Munising ( ') is a city in

Alger County Alger County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 Census, the population was 8,842. Its county seat is Munising, Michigan, Munising. The Pictured ...

in the U.S. state of

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 2,355 at the 2010 census. It is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

of Alger County. The city is partially surrounded by Munising Township, but the two are administered autonomously. Located on the southern shore of

Lake Superior Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...

in the

Upper Peninsula The Upper Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. – is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula by ...

, it serves as the western gateway to

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is a U.S. National Lakeshore in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, United States. It extends for 42 miles (67 km) along the shore of Lake Superior and covers . The park has extensive views of the hilly sho ...

History

The name for the city comes from the

Ojibwe The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...

word ''minisiing'', "at the island". A post office was established as the Munising post office on December 22, 1868. It was renamed as Gogarnville on October 23, 1889, when Julius Gogarn was appointed as postmaster. The office was moved to his farm. He was a German-born American Civil War veteran and first Supervisor of Munising Township. That post office continued until July 15, 1893.

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

and

Grand Island National Recreation Area The Grand Island National Recreation Area is a national recreation area in Hiawatha National Forest under jurisdiction of the U.S. Forest Service. Located on Grand Island, Michigan offshore from Munising, Michigan, the Grand Island National Recr ...

. Grand Island is located one half mile north in Munising Bay. 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 city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The Munising area has many waterfalls including

Alger Falls Alger Falls is a waterfall located along highway M-28 (Michigan highway) in Alger County Alger County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 Censu ...

, Horseshoe Falls, Memorial Falls, Munising Falls,

Miners Falls Miners Falls is a waterfall located on Miners River in the western portion of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Alger County, Michigan. The falls drops about over a sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly ...

Scott Falls Scott Falls is a waterfall located along highway M-28 (Michigan highway), M-28 in Alger County, Michigan, Alger County, Michigan near the town of Au Train, Michigan, Au Train. The falls drops about over a sandstone cliff into a small pool. The ...

, Tannery Falls and Wagner Falls.

Climate

Munising has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

''Dfb'') with cool to warm summers coupled with cold winters with heavy

lake-effect snow Lake-effect snow is produced during cooler atmospheric conditions when a cold air mass moves across long expanses of warmer lake water. The lower layer of air, heated up by the lake water, picks up water vapor from the lake and rises up throug ...

fall.

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 2,355 people, 1,032 households, and 592 families living in the city. 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 1,252 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.2%

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 ...

, 4.8% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.2% 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 3.0% 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 1.4% of the population. There were 1,032 households, of which 22.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.0% 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, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.6% were non-families. 37.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.76. The median age in the city was 48.6 years. 18.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.5% were from 25 to 44; 28.4% were from 45 to 64; and 26.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.4% male and 52.6% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,539 people, 1,115 households, and 654 families living in the city. The

was 474.0 per square mile (182.9/km²). There were 1,249 housing units at an average density of 233.2 per square mile (90.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.74%

, 0.16%

, 3.51% Native American, 0.67% Asian, 0.12%

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 ...

, 0.08% from

, and 1.73% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.98% of the population. 13.3% were of

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

, 12.4%

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, 11.0%

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

, 9.9% Polish, 8.8%

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

, 7.3%

French Canadian French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fre ...

and 6.8%

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

ancestry according to

Census 2000 The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 ce ...

. 97.8% spoke

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

and 1.6%

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

as their first language. There were 1,115 households, out of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.8% were

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 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 city was $19,779. About 7.4% of families and 11.4% 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 11.6% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

* travels west to Marquette and east to Sault Ste. Marie. * travels westerly through Chatham toward

Sawyer International Airport Sawyer International Airport is a county-owned public-use airport in Marquette County, Michigan, United States. It is located south of the central business district of the city of Marquette. It is included in the Federal Aviation Administrati ...

south of Marquette, and southerly to Manistique. * runs from H-58 just east of the city to Miner's Castle within

. *, a north-south route, terminates at H-58 in the eastern part of the city. * begins in downtown Munising and continues northeasterly through

Notable people

* Connie Binsfeld, 60th Lieutenant Governor of Michigan * George Snow Hill, painter * Steven J. Raica, Roman Catholic priest, 5th Bishop of Gaylord, Michigan, 5th Bishop of Birmingham, Alabama"Resignations and Appointments, 25.03.2020" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. March 25, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2020. * Brock Strom, professional football player * James Wickstrom, radio talk show host *

Arthur DeLacy Wood Arthur DeLacy Wood (October 3, 1876 – April 9, 1958) was an American lawyer, publisher of the ''Munising News'', probate judge in Alger County, Michigan, and first chairperson of the United States Parole Commission. Life Wood, born in 1 ...

, parole board chairperson

Gallery

File:2009-0618-Munising-downtown.jpg, Downtown Munising (Elm Avenue) File:2009-0618-Munising-AlgerCtyCourt.jpg, Alger County Courthouse Complex File:Harbor of Munising, Michigan.jpg, Munising Harbor File:2009-0618-Munising-CityHall.jpg, Munising City Hall

References

External links

City of Munising official websiteMunising Visitor's BureauMunising Area Tourism and Economic DevelopmentPictured Rocks National Lakeshore
{{Authority control Cities in Alger County, Michigan County seats in Michigan Michigan populated places on Lake Superior Populated places established in 1896 1896 establishments in Michigan Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore