Port Austin is a village in Huron County in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...

. The population was 664 at the 2010 census. The village is within Port Austin Township.

Geography

* According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the village has a total area of , of which is land and is water. * It is located at the tip of

the Thumb The Thumb is a region and a peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan, so named because the Lower Peninsula is shaped like a mitten. The Thumb area is generally considered to be in the Central Michigan region, east of the Tri-Cities and north of M ...

. Port Austin is home to the beautiful rock formation Turnip Rock, found to the northeast of town on Point Aux Barques. Nearby is Port Crescent State Park, which has one of Michigan's finest sand beaches. View from Port Austin Breakwater Pier during winter

View from Port Austin Breakwater Pier during winter

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2010, there were 664 people, 338 households, and 168 families living in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was . There were 724 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 96.1%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 0.2%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.2% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.6%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.5% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.5% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 1.7% of the population. There were 338 households, of which 16.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 50.3% were non-families. 43.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.91 and the average family size was 2.59. The median age in the village was 55.4 years. 14.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 16.1% were from 25 to 44; 34.8% were from 45 to 64; and 30.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 49.7% male and 50.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 737 people, 370 households, and 206 families living in the village. The

was 733.7 per square mile (284.6/km). There were 622 housing units at an average density of 619.2 per square mile (240.2/km). The racial makeup of the village was 97.96%

, 0.27%

, 0.27% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.27% from

, and 1.09% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.68% of the population. There were 370 households, out of which 16.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.9% were

living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.3% were non-families. 41.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.94 and the average family size was 2.58. In the village, the population was spread out, with 15.5% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 17.9% from 25 to 44, 31.6% from 45 to 64, and 30.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 52 years. For every 100 females, there were 79.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.6 males. The median income for a household in the village was $29,643, and the median income for a family was $38,000. Males had a median income of $26,875 versus $23,750 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the village was $18,480. About 12.2% of families and 14.3% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 15.3% of those under age 18 and 16.4% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* V. Floyd Campbell, illustrator and caricaturist; born in Port Austin *

Napoleon Chagnon Napoleon Alphonseau Chagnon (27 August 1938 – 21 September 2019) was an American cultural anthropologist, professor of sociocultural anthropology at the University of Missouri in Columbia and member of the National Academy of Sciences. Chagn ...

, anthropologist; born in Port Austin William Lyon Phelps, Yale professor and writer summer resident and after 1933 permanent resident.

References

External links

Port Austin webcam, calendar and events
{{authority control Villages in Huron County, Michigan Villages in Michigan Populated places on Lake Huron in the United States