Romulus, Michigan

Village of Romulus

The village of Romulus was platted on the Lansing B. Misner estate in 1871.^[10]

Underground Railroad stops

Romulus was a stop of the Underground Railroad in the 1800s when slaves fled the inhumane conditions of plantations in the South for the free states of the North. There were two stops in Romulus and those structures are still intact to this day.

• Samuel Kingsley Home is a famous historic landmark in Romulus. During slave times, Samuel R. Kingsley lived in a house on Ozga Rd near Pullens Corners, what is today known as Five Points. He hid slaves in an underground cellar. Today, the house is located on Hunt Street across from the Romulus Historical Museum. The address to the house was 37426 S. Huron River Drive.
• The White Church at the Pullens Corner / Five Points was also an underground railroad stop. Today, the church, which is now called 5 Points Church, still sits at the corner.

Preston

Preston was located in the north-east part of Romulus. It had a post office from 1899 to 1906.^[11]

Airliner incidents

On August 16, 1987, Detroit Metro Airport in Romulus was the site of the Northwest Airlines Flight 255 disaster, in which the plane crashed into an overpass bridge and exploded just seconds after taking off. The crash killed all but one of the 155 passengers and crew and two more people on the roadway.^[12] A memorial for the victims is at the crash site at the Interstate 94 and Middlebelt Road interchange.

Chemical plant explosion

On August 9, 2005, at approximately 9:30 PM, the EQ Recovery Plant caught fire. Citizens within 1 to 1+1/3 miles (1.6 to 2.1 km) radius were forced to evacuate their homes. Romulus and Wayne fire crews and crews from neighboring communities managed to put out the fire after letting it burn down a little bit. Chemical-filled smoke filled the sky, causing respiratory problems. Many citizens from both Romulus and Wayne were taken to Oakwood Annapolis Hospital (now Beaumont Hospital-Wayne), about two miles from the explosion site. No one was injured.^[13]

Racial and ethnic composition

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Romulus had a population of 25,178. The median age was 37.5 years. 24.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 13.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.4 males age 18 and over.^[20][21]

99.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.5% lived in rural areas.^[22]

There were 9,708 households in Romulus, of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 36.5% were married-couple households, 20.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 35.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.^[20]

There were 10,280 housing units, of which 5.6% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.5%.^[20]

2010 census

As of the census^[23] of 2010, there were 23,989 people, 8,975 households, and 6,135 families living in the city. The population density was 673.7 inhabitants per square mile (260.1/km²). There were 9,946 housing units at an average density of 279.3 per square mile (107.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 50.5% White, 43% African American, 0.5% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.9% from other races, and 3.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 3.0% of the population.

There were 8,975 households, of which 37.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.7% were married couples living together, 21.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.6% were non-families. 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.16.

The median age in the city was 36.2 years. 26.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.4% were from 25 to 44; 27% were from 45 to 64; and 9.8% were 65 years of age or older. The populace was 48.4% male and 51.6% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 22,979 people, 8,439 households, and 5,941 families living in the city. The population density was 639.9 inhabitants per square mile (247.1/km²). There were 8,943 housing units at an average density of 249.0 per square mile (96.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 65.36% White, 29.99% African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.81% from other races, and 2.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 2.01% of the population.

There were 8,439 households, out of which 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were married couples living together, 18.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.19.

In the city, 29.2% of the population was under the age of 18, 8.4% was from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 7.9% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $45,088, and the median income for a family was $51,497. Males had a median income of $41,372 versus $27,517 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,679. About 10.6% of families and 12.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.8% of those under age 18 and 12.4% of those age 65 or over.