St. Clair Shores, Michigan

St. Clair Shores is a suburban city bordering Lake St. Clair in Macomb County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It forms a part of the Metro Detroit area, and is located approximately 13 miles (21 km) northeast of downtown Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 59,715. The current mayor is Robert A. Hison (R). It is an 8 Mile City, and is the only one in Macomb County that does not share a border with Detroit.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.2 square miles (36.9 km²), of which, 11.5 square miles (29.9 km²) of it is land and 2.7 square miles (7.0 km²) of it (19.09%) is water. A notable feature of St. Clair Shores is its 14 miles (22 km) of canals.

History and culture
The area was inhabited by French settlers as early as 1710, at which time it was called L'anse Creuse. (L'anse Creuse was also the name of a stop on the now-defunct interurban railroad off of Jefferson Ave near Nine Mile Road, and the name lives on today in the L'Anse Creuse Public Schools in central Macomb County, MI and L'Anse Creuse High School in Harrison Twp.)

From 1843 until 1911, St. Clair Shores was a part of Erin Township, parts of which make up today's Eastpointe, the Grosse Pointes and St. Clair Shores. In 1911, the township's name changed to Lake Township. Lake Township existed until 2009, when residents of the village of Grosse Pointe Shores (the portion of Grosse Pointe Shores in Macomb County lied within Lake Township) voted to incorporate as a city.

The city once was home to an amusement park named Jefferson Beach. Built in 1927, it featured the longest roller coaster in the United States. In 1955, a fire destroyed several buildings in the park. While Jefferson Beach attempted to rebuild, its owners slowly converted the park to a marina. In 1959, the remaining amusement park buildings were destroyed to make room for the marina.

With help from its location along the shores of Lake Saint Clair, St. Clair Shores grew from a resort community to a suburban city rapidly after World War II. Prior to the city's incorporation in 1951, St. Clair Shores was recognized as the largest village in the United States.

The tallest building in St. Clair Shores is the 26-story Shore Club Highrise, known locally as "9 Mile Tower", located near Nine Mile Road and Jefferson Avenue on Lake Saint Clair.

Each year, St. Clair Shores hosts a popular Memorial Day Parade. The city is also known for its "Nautical Mile" - a strip of Jefferson Avenue between Nine Mile and 10 Mile roads featuring many retail establishments, boat dealers, and marinas.

St. Clair Shores is home to one of the longest running local pageants as a member of the Miss America Organization. The Miss St. Clair Shores program offers scholarships to young women in the community ages 17–24. Miss St. Clair Shores volunteers and serves her city during her preparation to compete at the Miss Michigan Pageant.

The city is also known for its connection to Detroit's musical history. Notable locations include Car City Records on Harper between 8 and 9 Mile roads (whose employees have included many from the Detroit music scene) and the Crows Nest East, a popular music venue in the 1960s which was located on Harper and 13 Mile Road.

St. Clair Shores is also well known for its hockey association, with more state championships than any other rink in the entire state. High school hockey during the 1970s dominated the competition; one team from Lakeview even went undefeated in 1973, and won the championship. There are still signs and vintage Hockeytown bumper stickers hanging inside the arena.

Naming
Being situated on the western shores of Lake Saint Clair, the city's name is taken from the lake. An expedition led by the French explorer René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle named it Lac Sainte-Claire, because they entered the lake on August 12, 1679, the feast day of Saint Clare of Assisi. The lake is named on English maps as early as 1710 as Saint Clare. But as early as the Mitchell Map in 1755, the spelling is presented with the current spelling as St. Clair. The name is sometimes attributed as honoring the American Revolutionary War General and Governor of the Northwest Territory Arthur St. Clair, but the name was in use with the current spelling long before St. Clair was a notable figure. However it is possible that earlier name of the lake was conflated with that of the general in naming some of the political entities near the lake and the river, such as St. Clair County St. Clair Township, and the cities of St. Clair and St. Clair Shores.

The origin of the name has also been confused with that Patrick Sinclair, a British officer who purchased land on the St. Clair River at the outlet of the Pine River. There, in 1764, he built Fort Sinclair, which was in use for nearly twenty years before being abandoned.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 63,096 people, 27,434 households, and 17,283 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,472.3 per square mile (2,112.9/km²). There were 28,208 housing units at an average density of 2,446.5 per square mile (944.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.89% White, 0.69% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.84% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.18% from other races, and 1.10% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.18% of the population.

There were 27,434 households out of which 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the city the population was spread out with 20.2% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 21.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $49,047, and the median income for a family was $59,245. Males had a median income of $46,614 versus $31,192 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,009. About 2.6% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.4% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.

As of census 2010 St. Clair Shores had a population of 59,715. The ethnic and racial makeup of the population was 91.39% non-Hispoanic white, 3.94% African American, 0.31% Native American, 1.03% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.08% Non-Hispanic other, 1.75% two or more races and 1.74% Hispanic or Latino.

Education
Located in St. Clair Shores are the South Lake Schools, Lakeview Public Schools, and Lake Shore Public Schools public school districts; each district includes a high school. Private schools include St. Germaine, St. Isaac Jogues and St. Joan of Arc are in the city.

Notable residents

 * Dave Coulier - actor and comedian
 * Fred "Sonic" Smith of the band MC5.
 * Patti Smith - Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame singer
 * Mark Wells was a member of the 1980 Miracle on Ice hockey team that won the gold medal over the Finland.
 * David Debol- NHL, Pro Hockey, member of the Hartford Whalers,(1979–80,1980–81).
 * George Herbert Allen- (April 29, 1918 – December 31, 1990) was an American football coach in the NFL and USFL.
 * Cindy Lineau- the first female Zamboni driver in Olympic history (1980).
 * Don Patrick Harvey - Actor (Die Hard 2, Walker, Texas Ranger)