Лапир, Мичиган: История и современность города

Lapeer (/l//ə//p//i//ɹ/// ləPEER) is a city in the U. S. state of Michigan and is the county seat of Lapeer County. As of the 2020 census, the city population was Most of the city was incorporated from land that was formerly in Lapeer Township, though portions were also annexed from Mayfield Township and Elba Township. Lapeer is in southern Michigan, east of Flint, on the Flint River.

By an ordinance of the Congress of the United States passed on July 13, 1787, the area lying northwest of the Ohio River, though still occupied by the British, was organized as the Northwest Territory. Lapeer County was once part of the Northwest Territory. In January 1820, the county of Oakland was formed, which served the area now known as Lapeer, until the County of Lapeer was formed in 1837, when Michigan became a state. The first elections were for county officers, with 520 persons voting in 1837. Folklore claims Lapeer was derived from the naming of the south branch of the Flint River, which flows northwestward in Lapeer County. French and Indian traders frequently passed over this section of the county and through the river, ultimately naming the city for the stone that lay at the river bottom. In French, stone is called "la pierre"; the English pronunciation of these words gives Lapeer. The river was named Flint, synonymous with stone. (See List of Michigan county name etymologies.) It is also believed that the first settlers who came from New York State may have brought the name Lapeer from a similarly named city in their home state. A third supposition is that French missionaries named the city Le Pere, meaning The Father. The first settlers in Lapeer were a group of men named Alvin N. Hart, Oliver B. Hart, and J. B. Morse. Lapeer became a founding member of the Karegnondi Water Authority. On August 15, 2012, the fourth largest Powerball jackpot was won from a ticket sold at a Sunoco station in Lapeer. The jackpot had an annuity value of $337 million.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.38 square miles (19 km2), of which 7.13 square miles (18 km2) is land and 0.25 square miles (1 km2) is water. It is considered to be part of the Thumb of Michigan, which in turn is a subregion of the Flint/Tri Cities.

As of the census Lapeer is a member of Karegnondi Water Authority Lapeer is served by the Lapeer District Library.

Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Lapeer, operating its Blue Water daily in both directions between Chicago and Port Huron. Greater Lapeer Transportation Authority (GLTA) is the local public bus system serving Lapeer and the surrounding area.

The thumb area is an unranked radio area. Local radio in Lapeer includes WLCO AM, WQUS FM, and WMPC AM.

WWBN 101.5 FM, Flint's Banana 101.5
WNFR 90.7 FM, Port Huron, Christian Radio
WIDL 92.1 FM, Cass City
WBGV 92.5 FM, Marlette, Today's Best Country
WQUS 103.1 FM, Lapeer, "US 103.1" Classic Hits
WCZE 103.7 FM Harbor Beach / WHYT 88.1 FM Imlay City, Smile FM

The County Press is a local newspaper, published Sundays and Wednesdays. The Lapeer Area View is a free local newspaper, mailed to homes throughout the county every Thursday. Daily editions of the Flint Journal, Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News are also available throughout the area.

Lapeer is in the Detroit and Flint television markets; Lapeer also receives most stations from the Flint Saginaw Bay City market. Charter Communications in Lapeer carry most Detroit channels and most major Flint/Tri Cities channels.