Hillsdale is the largest city in Hillsdale County, Michigan, United States. It is also the main city where county government is located. According to the 2020 census, the population of Hillsdale was 8,036. The city is home to Hillsdale College, which is a private college that offers a wide range of academic subjects.

History

This area is located in the rolling, fertile hills of South Central Michigan, near the borders of Indiana and Ohio, as defined by U.S. settlement boundaries. The Potowatomi, a group of people who spoke an Algonquian language, lived there for a long time. They were part of a group called the Council of Three Fires, which included the Ojibwe and Odawa (Ottawa). A Potowatomi group of about 150 people, led by a chief named Baw Beese, had their main camp near a large lake in the area.

In 1834, the first European-American settler, Jeremiah Arnold, arrived and met the Potowatomi. They helped early settlers. Arnold built a cabin and lived there with his wife, Percy (Round) Arnold. As more settlers arrived, the first schoolhouse was built in 1838. Hillsdale was officially planned in 1839. In 1840, the U.S. government forced Baw Beese and his people, along with other Potowatomi in nearby and distant areas of Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio, to move to Indian Territory, which is now part of Kansas.

In 1844, Hillsdale College was founded as Central Michigan College in Spring Arbor. It moved to Hillsdale in 1853 and changed its name. The college was the first in the United States to ban discrimination based on race, religion, or sex in its founding documents. It also supported the end of slavery and was the second college in the nation to offer four-year college degrees to women.

The city was officially established in 1869. In 1885, Hillsdale built its first high school on what is now West Street (now used as a middle school). In the late 1800s, Hillsdale became a busy railroad town with both freight and passenger trains.

The railroad was used by tourists to visit cottages and other places near Baw Beese Lake, named after the Potowatomi chief. This area, about 20 minutes from the city center, was developed as a lake resort by the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railroad. Travelers could avoid dusty roads by taking the train. By the early 1900s, the area attracted visitors from cities like Chicago, Toledo, and Elkhart, who came to the place once called Archer's Landing. People swam in the lake and could rent two kinds of canoes.

After World War II, the building of highways encouraged more car use, which reduced train travel. Passenger trains stopped running in Hillsdale in 1956. Many beautiful Victorian homes built during the 1800s remain today as private homes, adding to the city's historic character.

The 20th century brought more progress. In 1908, the city opened its first public library. In 1921, the first hospital was built, and in 1934, Hillsdale Municipal Airport opened.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.13 square miles (15.88 km²), of which 5.69 square miles (14.74 km²) is land and 0.43 square miles (1.11 km²) is water.

The St. Joseph River starts in Hillsdale and flows from Lake Baw Beese. Several parks and a beach are located near this important water source in the city.

This climate region is known for having large differences in temperature between seasons, with warm to hot summers and cold winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Hillsdale has a humid continental climate, which is labeled "Dfb" on climate maps.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, the city had 8,305 people, 2,970 households, and 1,686 families. The population density was 1,402.9 people per square mile (541.7/km²). There were 3,383 housing units, with an average density of 571.5 per square mile (220.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.8% White, 0.7% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino individuals made up 2.3% of the population.

Of the 2,970 households, 31.0% had children under 18 living with them, 37.7% were married couples, 14.3% had a female householder without a husband, 4.7% had a male householder without a wife, and 43.2% were non-families. Thirty-six point four percent of households included only one person, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.35, and the average family size was 3.03.

The median age in the city was 30.2 years. Twenty-two point one percent of residents were under 18, 21.9% were between 18 and 24, 21.9% were aged 25 to 44, 20.5% were aged 45 to 64, and 13.6% were 65 or older. The gender distribution was 47.0% male and 53.0% female.

As of the 2000 census, the city had 8,233 people, 3,067 households, and 1,781 families. The population density was 1,548.2 people per square mile (597.8/km²). There were 3,274 housing units, with an average density of 615.7 per square mile (237.7/km²). The racial makeup was 96.5% White, 0.6% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.8% Asian, less than 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.5% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino individuals made up 1.5% of the population.

Of the 3,067 households, 30.2% had children under 18 living with them, 41.5% were married couples, 12.6% had a female householder without a husband, and 41.9% were non-families. Thirty-four point six percent of households included only one person, and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.33, and the average family size was 3.01.

In 2000, 22.5% of the population was under 18, 21.3% were aged 18 to 24, 24.7% were aged 25 to 44, 17.4% were aged 45 to 64, and 14.1% were 65 or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.6 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and older, there were 83.7 males.

In 2010, the median household income was $34,695, and the median family income was $42,649. Males had a median income of $32,573, while females had a median income of $22,707. The per capita income was $16,062. Approximately 5.5% of families and 10.3% of the population lived below the poverty line, including 10.1% of those under 18 and 15.7% of those aged 65 or older.

Education

The Hillsdale Community School District serves the city of Hillsdale. The school district includes one high school, Hillsdale High School, one middle school, Davis Middle School, and two elementary schools. A private school, Hillsdale Academy, and two charter schools, Will Carleton Academy and Hillsdale Preparatory School, also serve the city of Hillsdale. The town is also home to Hillsdale College.

In 2022, the Hillsdale Library Board met to discuss whether they should ban books created by and/or for LGBT people. At that time, Joshua Paladino, the current acting mayor of Hillsdale and a graduate student at Hillsdale College, was a member of the library board. He suggested taking out several books and puzzles from the library's children's section because they included LGBT content and promoted political activism. The proposed ban did not happen. The disagreement caused the resignations of the library director, the children's library director, and the president of the library board.

Transportation

• U.S. Route 12 goes through an area about 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Hillsdale.
• M-99 crosses the city from the southeast to the northwest through its center.
• Hillsdale Municipal Airport is a public airport found just east of the city, within Adams Township.
• The Indiana Northeastern Railroad has a railway line that runs through Hillsdale.

Media

• WCSR on 1340 kHz
• WPCJ on 91.1 MHz
• WCSR-FM on 92.1 MHz
• WRFH-LP on 101.7 MHz
• WKMH-FM on 102.5 MHz

• Hillsdale Daily News
• Imprimis, monthly speech digest of Hillsdale College
• The Collegian, student paper for Hillsdale College

Notable people

• Lee Bartlett, an Olympic athlete who competed in the Olympics three times
• Micah Beckwith, the 53rd Lieutenant Governor of Indiana
• Baw Beese, a Potawatomi chief
• Will Carleton (1845–1912), a newspaper reporter and poet
• William W. Cook, a legal scholar and supporter of the University of Michigan Law School
• Charles Doolittle, a Civil War general
• Sile Doty, a thief, robber, and burglar
• Dick Estell, a host and producer of The Radio Reader
• Andrew Fink, elected to the Michigan State Legislature in 2020
• Caril Ann Fugate, the youngest woman in U.S. history to be tried for first-degree murder
• Henry Churchill King, a theologian and president of Oberlin College from 1902 to 1927
• Penny Neer, an Olympic athlete
• John Corbett O'Meara, a United States District Court judge
• Jason Robards Sr., an actor
• Michael Sessions, the youngest mayor elected
• Rube Vickers, a Major League baseball pitcher
• Henry Waldron, a politician
• Frank "Muddy" Waters, a Hall of Fame football coach