Editing Lawton, Michigan

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Lawton, Michigan
|settlement_type          = [[Village (United States)|Village]]
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    =

<!-- Images -->
|image_skyline            = 
|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = 
|image_flag               = 
|image_seal               = Lawton Seal.jpg
|seal_size                = 200px

<!-- Maps -->
|image_map = Van_Buren_County_Michigan_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Lawton_Highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location of Lawton, Michigan
|image_map1               = 
|mapsize1                 = 
|map_caption1             =

<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Michigan]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Michigan|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Van Buren County, Michigan|Van Buren]]

<!-- Government -->
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = 
|leader_name              = 
|leader_title1            = 
|leader_name1             = 
|established_title        = 
|established_date         =

<!-- Area -->
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_26.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=May 21, 2022}}</ref>
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_km2           = 6.02
|area_land_km2            = 5.93
|area_water_km2           = 0.09
|area_total_sq_mi         = 2.33
|area_land_sq_mi          = 2.29
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.04

<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_est           = 
|pop_est_as_of            = 
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 1850
|population_density_km2   = 311.87
|population_density_sq_mi = 807.86

<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
|utc_offset               = -5
|timezone_DST             = EDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -4
|elevation_footnotes      = 
|elevation_m              = 241
|elevation_ft             = 791
|coordinates              = {{coord|42|10|2|N|85|50|47|W|region:US-MI|display=inline, title}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 49065
|area_code                = [[Area code 269|269]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 26-46500<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 0630224<ref name="GR3">{{cite web|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov|accessdate=January 31, 2008|title=US Board on Geographic Names|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=October 25, 2007}}</ref>
|website                  = {{URL|https://www.lawtonmi.org/}}
|footnotes                = 
|pop_est_footnotes = 
|unit_pref = Imperial
}}

'''Lawton''' is a village in southeastern [[Van Buren County, Michigan|Van Buren County]], [[Michigan]], United States. The population was 1,900 at the [[2010 United States Census|2010 census]].

==History==
The Village of Lawton came into existence in 1848 when the Michigan Central Railroad reached this destination.  Nathan Lawton who the village is named after,  was from Waterford, New York and had purchased property when it became available when Michigan received statehood.  Upon the railroad reaching here in 1848, Mr. Lawton donated several acres of land for the construction of a depot that was originally named Paw Paw Station.  In 1851 when a post office was being established the name of the town was named for Mr. Lawton.  Though Nathan Lawton never lived here two of his sons, George and Charles moved here and made this town their home.  
Around 1860 a few local men including both of the Lawton brothers began experimenting with growing grapes.  In 1868 A.B. Jones delivered the first grapes that were taken to market in Lansing MI.  From there the grape industry took off and is now one of Southwest Michigan's largest industries with several wineries in the area as well as a Welch Grape Juice Factory located in Lawton that has been part of Lawton since 1919.<ref>{{cite book|author=Chicago and North Western Railway Company|title=A History of the Origin of the Place Names Connected with the Chicago & North Western and Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railways|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OspBAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA93|year=1908|page=93}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Gannett|first=Henry|title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ|year=1905|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n182 183]}}</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the village has a total area of {{convert|2.36|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|2.32|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|0.04|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.<ref name="Gazetteer files">{{cite web|title=US Gazetteer files 2010 |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |accessdate=November 25, 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702145235/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |archivedate=July 2, 2012 }}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|align=left
|1860= 426
|1870= 1081
|1880= 747
|1890= 788
|1900= 942
|1910= 1042
|1920= 1073
|1930= 1154
|1940= 1134
|1950= 1206
|1960= 1402
|1970= 1358
|1980= 1558
|1990= 1685
|2000= 1859
|2010= 1900
|2020= 1850
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|accessdate=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name ="wwwcensusgov">{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=November 25, 2012}}</ref> of 2010, there were 1,900 people, 730 households, and 457 families living in the village. The [[population density]] was {{convert|819.0|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 788 housing units at an average density of {{convert|339.7|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the village was 91.0% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.7% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.9% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.1% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 5.6% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 1.7% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 9.8% of the population.

There were 730 households, of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.8% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 16.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.4% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.07.

The median age in the village was 38.9 years. 25.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.5% were from 25 to 44; 23.1% were from 45 to 64; and 19.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 45.1% male and 54.9% female.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 1,859 people, 610 households, and 428 families living in the village. The population density was {{convert|823.0|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 668 housing units at an average density of {{convert|295.7|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the village was 90.75% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 1.24% [[African-American (U.S. Census)|African-American]], 0.75% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.05% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 3.98% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 3.23% from two or more races. 11.62% of the population were [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race.

There were 610 households, out of which 38.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 27.2% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.0 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $36,250, and the median income for a family was $40,909. Males had a median income of $32,614 versus $25,208 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the village was $15,600. 11.5% of the population and 6.7% of families were below the [[poverty line]]. Out of the total population, 8.2% of those under the age of 18 and 16.7% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

==Notable residents==
*[[Henry Ford (Michigan legislator)|Henry Ford]] (1825–1894), Michigan state senator and Lawton village president (not to be confused with the industrialist [[Henry Ford]])<ref name="book_bingham">{{cite book |last=Bingham |first=Stephen D. |date=1888 |title=Early History of Michigan: With Biographies of State Officers, Members of Congress, Judges and Legislators |via=[[Internet Archive]] |trans-title= |url=https://archive.org/details/earlyhistorymic01binggoog |language=English |location= |publisher=Thorp & Godfrey, state printers |isbn=}}</ref><ref name="book_ellis">{{cite book |last=Ellis |first=Franklin |date=1880 |title=History of Berrien and Van Buren Counties, Michigan |via=[[Google Books]] |trans-title= |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xw0MdUH2EwIC |language=English |location= |publisher= |isbn=}}</ref>
*[[Charlie Maxwell]] Charles Richard Maxwell (1927–2024) was an American professional baseball outfielder who played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball with the Boston Red Sox (1950–52, 1954), Baltimore Orioles (1955), Detroit Tigers (1955–62) and Chicago White Sox (1962–64).  Lawton High School 1944, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, and Chicago White Sox. Nicknames included "The South Paw from Paw Paw (given by the Detroit Tigers announcer Van Patrick because of Maxwell's unusually-named hometown of Paw Paw, Michigan), "Smokey," "Sunday Charlie", and "The Sabbath Smasher", the latter two given in recognition of his propensity for hitting home runs on Sundays.
*[[W. Rae Young]] (October 30, 1915 – March 7, 2008) was one of the Bell Labs engineers that invented the cell phone.

==See also==
{{portal|Michigan}}
* [[List of municipalities in Michigan]]

==References==
{{reflist|22em}}

==External links==
{{commons category-inline|Lawton, Michigan}}

{{Van Buren County, Michigan}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Villages in Van Buren County, Michigan]]
[[Category:Villages in Michigan]]
[[Category:Kalamazoo–Portage metropolitan area]]