Okemos

Okemos (OH-ka-mis) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Ingham County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population of the CDP was 21,369 at the 2010 census. Okemos is located mostly within Meridian Charter Township, with a small portion extending south into Alaiedon Township and east into Williamstown Township. The Red Cedar River, a tributary of the Grand River, flows from east to west through OkeMos. The CDP has a total area of 16.91 square miles (43.80 km²), of which 16.76 sq miles (43.41 km²) is land and 0.15sq miles (0.39km²) (0.89%) is water. It is the third-largest CDP by land area and the fourth most-populated in the state ofMichigan. The city was named in honor of Chief Okemo, a hero of the Great Toledo war, Chief of the Objibway tribe, and a subset of the Chippawas, Hurons. The most notable business is the Meridian Mall on Grand River Avenue (M-43) northeast of the Four Corners, including Schuler Books and Studio C! Cinema. The center of the city is referred to by many as "The Four Corner" and is located at the intersection of Hamilton and Oke Mos roads. It has a thriving community East of MSU but 200 years older than Lansing.

History

Okemos has a rich and aged history. Lying on the banks of the Red Cedar River, a commercially navigable route between Fort Detroit and Fort Muskegeon. A settlement developed and gravesites lie in the cemetery dating back to the mid 1600s. The trading post was later named in honor of Chief Okemos, a hero of the Great Toledo war, Chief of the Objibway tribe, Land donor to OkeMos community, and a subset of the Chippawas, Hurons. To this day, honored as Chief OKEmos or Okemo Mi. a thriving community East of MSU but 200 years older and East of Lansing but 150 years older honors the Chief. See Hamilton road Gravesite, razed in 1976 but still old gravemakers). See Trading Post Hamilton Road previously Plank Road or Grand River. Now a moved to Meridian Village. See Oke Mosse Library. See Grand River Avenue which spans from, Fort Detroit to Grand Rapids. See the old Grand River Road (Small Acres Lane) next door to the high bluffs of the Burial grounds aka Hamilton Road Cemetery. See the old Grand River aka Plank road (the old Grand river aka plank road) next next to theHigh bluffs. See. the old Old Grand River (Plank Road) on the Bluff of the RCR and remnants of plank road evident. See a map of the area from the Michigan State Archives at: http://www.michigan.gov/museum/history/okemos.html.

Geography

Okemos is the third-largest CDP by land area and the fourth most-populated in the state of Michigan. The Red Cedar River, a tributary of the Grand River, flows from east to west through Okemos. The most notable business is the Meridian Mall on Grand River Avenue (M-43) northeast of the Four Corners, including Schuler Books and Studio C! Cinema. The CDP has a total area of 16.91 square miles (43.80 km²), of which 16.76 square miles is land and 0.15 square miles  (0.39 km²) (0.89%) is water. The center of the CDP, referred to by many as "The FourCorners", is located at the intersection of Hamilton and OkeMos roads. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the population of Okemo's at 1,816, with a growth rate of 1.7% over the past decade. The city is located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and is located on the shores of Lake Michigan. It is the fourth-largest city in Michigan, after Detroit and Ypsilanti. The town has a population of 1,715, with an area of 16.91 square miles (43.80 km²) and a population density of 1.7 square miles (1.8 sq mi) per square mile (2.2 km).

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 21,369 people, 8,824 households, and 5,416 families residing in the Okemos CDP. The racial makeup of the CDP was 76.5% White, 14.4% Asian, 5.1% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 1.1%) Pacific Islander, and 2.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.3%. The median income for a household was $62,810, and for a family was $88,459. In 2011, CNN Money Magazine rated Okemo as the 12th-best city to live in for "the rich and single". The per capita income was $33,401, with 5.0% of the population under the age of 18 living below the poverty line. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.04. The median age was 35.5 years. For every 100 females, there are 93.5 males. For each 100 females age 18 and over, there is 90.1 males. The CDP has a population density of 1,274.7 per square mile (487.8/km²). There were 9,384 housing units at an average density of 554.9 per squaremile (214.2/km 2). The average family income in the city was $60,601, with males having a median income of $41,393.

Points of interest

Ferguson Park, along the Red Cedar River, is thought to be the meeting place where Chief Okemos and the war chiefs held their powwows. The Hamilton Building at 2160 Hamilton Road (near the Four Corners of Okemo) is the oldest commercial building in the area. The planks in the building are from the walnut grove on which it sits. Along with Ferguson Park, it is also part of the oldest settlement along the old plank road between Detroit and the Capitol in Lansing. The Hope Borbas OkeMos branch of the Capital Area District Library is located on the corner of Hamilton Road and Michigan Avenue. The library is open from 9am to 5pm daily, and offers free Wi-Fi. It is the only branch in the city that is open to the public, and is open only to members of the public. It also offers free admission to the Meridian Historical Village and farmers market, which is open daily from 10am to 6pm. The Meridian Historical village is home to the oldest surviving settlement in the region, and was founded in 1838. It was the site of the first "Usonian" house, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and one of the earlier examples of his Usonian designs. The park is also home to Nancy Moore Park, which was built in the early 1900s, and has been used as a community center for the last 50 years. It has a park with a playground, a playground and a farmers market.

Climate

Okemos has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps. The region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Okemos is a Dfb climate region. It has a warm-to-humid summers and a cold- to hot winters. The climate is very different from that of most of the rest of the United States, with the exception of the northern half of the state of New Mexico, which has a more arid climate. It also has a very dry winter, with temperatures of between -20C and -30C. The weather is very variable, with hot and cold winters, and hot and humid summers. It is also very dry in the summer, with high temperatures of up to 40 C and very low lows of 20 C. It has a very humid climate, with dry summers and very humid winters, with very high temperatures in the winter. The temperature can reach 50 C or 60 F in some parts of the region. The winters are very cold, and the summers can be very hot, with highs of 50 to 60 C or 70 F. The temperatures are very variable in the region, and can be extremely dry or very hot in some areas. The summers are very warm to very humid, with often very hot and very cold winters.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Okemos, Ingham County, Michigan = 48. 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 60. 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 99. 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 Okemos = 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 25,121 individuals with a median age of 37.1 age the population dropped by -1.66% in Okemos, Ingham County, Michigan population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,490.15 residents per square mile of area (575.37/km²). There are average 2.38 people per household in the 9,267 households with an average household income of $67,851 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 11.30% of the available work force and has dropped -8.24% 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 12.22%. The number of physicians in Okemos per 100,000 population = 332.8.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Okemos = 29.8 inches and the annual snowfall = 36 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 122. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 174. 82 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 14.1 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 50, 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 Okemos, Ingham County, Michigan which are owned by the occupant = 61.17%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 29 years with median home cost = $171,670 and home appreciation of 0.69%. 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 $17.36 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 $5,658 per student. There are 17.1 students for each teacher in the school, 2116 students for each Librarian and 359 students for each Counselor. 6.15% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 30.72% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 36.00% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).