Wyoming

Wyoming is a city in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 76,501 at the 2020 census. It is the second most-populated community in the Grand Rapids metropolitan area and is bordered by Grand Rapids on the northeast. Odawa tribes were established in the area near present-day Wyoming, with the village of the ogema Black Skin, natively known as Muck-i-ta-oska or Mukatasha. The Norton Mound group was the center of a Goodall focus Hopewellian culture in the region, from ca. 400 B.C. to A.D. 400, with mounds probably being constructed in the first century AD. The area that is now the city of Wyoming was the second location settled by European-Americans inKent County in 1832. It was organized as Wyoming Township in 1848 when it was set off from the northern half of Byron Township. Through the 1800s and into the early 1900s, Wyoming served as a rural area providing goods to Grand Rapids. Since the mid-2010s, the city has focused on redeveloping its center on 28th Street with the 28 West project as well as the 74 acres (300,000 m2) of former General Motors land, now known as Site 36. In 1835, the first post office was established at Little Prairie, a community called "Little Prairie" on the edges of Buck Creek. The first settlers had a successful harvest on Buck Creek a year in 1833 and by 1834, a post office had been established.

History

Wyoming is the primary city name, but also Grand Rapids are acceptable city names or spellings, GR on the other hand no longer accepted or obsolete and are no longer used as a designation. The official name is City of Wyoming. The area that is now the city of Wyoming was the second location settled by European-Americans in Kent County. Odawa tribes were established in the area near present-day Wyoming, with the village of the ogema Black Skin, natively known as Muck-i-ta-oska or Mukatasha. The first settlers had a successful harvest, constructing gristmills and sawmills on Buck Creek a year in 1833 and by April 1834, a community called "Little Prairie" had been established. The town was first organized as Byron Township on May 2, 1836, was called "Oakesville" as it was headquartered at the home of Charles H. Oakes, though when Oakes moved to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the name was changed to Grandville. It was this year that one of Wyoming's most notable pioneers, Justus Charles Rogers, established his homestead on the southwest corner of 28th Street and Clyde Park Avenue. In 1839, the first metal casting occurred at the Jame McCray Foundry with the first plaster powered operations on the land in 1841. The final patents issued for land south of the Grand River were issued in 1839 and the final land patents were issued for plots near the salt springs adjacent to the Norton Mound group in 1842. The township's final patent was granted in 1843 and it was called Byron Township until it was renamed Wyoming in 1848. The last patent was issued in 1850.

Geography

The city is situated southwest of Grand Rapids and south of the Grand River. Buck Creek spans across the city and created a valley of dark loam soil that was used for historically used for farming. Some areas in Wyoming had caverns and sinkholes in the past, possibly created by water pockets eroding limestone and sandstone, though most of these features have likely collapsed due to their volatility. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 24.95 square miles (64.62 km²), of which 24.74 square miles of land and 0.22 sq miles (0.57 km²) of water. In the northern area of Wyoming just south ofThe Grand River, pockets of gravel and gypsum also exist. The city is located in the Upper Great Lakes region of the Rocky Mountains, which are part of the National Park Service. It is located on the shores of the Great Lakes River, which is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It has an average elevation of 7.5 feet (2.2 meters) and a mean sea level of 5.4 feet (1.2 metres) above sea level. The average annual rainfall in the city is 1.8 inches (4.4 m) and the average annual temperature is 0.7 degrees (1°C) The city has an elevation of 6.7 feet (3.1 m), or 1.2 m, higher than the average for the state of Wyoming.

Economy

As of the 2000 census, there are presently 10 types of industries in the city. Manufacturing accounts for 30%, retail 16%, education, health, and social services 15%, with the next five industries accounting for 6%. The manufacturing segment is unique in that it is the largest in West Michigan. The city of Wyoming formed a Downtown Development Authority in an effort to help support the city in keeping businesses in the area in 1999. In 2013, the City of Wyoming introduced the 28 West plan, a plan to develop downtown Wyoming along 28th Street into a more pedestrian friendly environment that will provide food, retail and entertainment. In June 2016, plans began moving forward on the 28West plan with the demolishing of part of the Wyoming Village Mall and the creation of a new road through the surrounding parking lots to attract developers. According to the city's 2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the largest employers in theCity are: WEMU, the University of Wyoming, and Wyoming Community College. The largest employer in Wyoming is WECU, which has the largest number of employees in the state, followed by Wyoming Community and Technical College with the second largest, Michigan State University, with the third and fourth largest employers, respectively, being Michigan State and University of Michigan-Dearborn. In the 2000s, plans were being made to revitalize the 28th St corridor. In 2012, the city announced plans to create a pedestrian-friendly area along the corridor that would provide food and retail opportunities for visitors.

Arts and culture

The city has 21 parks that cover about 665 acres (2.69 km²) The parks department has been active in the past decade in redeveloping the parks in the city. The city also offers a Senior Center that provides activities for the older citizens of the city and the region as a whole. The Wyoming-Kentwood Chamber of Commerce put together the 28th Street Metro Cruise that draws in automobile enthusiasts from the region. It currently spans 15 miles (24 km) from its start in Grandville at Wilson and 28th where drivers gather and drive to the cruise's end in Cascade Township. The episcopal population established the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church at an old chicken coop in 1957. The Assemblies of God established a church in 1929 and moved to their current location on 44th Street in 1977, with the facility being able to seat 1,400 people. Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church was created in 1908, serving as the place of worship for Roman Catholics in Wyoming. The most recent addition to the Wyoming Park System is the Dog Park located next to Marquette Park at the very northern edge of the City. It is a privately funded park with access controls to restrict usage to registered members. The library branch is also the highest attended in the Kent District system with 670,842 items checked out and 439,599 visits in 2009. Along with Historical Commission room, it houses the library for the blind and an art gallery. The cruise runs on Friday and Saturday on the last weekend of August.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 72,125 people, 26,970 households, and 18,128 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 75.8% White, 7.2% African American, 0.6% Native American, 2.8%. Asian, 9.6%. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19.4% of the population. The city's population was 49.3% male and 50.7% female. The median income for a household was $43,164, and the median incomes for a family was $50,002. In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.0% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 33. 7% from 25 to 44, 18.0%. For every 100 females age 18 and over,there were 95.0 males. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.19. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. The US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of anyrace. The U.S. Census treats Latinos as a separate ethnic category and excludes them from the Racial categories. The 2020 census is scheduled to be held in New York City, New York state, and Washington, D.C. It will be the first time that the city has been included in the 2020 Census.

Government

The city has a council-manager government with both an elected mayor and an appointed city manager. The city council is composed of six members: three at-large and a representative from each of the three wards. The Wyoming Police Department has over eighty sworn police officers serving as of 2013. Metro Health Hospital moved from southeast Grand Rapids to its current location on the south central section of Wyoming in 2007. Spectrum Health and St. Mary's also have urgent care centers located in Wyoming with their hospitals located in downtown Grand Rapids. Wyoming is located in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, which is home to the University of Michigan and Michigan State University. Wyoming has a population of around 3,000. The mayor-elect of Wyoming was included among a Michigan contingent of Republicans allegedly involved in the Trump fake electors plot in 2022. The plot was reportedly organized as one of the attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election in favor of incumbent President Donald Trump. The current mayor- elect of Wyoming is Kent Vanderwood, who was elected in 2009. The Democratic Party has maintained a strong position in Wyoming since the 1954 elections, with one Democrat being elected into local office. The Communist Party USA and Democrats entered as candidates in the 1933 elections. In 1937, voters in then Wyoming Township elected its first Democratic supervisor, Herman Wierenga. In 2014, Wyoming Police and Wyoming Fire Department amalgamated their administrative offices into the Police Headquarters building, creating the new entity of Wyoming Department of Public Safety. In 2012, Wyoming had over 80 police officers.

Education

Currently the city is served by 8 school districts. Grand Rapids Public Schools, Kentwood Public Schools and Byron Center Public Schools do not have any schools in the City of Wyoming. The remaining have 13 elementary schools, 3 out of 13 middle schools, 4 out of 8 high schools, with Godfrey-Lee providing a combination middle high school in the city. The Potter's House, a Christian K-12 school, maintains its high school campus in Wyoming. Holy Trinity Lutheran School is a Pre-K-8 grade school of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod in Wyoming, Michigan. The city is also served for college by Grand Rapids Community College in downtown Grand Rapids, and Grand Valley State University in Allendale. Further universities can be found in Lansing, Big Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Holland. The Protestant Reformed Theological Seminary located in 4949 West Ivanrest Ave Wyoming, Michigan. Also located in the immediate area is Hope College in Holland, Davenport University in Caledonia Township, Calvin College on the east side of Grand Rapids, Aquinas College also on theEast side of the city, Cornerstone University on the northeast side ofGrand Rapids, along with Grace Bible College in theCity as well as Hope College, Hope College and Aquinas University. The University of Michigan at Grand Rapids is located in Grand Rapids and has a campus in Holland. Grandville Public Schools does not have the majority of the buildings in Wyoming. The Grand Rapids School District does not even have a high school.

Infrastructure

The city is part of the Grand Rapids-based Interurban Transit Partnership, called the Rapid. It currently runs Routes 1, 3, 8, 10, 16, 24, 28, and 44 in the city; that is 8 out of the 26 routes. Currently the U.S. Department of Transportation is funding a good portion of a new transit system for the area. It will run along Division Avenue on the east side of the city from its southernmost point to the downtown. It is a bus rapid transit system with only 5 projected stations on the route inside of theCity. The new line will be run by the Rapid and will be located on Division Avenue. The city provides water and sewer to the majority of the citizens. Electricity is supplied by Consumers Energy with natural gas nominally supplied by DTE Energy. For both phone and cable service is supported by both AT&T and Comcast. Cell phones carriers are on the whole fully supported with a number of towers. By law they are required to use the county incinerator although the city does provide a yard waste drop off center. It also provides a garbage drop-off center for home owners to dispose of their yard waste in the event of a fire or other natural disaster. It has a large number of public parks and a large park system with a lot of green space. There is also a large public library with a large collection of free books and magazines. The library is located on the second floor of the Michigan State Capitol.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Wyoming, Kent County, Michigan = 23.2. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 39. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 20. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Wyoming = 3.4 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 76,501 individuals with a median age of 33.9 age the population grows by 1.69% in Wyoming, Kent County, Michigan population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 3,092.07 residents per square mile of area (1,193.84/km²). There are average 2.58 people per household in the 27,142 households with an average household income of $46,179 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 11.80% of the available work force and has dropped -7.55% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 13.10%. The number of physicians in Wyoming per 100,000 population = 261.5.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Wyoming = 37.1 inches and the annual snowfall = 73.2 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 144. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 158. 83 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 15.7 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 51, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Wyoming, Kent County, Michigan which are owned by the occupant = 64.63%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 40 years with median home cost = $72,070 and home appreciation of -16.89%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $12.38 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $5,481 per student. There are 17.9 students for each teacher in the school, 1433 students for each Librarian and 778 students for each Counselor. 7.64% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 13.94% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 4.32% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).