Adrian, Michigan

Adrian is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Lenawee County. The population was 21,133 at the 2010 census. Adrian lies in Michigan's 7th congressional district.

History
Adrian was founded on June 18, 1826, by Addison Comstock, promoter of the Erie and Kalamazoo Railroad, and was originally named Logan. In 1828 Addison's wife renamed the village to Adrian after the Roman Emperor Hadrian.

The only remaining piece of the Bank of Pennsylvania— one of the stone pillars — was moved to Adrian, Michigan and erected as the Civil War Memorial in commemoration of those in Adrian who died in the American Civil War.



In the late 19th century through early 20th century Adrian was known as the "fence capital of the world," when J. Wallace Page invented the first successful wire fence. Throughout this period, Adrian was one of the first fencing manufacturers in the world and its fences were shipped as far as New York, Berlin, Asia, and Africa. The company sponsored the highly successful Page Fence Giants black baseball team.

One of the first motor vehicles, the Lion automobile, was created in Adrian. Between 1900 and 1912, Adrian was shaping up to be one of the motor capitals of the world, with three car models manufactured in Adrian during those 12 years. But due to some unfortunate turn of events, it never came to be.

The first two were the Murry Motor Car and Lenawee Car: both made by the Church Manufacturing Company. Although the cars were a hit at the 1910 Chicago Automobile show and they sold hundreds of cars, due to bad financial decisions the Church Manufacturing Company ran out of money and had to close.

The third car manufactured in Adrian was the Lion made by the Lion Motor Car Company. The Lion was immensely popular and successful; Lion Motor Car Company was taking the lead in the auto industry. However, on June 12, 1912, the plant caught on fire, destroyed about 200 cars, and ultimately ended the company.

Culture and life
Adrian is approximately 30 mi southwest of Ann Arbor, 30 mi southeast of Jackson, and 30 mi northwest of Toledo, Ohio. A portion of the city is on the border between Adrian Township and Madison Charter Township, although the city is politically independent of both. The city's urban area extends beyond the city limits into both of those townships as well as into nearby Raisin Township and Palmyra Township.

Adrian is sometimes referred to as "the Maple City" due in part to the many sugar maple and other maple tree species found throughout the city. The Adrian High School sports teams are known as the "Adrian Maples" and several local businesses use maple in their names.

Adrian's cultural life has connections to the mid-19th century. The Adrian City Band is one of the oldest continuously active community bands in the country, founded in 1836. Also of historical note is the Croswell Opera House. The Adrian Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1981. Adrian College and Siena Heights University also offer many cultural opportunities.

Heritage Park and Trestle Park have extensive mountain bike trails and boardwalks along the river. Trestle Park features a pedestrian walkway along a former railroad trestle.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.10 sqmi, of which 7.95 sqmi is land and 0.15 sqmi is water.

The town is approximately 15 mi southeast of the Irish Hills area of Michigan, an area known for its many lakes and rolling hills, and home to the Irish Famine Memorial and Michigan International Speedway. Many town residents take advantage of this area for boating and recreation. Devils Lake, Round Lake, Posey Lake and Wamplers Lake are popular weekend destinations within a few miles.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 21,133 people, 7,831 households, and 4,531 families residing in the city. The population density was 2658.2 PD/sqmi. There were 8,977 housing units at an average density of 1129.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 84.1% White, 4.4% African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 5.9% from other races, and 4.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.8% of the population.

There were 7,831 households of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.8% were married couples living together, 16.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.1% were non-families. 34.7% 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 2.37 and the average family size was 3.06.

The median age in the city was 32.5 years. 23% of residents were under the age of 18; 17.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.5% were from 25 to 44; 22.1% were from 45 to 64; and 14.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.8% male and 52.2% female.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 21,574 people, 7,908 households, and 4,855 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,023.5 per square mile (1,166.6/km²). There were 8,498 housing units at an average density of 1,191.0 per square mile (459.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.47% White, 3.52% Black, 0.62% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 0.2%, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 7.72% from other races, and 2.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.99% of the population.

There were 7,908 households out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.8% were married couples living together, 15.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.6% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the city, the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 15.4% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,405, and the median income for a family was $42,069. Males had a median income of $31,500 versus $23,359 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,528. About 9.8% of families and 13.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.5% of those under age 18 and 19.8% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics
Adrian is run by a city commission headed by a mayor. Its sister city is Moriyama, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. Elections are often close in Adrian, with the east side leaning Democrat, the northwest side and historical district leaning Republican. Election issues have focused on the economy, abortion, labor unions, and agricultural policy. Independent groups include the Right to Life, the Tea Party, and labor unions.

Top employers
According to Adrian's 2012 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Education
Adrian Public Schools serves Adrian and the surrounding area.

St. Stephen Lutheran School is a Christian PreK-8 school of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod in Adrian.

There are three colleges and universities in the city, namely:
 * Adrian College
 * Siena Heights University
 * Jackson College

Media
The Daily Telegram is Adrian's local daily newspaper which covers the entire county.

Local radio stations include WABJ 1490 AM (mainly syndicated talk); WLEN – 103.9 FM (news); WQTE 95.3 FM (country music); and WVAC 107.9 FM (student-operated radio from Adrian College). Stations WSAE in Spring Arbor and WBCL in Fort Wayne also operate translator FM stations in Adrian, at 96.5 and 97.7 on the dial respectively.

Adrian is also served by radio and television signals from Ann Arbor, Toledo, and Jackson, and some Detroit broadcasters can also be seen or heard in parts of the area.