Rockford is a city in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 4,626. It is on the Rogue River
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.8 km2 (3.0 mi2). 7.8 km2 (3.0 mi2) of it is land and 0.1 km2 (0.04 mi2) of it is water. The total area is 0.99% water.
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 4,626 people, 1,741 households, and 1,255 families residing in the city. The population density is 595.4/km2 (1,544.2/mi2). There are 1,796 housing units at an average density of 231.1/km2 (599.5/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 96.20% White, 0.61% African American, 0.39% Native American, 0.91% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.63% from other races, and 1.25% from two or more races. 1.51% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 1,741 households out of which 45.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.1% are married couples living together, 14.9% have a female householder with no husband present, and 27.9% are non-families. 25.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.65 and the average family size is 3.21.
In the city the population is spread out with 33.9% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 33.0% from 25 to 44, 17.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 32 years. For every 100 females there are 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 80.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $50,562, and the median income for a family is $55,954. Males have a median income of $45,847 versus $28,024 for females. The per capita income for the city is $19,906. 8.1% of the population and 8.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 10.7% of those under the age of 18 and 12.9% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Wolverine Worldwide, a footwear manufacturer, was founded in Rockford in 1883 and has been an important employer in the area.
The Rockford area was first visited and inhabited by Native American cultures, such as the Hopewell, Mascouten, and Ottawa peoples. There have not been archeological finds of Native American settlements in the Rogue River valley, but their trails branched through the area and were noted by early surveyors.
The first important settler of what would become the city of Rockford was Smith Lapham, who had come to Kent County in 1843 after living in Washtenaw County for 18 years. Smith Lapham came to the banks of the Rogue to assist in the completion of a dam and sawmill begun by a William Hunter. Hunter gave Lapham 40 acres of land on the east side of the Rogue for his trouble, and Lapham stayed there for the rest of his life. Hunter shortly left the area.
Lapham built his own sawmill on his side of the river, which was completed by 1844. Other settlers soon followed, including John Long, Freeman Burch, and William Thornton. By the fall of 1845, the settlement had about 5 houses. Since the settlement existed largely on land owned or sold by Smith Lapham, it became known as Laphamville. In 1856 it was first platted as Laphamville by William Thornton.
By 1865 the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad Company had begun a railroad extending northward through the village. The railroad had been advising the residents to adopt a shorter name, and when a newly arrived resident from Rockford, Illinois proposed the name of his former town, the new name was narrowly approved. It was replatted under the name Rockford in 1865 and incorporated as the Village of Rockford in June 1866 with 315 inhabitants.
Source:
RockfordMichigan.com
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