Buying or Selling Realestate in Birmingham?
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Befor you Buy or sell your home or realestate in Birmingham,MI, you may want to learn a little about your Birmingham property. As a service to you we have aquired some information on Birmingham to hopefully aid you in your real estate transaction.

Birmingham is an upscale city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the total population was 19,291. An affluent suburb of Detroit, the city of Birmingham hosts a downtown that attracts shoppers from throughout the Metro Detroit area.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 19,291 people, 9,131 households, and 5,076 families residing in the city of Birmingham. The population density was 4,038.4 per square mile (1,558.2/km²). There were 9,700 housing units at an average density of 2,030.6/sq mi (783.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city of Birmingham was 96.13% White, 0.91% African American, 0.15% Native American, 1.50% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.19% of the population.

There were 9,131 households out of which 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.6% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.4% were non-families. 38.0% 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 2.11 and the average family size was 2.85.

In the city of Birmingham the population was spread out with 21.2% under the age of 18, 3.9% from 18 to 24, 34.9% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city of Birmingham was $80,861, and the median income for a family was $110,627. Males had a median income of $78,865 versus $51,834 for females. The per capita income for the city of Birmingham was $59,314. About 1.6% of families and 2.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.5% of those under age 18 and 3.3% of those age 65 or over.

History

The area comprising what is now the city of Birmingham of Birmingham was part of land ceded by Native American tribes to the United States government by the 1807 Treaty of Detroit.However, settlement was delayed first by the War of 1812 and subsequently by an unfavorable report by the Surveyor-General of the United States, Edward Tiffin regarding the placement of Military Bounty Lands for veterans of the War of 1812. Tiffin's report claimed that "There would not be an acre out of a hundred, if there would be one out of a thousand that would, in any case, admit cultivation." In 1818, Territorial Governor Lewis Cass lead a group of men along the Indian Trail. The Governor's party discovered the swamp was not as extensive as Tiffin had supposed. Not long after Cass issued a more encouraging report about the land, interest quickened in its suitability for settlement.

The earliest land entry was made on January 28, 1819, by Colonel Benjamin H. Pierce (brother of future U.S. President Franklin Pierce) for the northwest quarter of section 36. Colonel Pierce visited his land several times, but never settled on it. In March 1818, John W. Hunter and his brother Daniel left Auburn, New York by sleigh and traveled to Michigan by way of Upper Canada. They waited in Detroit for their father and other family members who arrived by schooner over Lake Erie in July. The family remained in Detroit until spring 1819 when John W. made an entry for the northeast quarter of section 36 now in the southeast section of current-day Birmingham. Lacking a proper land survey, John W. mistakenly built his log house on a tract later purchased by Elijah Willets. That house was later occupied by William Hall, a son-in-law of Elisha Hunter, while John W. Hunter built another log house a short distance to the southeast. On September 25, 1821, Elijah Willets made a land entry for the southwest quarter of section 25. Two days later, Major John Hamilton made an entry for the southeast quarter of section 25. Each of these initial land entries met at what is now the intersection of Maple Rd. and Pierce St.

For a time, all three men, John W. Hunter, Major Hamilton, and Elijah Willets operated hotels and taverns from their houses within a short distance from each other. While Hunter did not continue for very long, Hamilton and Willets continued a rivalry for many years, competing with each other for business from travelers on Woodward Avenue between Detroit and Pontiac. The growing settlement was known variously as "Hamilton's", "Hunter's", or "Willets'"; it was later known as "Piety Hill". The settlement's original plat was surveyed and recorded on August 25, 1836, in the northwest quarter of section 36 then owned by Rosewell T. Merrill who also ran the town foundry and the thrashing machine factory. Merrill named his plat "Birmingham" after Birmingham, England in the hope that the new settlement would similarly become a great industrial center. Elijah Willets recorded a plat on his property on December 20, 1837. John W. Hunter followed suit with two plats on his property on January 31, 1840, and June 21, 1842, while Major Hamilton laid out a plat on October 7, 1846. Several other properties were subsequently platted as additions. The plats made in 1836 and 1837 were in anticipation of completion of the Detroit and Pontiac Railroad.

Now known as "Birmingham", the village first received mail through the "Bloomfield" post office. Birmingham established its own post office on April 5, 1838. The settlement incorporated as a village in 1864, comprising the northern half of section 36 and the southern half of section 25 with a total land area of one square mile. The first village elections were held March 1, 1864 and was soon governed by a seven-man board of trustees who appointed a marshal and a treasurer. Birmingham re-incorporated as a city in 1933.

The names of the city of Birmingham's founders are seen throughout Birmingham in places such as Pierce Elementary School, Hunter House Hamburgers (which was located on the road formerly known as Hunter, which bypassed downtown and was renamed to Woodward with the original Woodward Avenue section being referred to as Old Woodward), The Hamilton Hotel, The Willets Building and Merrill St. Hall & Hunter Realtors named themselves in tribute to the builder and occupier of Birmingham's first home.

Down Town

The city's downtown district has many coffee houses, ice cream parlors, upscale apparel and home furnishing shops, restaurants and theatres. The Townsend Hotel is one of the state's premiere locations for lodging and is the choice for many celebrities visiting or working in Southeastern Michigan.

Some popular restaurants include: Greek Boys Coney Island (formerly Leo's Coney Island), a Greek restaurant serving pitas, salads and gyros; Forte, a high class restaurant located near the Uptown Birmingham Theater; 220 Merrill; Tokyo Sushi and Grill; Greek Isles; The Rugby Grille; Cameron's Steakhouse and Mitchell's Fish Market (located next door to each other); and Old Woodward Deli.

The downtown offers a wide variety of shopping choices. Children's stores include Adventures in Toys, Roses are Red and Babyhood. Caruso Caruso satisfies trendy teenagers with top designer names. There are also small decor stores such as Fuschia Frog, Ribbons, Barbara's Paper Bag, and Woodward and Maple. The Varsity Shop is a popular destination for sports equipment and apparel.