Almont, Michigan

Almont, Michigan
—  Village  —
Location of Almont in Lapeer County, Michigan
Coordinates: 42°55′14″N 83°2′34″W
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Lapeer
Area
• Total	1.42 sq mi (3.68 km2)
• Land	1.42 sq mi (3.68 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation	850 ft (259 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	2,674
• Estimate (2011)	2,667
• Density	1,883.1/sq mi (727.1/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	48003
Area code(s)	810
FIPS code	26-01660
GNIS feature ID	2397941

Almont is a village in Lapeer County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,674 at the 2010 census. The village is located within Almont Township.

Almont was first settled in 1828 by James Deneen. It received a post office in 1835 named Bristol, for Oliver Bristol, the second permanent settler. The village was platted as Newburg in 1836. James Thompson, who donated the town clock that is located in the steeple of the First Congregational Church, is said to have proposed the name "Almont" in 1846 to honor the Mexican general, Juan Almonte." This interpretation of the naming of the town (after General Almonte), although it is a version backed up by a newspaper story, and recorded in Hildamae Bowman's book on the history of Almont (Almont,The Tale of Then and Now, 1985) is open to question.

In 2000, John Doppke, a member of the Almont Historical Society, wrote "The myth of Almont being named after a Mexican General is widespread and often quoted as fact, but there is no basis for it. It would have been treasonous to name a town after an obscure Mexican General so near the time of the Mexican War. (Almont sent several men to fight in that war.) The area was known for prominent Indian burial mounds and was most likely given the name for that reason. The name Almont is still known in Ayrshire (Scotland) and in fact there is an Almont hotel there (in the town of Ayr). It refers to an old earthworks mound in the area. Unfortunately Hildamae Bowman published the Mexican story in her book and implied it had something to do with the donation for the town clock. In fact, the renaming of the town and the money left to purchase the clock happened many years apart."

We can make a case that "Almont" is originally from Scottish derivation, referring to "auld mound", early burial hills that were landmarks in the Ayrshire region of Scotland. Almont was the heart of a pioneering Scottish Settlement that formed in the 1830s (roughly 1830 to 1870). About 200 Scottish families left Ayrshire, Scotland and came to live in southeastern Michigan. There are many old mounts in Ayrshire where these families originated. In the township of Bruce, in Macomb County, Michigan (near Almont) there is a very prominent Indian mound that was so obvious Scottish pioneers used it as a landmark. It is not a far stretch of the imagination to suggest that a mound in the Almont region led the pioneers to call the area "auld mound", or Almont.

In the book "Aryshire, Discovering a County", this sentence appears on page 350: "Just west of the bridge across the Stinchar (river) is the farm of Almont, the name probably deriving from "Auld Mound", being descriptive of the motte hill that lies immediately to the north east of the farm." This quote refers to the area near the town of Colmonell in Ayrshire, Scotland. In Colmonell, a reference on Rootsweb refers to "... a blacksmith at Almont"; and "John Snell was born about 1629 in what is now Almont Farm at Pinwherry, a hamlet in the Ayrshire parish of Colmonell".

No historical documents provide a definitive derivation for the name Almont. Besides the above two theories (named for General Almonte, or referring to "auld mound"), other associations could have contributed.

Geographically, in Scotland the word "Almont" was used interchangeably with the word "Almond". On a Scottish map, for example, one finds "Glen Almont" followed by the parenthetical (Glen Almond).

There is also a Scottish surname "Almont" with a family crest and coat of arms. The surname Calmont (also Almont) is of French origin. It became Macalmont in Scotland, which is really "Mac Almont", the same as in Mac Donald, or Mac Dougal, etc.

Other towns are named Almond in the United States and in Canada. Perhaps the most relevant of these is a Canadian Scottish community in Ontario, Canada. A county called Lanark (after the Scottish town of Lanark in southern Scotland) was settled by Scottish immigrants in Ontario prior to the time when the Lapeer Scottish settlement began to develop in Michigan. In Lanark, Canada is a township called "Almonte". Some of the pioneers who ended up in Lapeer may have come by way of Lanark, Canada. The name could therefore have migrated from Ontario to Michigan. The town of Almonte, Canada was named for the Mexican General Juan Almonte. The website for Almonte, Canada contains the rationale for this choice. The Canadians were not at war with Mexico and their motives make sense in a historical context.

Almont incorporated as a village in 1855.

Education

Almont has three schools. Orchard Primary for Preschool through 4th grade, Almont Middle School for 5th through 8th grade, and Almont High School for 9th through 12th grade. Almont’s school district website is http://www.almont.k12.mi.us/

Library

• Almont District Library

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.42 square miles (3.68 km²), all of it land. The village center of Almont is located at the crossing of M-53 and St. Clair Road. To the east, St. Clair is known as Almont Road, and to the west it is known as General Squire Road. In addition, this is also sometimes deemed as "40 Mile Road", although the nearby ascending "mile roads" officially end at "37 Mile Road". Nearby towns include Bruce Township and Romeo to the south; Dryden to the northwest; Imlay City to the north; and Allenton to the east, and Capac to the northeast. Almont is approximately 40 miles (64 km) north of Detroit.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 2,674 people, 1,030 households, and 728 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,883.1 inhabitants per square mile (727.1 /km²). There were 1,116 housing units at an average density of 785.9 per square mile (303.4 /km²). The racial makeup of the village was 93.1% White, 0.3% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 4.9% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.4% of the population.

There were 1,030 households out of which 37.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 29.3% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.11.

The median age in the village was 37.2 years. 26.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.9% were from 25 to 44; 26.7% were from 45 to 64; and 11.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 50.2% male and 49.8% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,803 people, 1,022 households, and 747 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,857.2 per square mile (716.7/km²). There were 1,058 housing units at an average density of 701.0 per square mile (270.5/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 95.54% White, 0.32% African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 2.32% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.14% of the population.

There were 1,022 households out of which 39.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.6% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.9% were non-families. 23.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.24.

In the village the population was spread out with 30.3% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 33.7% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 9.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.3 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $53,984, and the median income for a family was $63,261. Males had a median income of $50,644 versus $26,667 for females. The per capita income for the village was $21,252. About 4.2% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.8% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.

See also

• Henry Stephens

Notable Resident

Jimmy Gregerson- Guitar player of the International American pop/rock band I See Stars. Jimmy moved to the Village of Almont in May 2009, and currently resides in Almont today.