Sterling Heights

Sterling Heights is a city in Macomb County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the city had a total population of 134,346. It is the second largest suburb in Metro Detroit, and the fourth largest city in Michigan. The city is home to many people of eastern European origins, including ethnic Albanians, Bosnians, Croatians, Macedonians, Montenegrins, Poles, Serbians and Slovenians. Sterling Heights is part of the Clinton River watershed, and branches of the river flow through the city. The shape of the city is 6 miles (9.7 km) long and 6 miles wide. It has a humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfa). Summers are somewhat hot with temperatures exceeding 90 °F (32 °C) on average 8.6 days. Winters are cold, with temperatures not rising above freezing on 39.1 days annually, while dropping to or below 0 °C on average 1.2 days a year. In the 1960s and 1970s, many residents came to live in Sterling Heights to work in automobile plants operated by Chrysler and Ford. The population increased when suburban homes were built for the workers in metropolitan Detroit's booming automobile industry. The word "Heights" was added to the township name in 1968 to satisfy a state law that prevents incorporated municipalities from having the same name. Lakeside Mall opened in Sterling Height in 1976. In Sterling Heights, large areas are devoted to retail and commercial development.

History

Sterling Heights is the primary city name, but also Sterling Hts are acceptable city names or spellings, St Heights on the other hand no longer accepted or obsolete and are no longer used as a designation. The official name is City of Sterling Heights. Until the 1950s, Sterling Heights was an agricultural area, largely devoted to growing rhubarb and other crops sold in Detroit. In the 1960s and 1970s, many residents came to live in Sterling Heights to work in automobile plants operated by Chrysler and Ford. The city is home to many groups of immigrants, including ethnic Albanians, Bosnians, Croatians, Macedonians, Montenegrins, Poles, Serbians and Slovenians. After the 2003 U.S.-Iraqi War, millions of Iraqi citizens were displaced, particularly Iraqi Christians (Chaldean and Assyrian). Of these, 30,000-50,000 resettled to Sterling Heights, giving parts of the city the nickname "Little Nineveh", especially around 15 Mile Road and Ryan. The word "Heights" was added to the township name to satisfy a state law that prevents incorporated municipalities from having the same name. Lakeside Mall opened in Sterling Township in 1976. The population increased when suburban homes were built for the workers in metropolitan Detroit's booming automobile industry. There was already a small village named Sterling in Arenac County. In 1968, the city was incorporated as a city.Gerald Donovan became the first mayor of theCity and F. James Dunlop became thefirst mayor pro-tem. In 1998, the City Council voted to name the city after a former mayor, who died in a car crash in 1998. The City Council also voted to rename the city to the City of Sterling Heights.

Geography

Sterling Heights is a second-ring suburb, 16 miles (26 km) from Downtown Detroit. The shape of the city is 6 miles (9.7 km) long and 6 miles wide. The city is part of the Clinton River watershed, and branches of the river flow through the city. Sterling Heights has a humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfa) The city has a total area of 36.80 square miles (95.31 km²), of which 36.51 sq miles (94.56 km²) is land and 0.29sq miles (0.75 km²") is water. It is located on M-53, M-59, and M-60, as well as other state and county roads. It also sits on the border between the counties of Macomb and Oakland, and the cities of Troy and Mount Clemens. In Sterling Heights, large areas are devoted to retail and commercial development (e.g., Lakeside Mall). It has a population of 6,000 people (as of the 2010 U.S. Census), making it one of the most densely populated cities in the United States. The population of Sterling Heights in 2010 was 6,200. It has an area of 35.2 square miles, or 96.2 km². It was the most populous city in Michigan in 2010, with a population density of 1,838.7 per square mile (1,836.2 per km²).

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 129,699 people, 49,451 households, and 34,515 families living in the city. There were 52,190 housing units at an average density of 1,429.5 per square mile (551.9/km²) The racial makeup of the city was 90.70% White, 1.30% African American, 0.21% Native American, 4.92% Asian, 0,04% Pacific Islander, and 2.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.9% of the population. The median income for a city was $60.6,494, while the city's per capita income was $24,958. In 2000 there were more people in Sterling Heights born in Iraq than any other foreign country. Now in 2020, there is an estimated 50,000 Chaldeans in theCity. The city is home to the U.S. Air Force National Guard, which is based at the Sterling Heights Air Force Base. It is also the home of the Air Force Reserve National Guard and the Air National Guard Auxiliary. The U.N. has a presence in the area, and has a consulate in the town of Sterling Heights. It also has a military base in Detroit, where it is based. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.1% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older.

Law and government

The city has a council-manager form of government. The mayor, along with six other council members, is directly elected to council by the city residents. The current City Manager, Mark D. Vanderpool, has served as the city manager since 2004. In December 2020, the City Council voted to increase Vanderpool's salary by 23%, making him the third highest-paid city administrator of similar cities in Michigan. In the 2016 presidential election Donald Trump won Sterling Heights with 53.9 percent of the vote to Hillary Clinton 41.9%. In the 2020 presidential election Trump won the city with 55.1 percent to Joe Biden 43.8 percent. Nationally, Sterling Heights is situated in both Michigan's 9th congressional district, represented by Democrat Andy Levin and Michigan's 10th congressional districts,represented by Republican Lisa McClain. In Michigan's 30th House of Representatives district, District 25 is represented by Democrats Nate Shannon and Diana Farrington, and District 30 by Republicans Michael D. MacDonald and Nate Shannon. The city is located in Michigan's 11th Senate district, representing Republicans Michael MacDonald and Lisa McClains. The Mayor Pro Tem of Sterling Heights, Michael C. Taylor, is the current Mayor. Taylor was the Mayor Pro tem when the current mayor at the time, Mayor Notte, died while in office in December 2014. The City Council and Mayor positions had two-year terms. Following the approval of a ballot proposal in the November 2020 election the positions were changed to be four-year term starting with the 2021 election cycle.

Crime

Sterling Heights' crime rate is lower than both the Michigan (449) and United States (381) averages. Sterling Heights has a lower crime rate than Utica (222.27), Madison Heights (295.68), Clinton Township (317.93) and Warren (509.03). Sterling Heights had the fourth lowest crime rate per 100,000 population in 2018, compared to surrounding cities Rochester (61.19), Troy (61,74), and Fraser (157.25). The Sterling Heights Police Department serves as the main law enforcement agency in the city. The city's crime rate for 2018 was 180.38 per 100, 000 population, a 2.16% decrease from 2017. It was beat by Rochester (61.19), Troy (61,74), and Fraser ($157,25). It was also beat by Utica, Madison Heights, Clinton Township, and Warren ($509,03). The city has a low crime rate of 180 per 100.38. It is the 4th lowest rate in the state of Michigan, behind Detroit, Flint, and Ann Arbor. It also has the lowest rate of any city in the U.S. outside of New York City and Washington, D.C. It has the highest crime rate in Michigan outside of Detroit, with an average of 180.8 per100,000 people. It had the highest rate of crime in the United States, with a rate of 181.7 per hundred,000.

Education

Sterling Heights is served by two public school districts: Utica Community Schools and Warren Consolidated Schools. Utica operates two high schools in the city, Stevenson High School and Henry Ford II High School, while Warren Consolidate only operates one in Sterling Heights High School. Parkway Christian School, a private K-12 Christian school, is also located in theCity. Sterling Heights is home to the U.S. Air Force Academy, which opened in the 1970s. The city is also home to a number of private schools, including Sterling Heights Christian School and Sterling Heights Preparatory School, which offers a variety of programs for K- 12 students. The U.N. has a mission to educate the youth of Sterling Heights and the surrounding area. The United States Air Force is based in the town of Utica, and has a fleet of military aircraft based at Sterling Heights Air Force Base. It also has a military base in Warren, Michigan, which was established in the 1950s. It is the site of the first air base in the United States, and the only one in the state of Michigan. It was built in the 1960s and 1970s, and is located on the Ohio Turnpike, which runs through Sterling Heights. It has a total of seven military bases, including two bases in Ohio and two in Michigan. The town also has two military bases in Michigan, one in Ohio, and one in Michigan State, which also serves as a base for the Army National Guard.

Sister cities

Sister City initiatives give opportunities for the cities' residents to come to know each other's cultures. The initiatives will facilitate the cultural, educational, municipal, business, professional and technical exchanges and projects among the sister cities. Sterling Heights' sister cities are: Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Annapolis, Maryland, as well as Detroit, Michigan and Cleveland, Ohio. The sister cities will work together on a number of projects, including cultural and educational exchanges. The Sister City initiatives are open to all residents of Sterling Heights and the surrounding areas.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Sterling Heights, Macomb County, Michigan = 21. 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 47. 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 61. 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 Sterling Heights = 3.2 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 134,346 individuals with a median age of 39 age the population grows by 2.48% in Sterling Heights, Macomb County, Michigan population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 3,686.06 residents per square mile of area (1,423.18/km²). There are average 2.57 people per household in the 49,049 households with an average household income of $61,391 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 13.60% of the available work force and has dropped -10.42% 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 5.56%. The number of physicians in Sterling Heights per 100,000 population = 145.2.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Sterling Heights = 29.4 inches and the annual snowfall = 33.9 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 127. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 180. 82 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 17.3 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 Sterling Heights, Macomb County, Michigan which are owned by the occupant = 76.45%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 32 years with median home cost = $115,040 and home appreciation of -17.64%. 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 $13.13 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 $5,419 per student. There are 21.5 students for each teacher in the school, 544 students for each Librarian and 701 students for each Counselor. 8.22% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 16.01% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 7.43% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).