Munising, Michigan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Munising is a city on the southern shore of Lake Superior on the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 2,539. It is the county seat of Alger County6. The city is at the northwest corner of Munising Township, but is politically independent.
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[edit] History
The name is derived from "Minissing", an Ojibwe word meaning island in a lake, for the nearby Grand Island.
The town began in 1850 as a company town on the east side of the bay, when the Munising Iron Company bought land there and platted a community first known as "Old Munising" and later as "East Munising".
The first post office was opened in 1868 and closed in 1873 after the Munising Iron Company failed. The office's existence over the next few decades fluctuated as various other iron companies came and went in an attempt to continue operations there.
In 1894, Timothy Nestor and associates began what became the present city at the south end of the bay and platted it in 1895. A post office opened there in 1896.
The community incorporated as a village in 1897 and as a city in 1915. It has been the county seat of Alger County since 1902.
[edit] Geography
Munising is located on the southern edge of Munising Bay at , also known as the South Bay of Grand Island Harbor, across from Grand Island around the mouth of the Anna River. It is the primary embarkation point for cruises to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and the Grand Island National Recreation Area.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 23.6 km² (9.1 mi²). 13.9 km² (5.4 mi²) of it is land and 9.8 km² (3.8 mi²) of it (41.40%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 2,539 people, 1,115 households, and 654 families residing in the city. The population density was 182.9/km² (474.0/mi²). There were 1,249 housing units at an average density of 90.0/km² (233.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.74% White, 0.16% African American, 3.51% Native American, 0.67% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 0.08% from other races, and 1.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.98% of the population.
There were 1,115 households out of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.8% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.3% were non-families. 36.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.4% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 25.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 88.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,899, and the median income for a family was $46,133. Males had a median income of $41,333 versus $24,444 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,779. About 7.4% of families and 11.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.6% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Sources
- Romig, Walter. Michigan Place Names. Wayne State University Press: Detroit, 1986.
