - "LoriMarshick,.com", retrieved 14 Dec 2007]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.4 km²), of which, 2.3 square miles (5.9 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.5 km²) of it (8.10%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 6,713 people, 3,158 households, and 1,689 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,956.9 per square mile (1,141.8/km²). There were 3,390 housing units at an average density of 1,493.2/sq mi (576.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.34% White, 0.73% African American, 0.31% Native American, 1.70% Asian, 0.49% from other races, and 1.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.68% of the population.

There were 3,158 households out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.0% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.5% were non-families. 39.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.3% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 36.8% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 85.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $45,386, and the median income for a family was $55,613. Males had a median income of $45,169 versus $31,021 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,199. About 2.9% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.9% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.

The Mayor

The Mayor of Walled Lake is the Hon. William T. Roberts. Mayor Roberts, a Democrat, has been a resident of Walled Lake since 1954. In April 1968, he was elected to the City Council, becoming the youngest local elected official in Michigan and one of the youngest in the country. In 1973, he was elected Mayor and served until 1977, when he chose not to seek re-election. Roberts was elected to the Council in 1979 and re-elected in 1983. He served two terms as Mayor Pro-tem. In April 1986, Roberts's successor, Mayor Gaspre LaMarca, died and Roberts was appointed as Mayor. He was elected in Nov. 1986, and re-elected in 1989, 1993, 1997, 2001, and 2005. Roberts is a member of the Walled Lake Downtown Development Authority, and serves on its Executive Committee. In January 2002, he became dean of municipal officials in Oakland County.

City Council

The Council consists of six members, including a mayor pro tem, elected to four-year terms. Current Council members include: Edmond L. Bennett, Diane Cartter, Larry Fox, Angela Maher, and Casey Ambrose. The Mayor Pro Tem is Monica Lesnau. [http://www.walledlake.com/NewCity/Council/CityCouncil.htm City of Walled Lake, Michigan Council Members Page. Retrieved May 19, 2008]

Schools

The Walled Lake Consolidated Schools contains four high schools: Walled Lake Western, Walled Lake Central, Walled Lake Northern, and Walled Lake Community, which compete in the Western Lakes Activities Association conference, except for Walled Lake Community, which does not have any sports teams, except 1 intramural basketball team called the 'Chargers'. Western is a standout school in football known for its two state titles which were won in a span of four years from 1996 to 1999. They were the last team from Oakland County to have a Division 1 state championship and the only team from Division 1 to go undefeated. In 2001, the Western Warriors were regional champs and a semi-finalist. In 1992 they were state championship runner-up. They are one of fifty teams to have ten playoff appearances in the state of Michigan.

The school district also contains 4 middle schools: James R. Geisler, Sarah Banks, Clifford H. Smart, and Walnut Creek Middle Schools. There are also 14 elementary schools scattered in Wixom, Novi, White Lake, West Bloomfield, Farmington and Commerce. There is the Outdoor Educational Building, CEC are also there.

Underground Railroad

Resting spots along the Underground Railroad, where runaway slaves could sleep and eat, were called "depots". One of these was the Foster Farmhouse (built in 1833) in Walled Lake, which served as a refuge for those making their way to freedom in Canada. [ [http://www.globalindex.com/comindex/mi/walled_l.shtml Walled Lake facts page] - "globalindex.com", retrieved 14 Dec 2007] The Foster Farmhouse was located on Pontiac Trail near 15 mile road until 1997, when it was moved to Riley Park in downtown Walled Lake to avoid demolition. [http://walledlakelibrary.org/local_history/foster/underground_rr.html, Oakland Press article from Dec. 10th, 2001, retrieved July 8th, 2008]

ister Cities

References

External links

* [http://www.walledlake.com/ City of Walled Lake]
* [http://www.wlcsd.org/ Walled Lake Schools]
* [http://www.walledlakecentral.org/ Walled Lake Central Website]
* [http://www.wlcvikingfootball.com/ Walled Lake Central HS Football]
* [http://www.wlwfootball.com/ Walled Lake Western HS football]
* [http://www.wlcsd.org/wlwhs/ Walled Lake Western Website]
* [http://www.theoaklandcounty.com The Oakland County]
* [http://www.lorimarshick.com/WLHistory.html Lori Marshick] : Extensive history and photos