Cheboygan ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. It is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

and largest settlement of Cheboygan County. At the 2020 census, Cheboygan had a population of 4,770. Cheboygan is situated on

Lake Huron Lake Huron ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is shared on the north and east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the south and west by the U.S. state of Michigan. The name of the lake is derived from early French ex ...

at the mouth of the Cheboygan River. It is the fourth-largest American city on Lake Huron after Bay City, Port Huron, and Alpena. Cheboygan is part of Northern Michigan, and is the northernmost city in Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Directly north of Cheboygan is Bois Blanc Island (part of

Mackinac County Mackinac 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 10,834. The county seat is St. Ignace, Michigan, St. Ignace. F ...

), which can be accessed via ferry from Cheboygan.

History

Cheboygan was originally an Ojibwe settlement. In 1844, Jacob Sammons, a cooper from Fort Mackinac, chose the old native camping ground, known as Shabwegan, as the site for his cabin. He recruited other settlers, and a post office named "Duncan" was established in 1846. It was made the county seat in 1853. Duncan or Duncan City was given a post office in 1850 as a result of the building of sawmills in this area. Duncan was made the county seat in 1853 and the location of the federal land office in 1855. The county seat shifted to Cheboygan in about 1870. Later Duncan was included within the expanded boundaries of Cheboygan. The area became known as Cheboygan in 1870. It was incorporated as a village in 1871. Rail maps in 1876 show planned rail service for Cheboygan, but due to various setbacks, rail did not arrive there until 1881. There was a theater built in town in 1877. Cheboygan was incorporated as a city in 1889. In approximately 1890, Cheboygan became the home port for ferryboats to nearby Bois Blanc, an island in the

Straits of Mackinac The Straits of Mackinac ( ; ) are the short waterways between the U.S. state of Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas, traversed by the Mackinac Bridge. The main strait is wide with a maximum depth of , and connects the Great Lakes of Lake M ...

. Early in the 20th century, it was home to the pioneering

brass era The Brass Era is an American term for the early period of automotive manufacturing, named for the prominent brass fittings used during this time for such features as lights and radiator (engine cooling), radiators. It is generally considered to ...

cyclecar A cyclecar was a type of small, lightweight and inexpensive motorized car manufactured in Europe and the United States between 1910 and the early 1920s. The purpose of cyclecars was to fill a gap in the market between the motorcycle and the c ...

maker, Flagler (de: Flagler Cyclecar). In 1944, Cheboygan became the home port of the former U.S. Coast Guard cutter and icebreaker , serving from 1944 to 2006. Beginning in 2006, the port continued this role as the home dock of the new , a successor cutter.

Etymology

The name of the city shares the name of the county and probably has its origin from the Cheboygan River, although the precise meaning is no longer known. It may have come from an

Ojibwe The Ojibwe (; Ojibwe writing systems#Ojibwe syllabics, syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the Great Plains, n ...

word ''zhaabonigan'' meaning "sewing needle". Alternatively, the origin may have been "Chabwegan," meaning "a place of ore."

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Climate

The climate is described as Humid Continental by the Köppen Climate System, abbreviated as ''Dfb''

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 4,867 people, 2,025 households, and 1,164 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . There were 2,415 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 90.8%

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

, 1.0%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 4.6% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.2% of the population. There were 2,025 households, of which 28.3% 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 recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 15.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.5% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.84. The median age in the city was 40.8 years. 22.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.6% were from 25 to 44; 26% were from 45 to 64; and 19% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.9% male and 52.1% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 5,295 people, 2,146 households, and 1,349 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,365 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.80%

, 0.51%

, 4.12% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.38% from other races, and 2.91% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.44% of the population. There were 2,146 households, out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were

living together, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.1% were non-families. 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.94. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $25,033, and the median income for a family was $32,692. Males had a median income of $28,417 versus $19,559 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $14,318. About 15.8% of families and 19.9% 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 31.0% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public education in Cheboygan is served by the Cheboygan Area Schools district. The city is home to Cheboygan High School.

Tourist attractions

* Bois Blanc Island * Cheboygan Crib Light * Cheboygan State Park *

Opera House An opera house is a theater building used for performances of opera. Like many theaters, it usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, backstage facilities for costumes and building sets, as well as offices for the institut ...

Media

The city and county are served by a

daily newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...

, the '' Cheboygan Daily Tribune''. A television station, WTOM-TV, is licensed to Cheboygan and maintains broadcast facilities along US Highway 23 south of the city, but this station operates as a satellite, with programming originating from parent station

WPBN-TV WPBN-TV (channel 7) and WTOM-TV (channel 4) are television stations licensed respectively to Traverse City and Cheboygan, Michigan, United States, serving as the NBC affiliates for the northern Lower and eastern Upper peninsulas of Michigan ...

in Traverse City.

Transportation

State trunklines

* parallels the

shore, running primarily east–west in Cheboygan, and can be used to access Rogers City and Alpena, both southeast of Cheboygan. * is the primary north–south thoroughfare in Cheboygan, and can be used to access

Interstate 75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from S ...

and M-33, both south of Cheboygan.

County-designated highways

* * *

Trails

* North Central State Trail * North Eastern State Trail

Bus

* Indian Trails provides daily intercity bus service between St. Ignace and

Bay City, Michigan Bay City is a city in Bay County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The population was 32,661 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The city is located just upriver from the Saginaw Bay on the Saginaw River. It is the princip ...

. This route doubles as the

Amtrak Thruway Amtrak Thruway is a system of through-ticketed transportation services to connect passengers with areas not served by Amtrak trains. In most cases these are dedicated motorcoach routes, but can also be non-dedicated intercity bus services, transi ...

service for the area.

Notable people

* George M. Humphrey, 55th

United States Secretary of the Treasury The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...

* Debbie Massey, golfer. Winner of three

LPGA The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly ...

Tour events *

Scott Sigler Scott Carl Sigler is an American author of science fiction and Horror fiction, horror and a podcaster. Scott is a ''The New York Times, New York Times'' No. 1 bestselling author of twenty novels, six novellas, dozens of short stories, and thousan ...

, 1988 graduate of CAHS. Contemporary American author of

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

and horror.

References

External links

City of CheboyganCheboygan Area Chamber of CommerceWebsite for the USCGC Mackinaw, home ported in Cheboygan
{{Coord, 45, 38, 49, N, 84, 28, 28, W, display=title Cities in Cheboygan County, Michigan County seats in Michigan Michigan placenames of Native American origin Populated places on Lake Huron in the United States Populated places established in 1871 1871 establishments in Michigan