unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
and
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
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, ...
Covington was first settled by French-Canadians around 1885, and was named for the postmaster's home town of
Covington, Kentucky
Covington is a list of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in Kenton County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Licking River (Kentucky), Licking rivers, across from Cincinnati to the north ...
. The community was a stop along the
Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway
The Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway (DSS&A; ) was an American railroad serving the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the Lake Superior shoreline of Wisconsin. It provided service from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and St. Ignace, Michigan, w ...
.
As the amount of forest land declined due to logging, farming became more prevalent. When a number of Finnish settlers started arriving in 1898, eventually outnumbering the small French and Swedish population, they planted fields of potatoes, corn, and wheat, and started pasturing milk cows. Others found work in the booming logging industry, buoyed by an abundant supply of cordwood and pulpwood.
A temperance society ''Onnen Satama'', meaning Harbor of Luck, was the first Finnish organization in Covington, and was organized on November 28, 1899.
One year later, the Finnish Lutherans established the Covington Evangelical Lutheran Church. The church underwent a number of repairs and modifications over the ensuing years, but an altar painting offered to the church in 1931 by Professor Elmer A. Forsberg of the Chicago Art Institute resulted in the largest modification to date. Art Institute staff drew up plans to enlarge and remodel the church, which added the sanctuary, sacristy, and sexton's room. The interior was decorated in an Art Deco meets Finland style, with wood paneling, a candelabra, chandeliers, hand carved images of St. John and St. Peter, altar, and pulpit all designed by the Art Institute. In 1950 the church was renamed as the Bethany Evangelical Lutheran Church, and today is a tourist attraction while still having an active congregation.
Nowadays, Covington is probably best known for its Finnish Music Festival, which is held around the Fourth of July every year and features musicians playing Finnish-inspired music on Finnish instruments. The daylong festival also features breakfast, church tours, and an all-day chicken barbecue. The community is also home to the UP Made Artist Market, a project of the non-profit Community Women's Group that is open from May to October.
Along with crop and dairy farming, the lumber industry is still the largest source of income for residents today. However, increasing costs and decreasing prices have led many farmers to leave for the mining operations in Michigamme and Negaunee.
Demographics
The CDP had a population of 99 in 2020.
Notable people
* Rosa Lemberg (1875–1959), Finnish American teacher, choral conductor and socialist
Gallery
File:CovingtonMichiganPostOfficeUS141.jpg, Post office
File:CovingtonMichiganSignUS141.jpg, Sign