| Vicksburg, Michigan | |
| Official Name: | City of Vicksburg |
| Settlement Type: | Village |
| Pushpin Map: | Michigan#USA |
| Pushpin Label Position: | top |
| Pushpin Label: | Vicksburg |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location within the state of Michigan##Location within the United States |
| Mapsize: | 250 |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Michigan |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Kalamazoo |
| Subdivision Type3: | Townships |
| Subdivision Name3: | Schoolcraft, Brady |
| Established Title: | Incorporated |
| Established Date: | 1871 |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 8.00 |
| Area Land Km2: | 7.66 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.35 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 3.09 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 2.96 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.13 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 3706 |
| Population Density Km2: | 484.11 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 1253.72 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Elevation M: | 260 |
| Elevation Ft: | 853 |
| Coordinates: | 42.1206°N -85.5342°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 49097 |
| Area Code: | 269 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 26-82300[2] |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 1615573[3] |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
Vicksburg is a village in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States. The population was 3,706 at the 2020 census. The west part of the village is in Schoolcraft Township and the east part is in Brady Township.
John Vickers, the town's namesake, settled in the area in 1831. It was incorporated as a village of the state in 1871.[4] A Michigan Registered Historic Site plaque reads:[5]
VICKERS' MILL: In 1831, John Vickers built a brush dam over the eight-foot waterfall on Portage Creek and erected a log grist mill. The mill is believed to have been the first mill in Kalamazoo County. The dam created a pond that supplied water power to the mill and formed the sizeable Sunset Lake, around which pioneers built homes and set up businesses. Vickers died in 1842. On October 18, 1871, the village was incorporated as Brady, but one day later, a petition passed to rename it Vicksburg.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 3.15sqmi, of which 3.01sqmi is land and 0.14sqmi is water.[6] Vicksburg is located on the shore of Sunset Lake.
As of the census[7] of 2010, there were 2,906 people, 1,120 households, and 773 families residing in the village. The population density was 965.4PD/sqmi. There were 1,233 housing units at an average density of 409.6/sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 95.9% White, 0.6% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.2% of the population.
There were 1,120 households, of which 39.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% were married couples living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.0% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59, and the average family size was 3.12.
The median age in the village was 33 years. 28.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 29.3% were from 25 to 44; 23.4% were from 45 to 64; and 11.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 49.3% male and 50.7% female.
Public education is provided by the Vicksburg Community Schools, which serves the village and the surrounding area. Vicksburg High School, Vicksburg Middle School, and Sunset Lake Elementary School are in the village, with two additional elementary schools located in nearby rural areas.[8]
Each year during the second weekend in June, Vicksburg hosts a classic car show.[9] Vicksburg Car Show 2009 Vicksburg Car Show 2008 Vicksburg Car Show 2007Vicksburg Car Show 2006
Annual Summer Festival – Located at the Vicksburg Recreation Park, The Vicksburg Lions Club has hosted this event for 37 years. The festival features Otto's Beer & Bratwurst Tent, Family Night, Volleyball and Horseshoe Tournaments, and Live Music. The B&B Annual Summer Festival begins the third Thursday in July and runs through Saturday night.
Christmas in the Village – Located within the whole town of Vicksburg, This event takes place every year in December with family fun events and a parade. It finishes off with the Christmas Tree lighting ceremony.
On November 14, 1977[10] (and continued on November 21, 1977[11]), author Bil Gilbert wrote a long feature story in Sports Illustrated on the impact of high school football on life in a small town. He chose to write about Vicksburg High School and mentioned many local citizens and establishments in his article.
