Eastpointe (formerly East Detroit) is a city in Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring suburb of Detroit, Eastpointe borders Detroit to the south, roughly northeast of Downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 34,318.

History

The community was first settled by Irish and German immigrants in the 1830s. In October 1897, a post office was established there with the name of "Half-way", as it was near the halfway point of the stage run between downtown Detroit and the Macomb County seat at Mount Clemens. It incorporated as the village of Halfway in December 1924 and reincorporated as the city of East Detroit in January 1929. Prior to 1924, most of the community formed a part of Erin Township (which includes all or part of Eastpointe, Roseville, and St. Clair Shores. The city changed its name to "Eastpointe" after the change was approved by residents in a 1992 referendum; the name change had been proposed to remove any perceived association with the adjacent city of Detroit; the "pointe" suffix is intended to associate the city instead with the nearby affluent communities of the Grosse Pointes. The city also changed its name to give the community a sense that it was its own city with its own unique history, identity, and not an extension or branch of Detroit. Other names were also nominated for the referendum never balloted.

The city's school district was unaffected by the municipal name change, and was called East Detroit Public Schools until 2017, when it changed the district name to Eastpointe Community Schools to align with the community name. It has one high school (Eastpointe High School), one middle school (Eastpointe Middle School, formerly Kelly Middle School), and four elementary schools. The primary district boundaries of Eastpointe Community Schools encompass the City of Eastpointe, minus the northeastern portion (east of Kelly Rd. and north of Stephens) and the southeastern portion of the city of Warren.

Geography Eastpointe is in southern Macomb County, northeast of Downtown Detroit and north of Grosse Pointe. It is bordered to the west by the city of Warren, to the north by Roseville, and to the east by St. Clair Shores. It is bordered to the south by the cities of Detroit and Harper Woods in Wayne County. Roads that follow the city borders include Beechwood Avenue (up until it reaches Stephens Road, where it switches over to Hayes) on its western border (properties on both sides of these streets are within the city limits), 8 Mile/M-102 on its southern border, Beaconsfield/the southern and western bound section of the I-94 service drive on its eastern border, and 10 Mile Road on its northern border except for portions of the blocks of Macomb St. west to Hayes.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which , or 0.04%, are water.

Eastpointe is generally considered to be a bedroom community. It is a relatively short drive from many other points of interest in the Detroit area. It is served by Interstate 94 (I-94) and I-696, as well as M-3 (Gratiot Avenue), M-102 (8 Mile Road), and 9 Mile Road.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Eastpointe had a population of 34,318, with 13,126 households and 8,523 families. The population density was , and there were 13,798 housing units.

The median age was 37.1 years. 23.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 12.7% 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 87.4 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

Households with children under the age of 18 made up 33.4% of all households. Married-couple households were 30.9%, 21.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 38.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.0%. Of all housing units, 4.9% were vacant.

+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 13,512 39.4% Black or African American 18,086 52.7% American Indian and Alaska Native 92 0.3% Asian 367 1.1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 11 0.0% Some other race 352 1.0% Two or more races 1,898 5.5% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 818 2.4%

2010 census As of the 2010 census, there were 32,442 people, 12,557 households, and 8,220 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 13,796 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 65.6% White, 29.5% African American, 0.4% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 2.1% of the population.

There were 12,557 households, of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.9% were married couples living together, 19.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.5% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.19.

The median age in the city was 36.3 years. 25.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.6% were from 25 to 44; 25.7% were from 45 to 64; and 11.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.4% male and 51.6% female.

2000 census As of the 2000 census, there were 34,077 people, 13,595 households, and 8,959 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 13,965 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.13% White, 4.70% African American, 0.42% Native American, 0.87% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.27% from other races, and 1.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 1.33% of the population.

There were 13,595 households, out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the city, 24.5% of the population was under the age of 18, 7.6% was from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $46,261, and the median income for a family was $54,895. Males had a median income of $41,449 versus $28,095 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,665. About 4.2% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.5% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over. Economy The American Power Boat Association (APBA) is a New York non-profit, membership owned corporation that was created in 1903 by an act of the New York legislature as a racing association for powerboats. The APBA is headquartered in Eastpointe.

At one time Spirit Airlines had its headquarters in Eastpointe."World Airline Directory." Flight International. March 25–31, 1998. "Spirit Airlines" p. 92. "18121 East 8 Mile Road, Eastpointe, 48021, Michigan, USA" The headquarters moved to Miramar, Florida in the Miami Metropolitan Area in November 1999."Spirit Airlines Honored as Good Corporate Citizen of the Year; Miramar Business Appreciation 2003." Business Wire. February 13, 2003. Retrieved on December 17, 2009.

In 1959, a young businessman by the name of Art Van Elslander opened the doors to a Danish furniture showroom on Gratiot Avenue in Eastpointe which would become the first Art Van.

Culture and arts Cruisin' Gratiot in June is an annual weekend celebration of automotive history, tradition and memorabilia. The event includes car shows, contests, and live music.

The Michigan Military Technical & Historical Society Museum is in Eastpointe.

Eastpointe has many summer festivals and events, including Erin-Halfway Days Living History Festival held at John F. Kennedy Memorial Park in late July, Music in the Park Wednesday nights at Spindler Park, and Summer Fest, formerly known as The Ox Roast, mid to late August at John F. Kennedy Memorial Park.

Government Eastpointe is a Michigan home-rule city and operates under the council-manager form of government. The city's mayor and four council members are elected at large to four-year staggered terms.

In 2017, Eastpointe elected its first African-American councilwoman, Monique Owens. In 2019, Suzanne Pixley, who had been mayor since 2007, did not seek reelection after her third four-year term. Councilwoman Monique Owens succeeded Pixley as mayor in 2019, becoming the first African-American mayor of Eastpointe.

Owens was unseated in the 2023 mayoral primary. Her tenure as mayor was marred by multiple scandals, including a lawsuit alleging that she violated residents' First Amendment rights and a criminal charge for alleged false statements on a grant application. Residents also objected to police reports she made against critics, her failure to file financial disclosure statements, her heated tirades against residents and other officials during meetings, and her lack of support for the LGBT community.

On November 7, 2023, voters chose former city council member Michael "Mike" Klinefelt as mayor, with Klinefelt becoming the first openly-LGBT mayor of the city. Eastpointe voters also elected incumbent Harvey Curley and newcomer Margaret Podsiadlik to the city council. The three were sworn in the following Monday.

Discrimination lawsuit After a racial discrimination lawsuit was brought against the city regarding its election of all city council members through Plurality-at-large voting, alleging that the plurality-at-large system discriminated against African-American voters and violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, the city settled the lawsuit with the United States Department of Justice in June 2019 by agreeing to switch to single transferable vote for the at-large election of city council members for the November 2019 municipal election.Justice Department Reaches Agreement with City of Eastpointe, Michigan, Under the Voting Rights ActEastpointe, Michigan to become first in state to implement ranked choice voting

Beginning with the November 2019 election, ranked choice voting was used on the city council ballot, making Eastpointe the first municipality in Michigan to adopt ranked choice voting.Eastpointe to make Michigan history with ranked-choice voting

First Amendment lawsuit In 2022, four Eastpointe residents filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Eastpointe and Mayor Monique Owens alleging violations of their First Amendment rights. The plaintiffs alleged that Owens had interrupted and censored their remarks during time allotted for public comments at council meetings and engaged in viewpoint discrimination against them. The complaint requested that the city amend its public comment rules and sought damages from the mayor.

On December 8, 2022, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting Owens from shouting down speakers or restricting the subject matter of their remarks. The order is to remain in effect until the case is resolved or the court orders otherwise.