Howell

History

The City of Howell is the county seat of Livingston County. On 24 March 1836, the legislature passed an act organizing Livingston County. Howell was slated to become the county seat, but the newly established Brighton nearby claimed the seat for the next 12 years. January 1836 saw the establishment of the first post office in Howell. Flavius J. B. Crane was postmaster, and the post office was in the Eagle Tavern. In March of this same year, there was a mail route started in the village of Kensington that went through Howell until ending in Grand Rapids. The pioneer manufacturing enterprise of Howell was a sawmill built in 1836, soon followed by a blacksmith shop. The town was originally called Livingston Center, formed as a village by an act of the legislature on 14 March 1863 consisting of sections 35 and 36, and the south half of sections 25 and 26 of Howell Township. Before and during the Civil War, the city of Howell was a stop on the Underground Railroad. Most notably, the Historic Howell Opera House, located downtown, served as a station on the Underground Railroad. The opera house provided refuge to freedom seekers fleeing slavery in the South, offering them temporary shelter and assistance on their journey to Canada. Among the slaves fleeing persecution was Abraham Losford, the first Black resident of Howell. Losford fled north from Kentucky with nothing but his clippers, where he had been enslaved and served as a plantation barber. Local residents helped Losford establish a barber shop in downtown Howell, which remained open until his death. Abraham Losford died in 1897 and is buried in Lakeview Cemetery in Howell. His obituary states that quote, "His presence, as well as his open, manly character, was a living reminder of the sin of slavery. Many winters…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of , of which is land and is water. This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Howell has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps. * * * * (unsigned) *

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Howell High School
  High · HOWELL · 2,024 students · 21.3:1 ratio
• Brighton High School
  High · BRIGHTON · 1,961 students · 19.2:1 ratio
• Hartland High School
  High · HARTLAND · 1,738 students · 20.9:1 ratio
• Fowlerville High School
  High · FOWLERVILLE · 847 students · 20.2:1 ratio
• Maltby Intermediate School
  Middle · BRIGHTON · 819 students · 16.7:1 ratio
• Hartland MS at Ore Creek
  Middle · Hartland · 766 students · 20.2:1 ratio
• Highlander Way Middle School
  Middle · HOWELL · 744 students · 18.6:1 ratio
• Parker Middle School
  Middle · Howell · 741 students · 17.6:1 ratio