Swartz Creek, Michigan is in west Genesee County, about fifteen minutes southwest of Flint.
The city was named for the creek that flows along or near its southern border. Other small waterways within the city include Mistequay Creek, Alger Drain, Castor Drain, Spillane Drain, and Sprague Drain,
I-69 passes through the city, connecting with I-75 east of the city limits. Other routes to and from the city include Bristol Road, Dye Road, Elms Road, Hill Road, Miller Road, Moorish Road, and Seymour Road.
Cities and villages within twenty-five miles from Swartz Creek include Lennon, Flint, Flushing, Durand, Gaines, Vernon, Burton, Linden, Grand Blanc, Byron, Bancroft, Mt. Morris, Montrose, New Lothrop, Corunna, Fenton, Davison, Owosso, Morrice, Holly, Clio, Perry, and Goodrich, while the unincorporated communities of Duffient, Mundy, and Rankin are within ten miles.
The city has incorporated land formerly within Flint Charter Township, Gaines Township, and Clayton Township, although it is administered autonomously.
Prior to its settlement by European-Americans, Native Americans traveled a trail that paralleled Swartz Creek to reach a grove of maple trees, on what later became Crapo Farm. This trail continued to the Lansing area.
Although the first European-American settlers came in the 1830s, Swartz Creek wasn't incorporated until 1958 and became a city in 1959 to avoid annexation by Flint. First appearing on a US census roll in 1960, when its population was 3,006, Swartz Creek's population declined only once, in 1990. Its population in 2020 was 5,897.
The community was first known as the Miller Settlement, for Adam Miller, a German immigrant who came, as the first white settler, along with his family of eleven in 1836. Originally built as a state road, Miller Road was named for him, as well.
When a post office was established on August 21, 1843, with Arthur L. Ellsworth as postmaster, it was named Swartz Creek for the stream. The Grand Trunk Western Railroad came through in 1876. Although they named their station Hamilton, it was changed to Swartz Creek in 1880.
Otterburn, a nearby community, was included as part of Swartz Creek when it was incorporated as a city. Otterburn also had a station on the Grand Trunk Western Railroad, and a post office was opened there on August 27, 1887, with Charles F. Shumway as postmaster. The office operated until October 31, 1913.
After the Crapo Farm was sold in 1955, the Winchester Village subdivision was built on the former farm, soon followed by another, known as Winchester Woods. This development, along with most of the woods, was merged into Swartz Creek when it was incorporated as a city.
The impetus for Swartz Creek's incorporation was a plan implemented by GM executives to annex the area into Flint. When the proposal became public in 1957, a petition for incorporation began circulating the following year. The community was first incorporated as a village, then as a city on December 1, 1959.
In 1986, the Sports Creek Raceway opened. The city received $424,000 a year from wager revenue until John Engler became governor of Michigan in 1993. He reduced the cash flow from the casinos for two years, establishing a new distribution formula that distributed more revenue to the state and less to the municipality. The Raceway was closed by the Michigan Gaming Control Board in 2015 when its owners would not agree to terms dictated by the Michigan Harness Horsemen's Association. Under new ownership since 2019, it has not reopened.
In 2016, the city merged its police department with the Mundy Township Police Department to form the Metro Police Authority of Genesee County. The Flint Area Narcotics Group (FANG) and the Genesee Auto Theft Investigation Network (GAIN) have operations in Swartz Creek. Other government agencies operating within the city include the Swartz Creek Area Fire Department, which also serves Clayton Township.
The Swartz Creek Community School District serves the City of Swartz Creek, parts of the City of Flint, the Village of Lennon, and portions of Flint Charter Township, Argentine Township, Clayton Township, and Gaines Township. The majority of the district's campuses and buildings are in Swartz Creek.
The focal point of this portion of our guide is the City of Swartz Creek, Michigan. As such, online resources for the municipal government and any other governmental agencies located within the city are appropriate for this category, along with local businesses, industries, schools, churches, organizations, attractions, events, entertainment venues, and recreational organizations.
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Operated by Heritage Village Association, a homeowners association, Heritage Village is a planned community with tree-lined streetscapes of condominiums and homes modeled after early 1900s styles, with ponds, bicycle trails, walking paths, community parks, lighted sidewalks, designed to produce an environment suggesting a simpler time when neighbors knew one another and where children play freely. A profile of the community is presented, along with the names and email addresses of its board.
https://heritagevillageofswartzcreek.com/
Located in Genesee County, the city was incorporated from parts of Flint Charter Township, Gaines Township, and Clayton Township in 1959. The official municipal website features essential city services and updates, upcoming meeting schedules, packets, and minutes, as well as office hours, administrative contacts, and emergency services. A municipal calendar, recycling information, music schedules, and access to various public documents, files, forms, and reports is available.
https://www.cityofswartzcreek.org/
Swartz Creek Area Historical Society
The Society is a non-profit organization created to acquire, preserve, and make available artifacts, photographs, and publications commemorating the history and heritage of the Swartz Creek, Michigan region. Current board officers are listed on the site, which includes schedules of meetings and upcoming programs and events, photographs of various places associated with area history, a downloadable newsletter and obituaries, and notices of books and other items offered for sale.
http://www.swartzcreekhistory.com/
Swartz Creek Community Schools
Serving the PK-12 population of Swartz Creek and portions of Flint, Lennon, and the townships of Flint, Gaines, Clayton, and Argentine, the public school district operates Swartz Creek High School, Swartz Creek Middle School, Dieck Elementary School, Elms Road Elementary School, Gaines Elementary School, Morrish Elementary School, Syring Elementary School, Little Dragons Learning Centers, and the Swartz Creek Virtual Learning Center, each of which is featured here.
https://www.swartzcreek.org/
