LAWTON, MICHIGAN

'Lawton' is a village in Van Buren County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 1,859.

Contents

Geography

Demographics

Social scene

Local miscellany

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 5.9 km² (2.3 mi²), all land.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there are 1,859 people, 610 households, and 428 families residing in the village. The population density is 317.6/km² (823.0/mi²). There are 668 housing units at an average density of 114.1/km² (295.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the village is 90.75% White, 1.24% African American, 0.75% Native American, 0.05% Asian, 3.98% from other races, and 3.23% from two or more races. 11.62% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 610 households out of which 38.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% are married couples living together, 15.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% are non-families. 24.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.8% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.63 and the average family size is 3.12.
In the village the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 37 years. For every 100 females there are 83.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 77.0 males.
The median income for a household in the village is $36,250, and the median income for a family is $40,909. Males have a median income of $32,614 versus $25,208 for females. The per capita income for the village is $15,600. 11.5% of the population and 6.7% of families are 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 are living below the poverty line.

Social scene

The tiny Old Hat Brewery is Lawton's contribution to Michigan's booming craft beer scene. Old Hat originally opened as Duster's, with good ales and bad attitude, until Larry Bell of the then-Kalamazoo Brewing Company (now Bell's Brewery, Inc.) bought the pub and sent his brewer Tom "Elvis" Fuller to run it. Fuller has since purchased the brewery from Bell. The brewery's name has a double meaning, both the idea that brewing good beer is "old hat," and also a recognition of the flamboyant Larry Bell's affinity for hats. A wide selection of hats is displayed above the bar, and an indication of the conviviality of the pub is when customers take down the hats to wear and trade among themselves.
Across the street from Old Hat is Big T's, a local restaurant known for its wide selection of beers. Indeed, when the present-day Old Hat was Duster's, Big T's was sometimes considered the more reliable place to be able to order a Duster's beer because of the sometimes limited hours of the brewpub.
Another Lawton favorite, Decoy Ducks, is located directly to the right of Big T's on Main Street.

Local miscellany

A recent addition to the town is the small, yet tasty Taco Bob's.
Lawton developed a new middle school and an addition onto the high school from 2003 to 2005. The school's mascot is the Blue Devil (formerly the Grape Stompers, so named for the Welch's factory in town). Frank Sipes, as the high school track coach, successfully upheld the conference championship for 25 years straight before the merging of the Southwestern Athletic Conference with multiple are Sports conferences. The cross country team placed first at state finals in the year 2001, led by coach Kris Bullock. {coor title dms|42|10|02|N|85|50|49|W|type:city_region:US-MI}}