Chelsea, Michigan, United States

🇺🇸 Chelsea is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan.

History The area was first settled as early as 1820 within the Michigan Territory by settler Cyrus Beckwith. It would be organized as Sylvan Township in 1834. The Michigan Central Railroad constructed a line through the area in 1848, and a post office was first established on January 4, 1849. It was originally named Kendon. The name was changed to Chelsea on July 19, 1850 when the train station opened and community was formally platted. The name Chelsea came from Elisha Congdon, who suggested the name after his hometown of Chelsea, Massachusetts. Chelsea incorporated as a village in 1889. The Chelsea courthouse is housed in a 120-year-old bank building in downtown.

The village of Chelsea incorporated into a city in 2004. In 2011, the downtown area of Chelsea was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Chelsea Commercial Historic District.

Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.67 square miles (9.51 km²), of which 3.62 square miles (9.38 km²) is land and 0.05 square miles (0.13 km²) (1.36%) is water.

The Border-to-Border Trail runs through the city.

Major highways • I-94 forms the southernmost boundary of the city • M-52 (Main Street) runs south–north through the centre of the city.

Demographics As of the census of 2010, there were 4,944 people, 2,224 households, and 1,284 families living in the city. The population density was 1,362.0 inhabitants per square mile (525.9/km²). There were 2,436 housing units at an average density of 671.1 per square mile (259.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.1% White, 0.4% African American, 0.3% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.5% of the population.

There were 2,224 households, of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.3% were non-families. 37.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.91.

The median age in the city was 43.5 years. 22.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24% were from 25 to 44; 25.9% were from 45 to 64; and 22.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 45.5% male and 54.5% female.

Economy Chelsea Milling Company, maker of Jiffy Mix, is based in Chelsea. Other employers include Saint Joseph Mercy Chelsea, and the Chrysler Proving Grounds.

Education The city is home to the Chelsea School District, which covers the city and surrounding rural townships. Chelsea High School is located within the city.

The Chelsea District Library serves residents of the city and Dexter, Lima, Lyndon, and Sylvan townships. In 2008, the library was named "Best Small Library in America" by Library Journal.