Grosse Pointe, Michigan

Grosse Pointe is a suburban city bordering Detroit in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city covers just over one square mile, and had a population of 5,421 at the 2010 census. It is bordered on the west by Grosse Pointe Park, on the north by Detroit, on the east by Grosse Pointe Farms, and on the south by Lake Saint Clair. Grosse Pointe is about eight miles (13 km) east of downtown Detroit, accessible by Jefferson Avenue or several other cross streets. Grosse Pointe is one of five similarly named municipalities in northeastern Wayne County, and is often called "The City," or Grosse Pointe City.

Together with "The Park" and "The Farms", "the City" comprises part of the southern Pointes, which are older and more densely populated than the northern Pointes (Grosse Pointe Woods and Grosse Pointe Shores). It became heavily populated between 1910 and 1930 as one of Detroit's first commuter suburbs; in the previous century Grosse Pointe was home to cottages, resorts, farms, and widely spaced lakefront mansions. Grosse Pointe ("the City"), Grosse Pointe Farms, and Grosse Pointe Park make up the Grosse Pointe South High School district. Downtown Grosse Pointe, along Kercheval Avenue from Neff to Cadieux, nicknamed "The Village," is considered by many to be the central downtown for all five of the Grosse Pointes, although each of them (except Grosse Pointe Shores) has several blocks of retail properties.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.3 sqmi. 1.1 sqmi of it is land, and 1.2 sqmi of it is water (part of Lake St. Clair). The total area is 53.07% water.

The street layout of Grosse Pointe is basically a grid inside of its Cadieux, Mack, and Fisher Road boundaries. Inside this small rectangle, most blocks contain rows of single-family homes built between 1910 and 1950, on parcels 50 ft wide on average. Some streets offer large backyards, such as Washington and Lakeland, while other streets are more compact. In some areas homes are configured in a traditionally urban, close-together fashion, while other nearby blocks may offer yards up to 150 ft wide.

Home sizes and styles vary widely, from 1500 to 12000 sqft, but slightly under 3000 sqft on average. Most of the largest homes are within a few blocks of the lakefront; there are several blocks of mansions south of Kercheval Avenue. Predominant architecture includes the neo-Georgian, Tudor revival, Dutch Colonial, and arts and crafts styles. Some Victorian homes and traditional bungalow homes can also be found, mostly just north and south of the Village retail district. Some blocks, generally just south of the Village, have townhouses and apartments. Most of these were built in the 1920s, and can be seen along St. Paul, Maumee, and Jefferson avenues, mostly west of Rivard Boulevard, and between Notre Dame and Cadieux south of the Village retail district.

There are retail and low-rise office buildings along Kercheval Avenue in the Village district, on Fisher Road near Grosse Pointe South High School, and along Mack Avenue bordering Detroit.

Demographics


As of the census of 2000, there were 5,670 people, 2,388 households, and 1,559 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,297.9 per square mile (2,046.0/km²). There were 2,504 housing units at an average density of 2,339.7 per square mile (903.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.18% White, 0.79% African American, 0.07% Native American, 1.04% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.30% from other races, and 0.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.46% of the population. 19.9% were of German, 14.8% Irish, 13.9% English, 7.8% Polish and 7.2% Italian ancestry according to Census 2000. The largest reported religious affiliation was Roman Catholic.

There were 2,388 households out of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.7% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.7% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.8% 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 3.02.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 29.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 88.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $81,111, and the median income for a family was $101,889. Males had a median income of $79,637 versus $44,167 for females. The per capita income for the city was $53,942. About 2.2% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.3% of those under age 18 and 1.9% of those age 65 or over.

Downtown development
Major investments have been planned for downtown Grosse Pointe, also known as "The Village," which may increase density in the shopping- and amenities-focused district. For a variety of reasons, notably the slow metro Detroit economy, the plans remain but building has been put on hold. The Village is generally seen as the heart of all five of the Grosse Pointe municipalities.

Two lots (on either side of St. Clair Avenue) currently used for municipal parking directly north of the current row of retail are the focus of planned redevelopment.

In addition, the former Jacobson's Department Store building along Kercheval, west of St. Clair, has been completely redeveloped. Upper floor office space accompanies a slate of new retailers, including a Trader Joe's grocery occupying specialized space in the renovated building.

Additional building activity is planned for a stretch of St. Clair Avenue to the south of Kercheval Avenue, and a new development is now being constructed to replace the former Kroger grocery store at the corner of Kercheval and Notre Dame Street.

Education
Grosse Pointe Public School System operates public schools.

Notable places

 * The Village shopping district, Kercheval Road between Neff and Cadieux.
 * Neff Park, at the foot of University Place. A restricted-access park with pier and harbor on southern Lake St. Clair, pool, playgrounds, picnic areas, volleyball courts, and ice-skating in the winter.
 * George Elworthy Field. A city park with tennis courts, sports fields (including Little League Baseball diamonds), and playgrounds, within walking distance of the Village. Bounded by Neff Rd., St. Clair Ave., Waterloo St., and Charlevoix Street.
 * Ralph Harmon Booth House, 315 Washington Road. The largest house in the city; an architecturally significant English Revival mansion, designed by Marcus Burrows, in the midst of other historic homes. The former home of the President of Booth Newspapers, who served as U.S. Minister to Denmark and a key Detroit Institute of Arts philanthropist, Ralph Booth, the brother of George G. Booth.
 * Henry Tiffany Cole House, 394 Lakeland at Maumee. A large, distinctive Tudor mansion.
 * John M. Dwyer House, 372 Lakeland. A huge Georgian Colonial mansion, part of a row of mansions on lower Lakeland Ave.
 * Waterman House, 330 Lincoln. A stucco Georgian mansion built in 1911 at the corner of Maumee. Once the home of the inventor of the outboard boat motor. Features a chapel imported from England.
 * The Murray Sales House, 251 Lincoln. An Italian villa in white stucco off Jefferson Avenue built in 1917. Designed by the famed Louis Kamper, the architect of some downtown Detroit skyscrapers, among other buildings.
 * "Rosecroft," the B. Tobin House, at 266 Lakeland Ave. A unique 1912 Tudor designed by Albert Kahn.
 * Several blocks of mansions and architecturally significant houses (including some townhouses) on Lincoln, Washington, Roosevelt, Rivard, University, and Lakeland, south of Kercheval.
 * Historic smaller homes, among the oldest in the city, along St. Clair Ave. and Notre Dame Ave., especially near Kercheval.
 * Several blocks of houses representing upscale residential architecture of the 1910-1930 period.
 * Dodge Place, a mid-century subdivision built on part of the former Horace and Anna Dodge mansion(s) site.
 * Fisher Road retail district (between St. Paul and Maumee), across from Grosse Pointe South High School.
 * Mack Avenue business district, along the length of Mack Avenue in Grosse Pointe, constituting the border with Detroit.
 * Maire Elementary School (Cadieux near Kercheval), the only one of the Grosse Pointe Public Schools within the small city.
 * Grosse Pointe Unitarian Church (Maumee near Neff), the only church within the one square mile city.

Notable people

 * Debbie Massey, golfer. Winner of three LPGA Tour events

In popular culture

 * Grosse Pointe was where John Hughes spent the first twelve years of his life. It is also where the film Grosse Pointe Blank takes place, which stars John Cusack as a hitman who attends his ten year high school reunion; this is perhaps intended as a morbid parody of the John Hughes high school films that Cusack starred in.
 * Jeffrey Eugenides' 1993 novel, The Virgin Suicides, and its subsequent 1999 film adaptation are set in Grosse Pointe.