Harbor Springs is a city and resort community in

Emmet County, Michigan Emmet County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 34,112, making it the second-most populous county in Northern Michigan (behind Grand Tr ...

, United States. The population was 1,274 in the 2020 census. Harbor Springs is in a sheltered bay on the north shore of the

Little Traverse Bay Little Traverse Bay ( ) is a small open bay of Lake Michigan. Extending about into the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, much of the head of the land surrounding Little Traverse Bay, and has become part of the urban areas of Petoskey and Harbor ...

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...

. The Little Traverse Lighthouse is a historic lighthouse on the Harbor Point peninsula, which shelters the deepest natural

harbor A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be moored. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is ...

on the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...

. M-119 connects with

US 31 U.S. Route 31 or U.S. Highway 31 (US 31) is a major north–south U.S. highway connecting southern Alabama to northern Michigan. Its southern terminus is at an intersection with US 90/ US 98 in Spanish Fort, Alabama. I ...

east and south at Bay View and Petoskey, which is away on the south side of the harbor. The area is known for its historic summer resorts, such as

Wequetonsing Little Traverse Township is a civil township of Emmet County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,657 at the 2020 census. Communities *Conway is an unincorporated community and census-designated place A census-designated place ( ...

, which was founded by Illinois businessmen and lawyers Henry Stryker III, and Henry Brigham McClure. They were both connected with the

Jacob Bunn :''This article concerns John Whitfield Bunn, Jacob Bunn, and the entrepreneurs who were interconnected with the Bunn brothers through association or familial and genealogical connection.'' John Whitfield Bunn (June 21, 1831 – June 7, 1920)Ill ...

industrial dynasty of Illinois.

History

The European-American settlement started with a mission by French Catholic

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

; they called this area ''

L'Arbre Croche L'Arbre Croche, known by the Odawa people as Waganagisi, was a large Odawa settlement in Northern Michigan. The French called it L'Arbre Croche for the large crooked tree that marked the center of the settlement and was visible for many miles. It c ...

,'' meaning Crooked Tree. In 1847, L'Arbre Croche had the largest concentration of

Native Americans Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States. Related terms and peoples include: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...

in Michigan. French traders renamed the area Petit Traverse, or Little Crossing, when they arrived in the area. After more settlers came from the eastern United States, they changed the name of the village to Harbor Springs, incorporating it in 1880. The federally recognized

Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians The Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians (LTBBOI, ) is a Native American recognition in the United States, federally recognized Native Americans in the United States, Native American List of Native American Tribal Entities, tribe of Odawa ...

are descendants of the numerous Odawa bands that occupied this area. They have their tribal offices in Harbor Springs and a gaming resort in Petoskey. 2009-0619-HarborSprings-Hex

Ephraim Shay Ephraim Shay (July 17, 1839 – April 19, 1916) was an American merchant, entrepreneur and self-taught railroad engineer who worked in the state of Michigan. He designed the Shay locomotive and patented the type. He licensed it for manufacture ...

(1839–1916) is known for his invention of the

Shay locomotive The Shay locomotive is a geared steam locomotive that originated and was primarily used in North America. The locomotives were built to the patents of Ephraim Shay, who has been credited with the popularization of the concept of a ''geared st ...

. The

hexagonal In geometry, a hexagon (from Greek , , meaning "six", and , , meaning "corner, angle") is a six-sided polygon. The total of the internal angles of any simple (non-self-intersecting) hexagon is 720°. Regular hexagon A regular hexagon is d ...

-shaped house he built in downtown Harbor Springs is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. The local

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

is named after him. The Douglas House on the shore of Lake Michigan was designed by architect

Richard Meier Richard Meier (born October 12, 1934) is an American abstract artist and architect, whose geometric designs make prominent use of the color white. A winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1984, Meier has designed several iconic buildings ...

and completed in 1973. This house is one of 150 structures listed in 2007 as

America's Favorite Architecture "America's Favorite Architecture" is a list of buildings and other structures identified as the most popular works of architecture in the United States. In 2006 and 2007, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) sponsored research to identify t ...

by the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach progr ...

. The Club Ponytail was a music hall destroyed by fire in 1969.

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 , all of it land.

Climate

The climate is described as

Humid Continental Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation, dew, or fog to be present. Humidity depe ...

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 1,194 people, 558 households, and 294 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 1,122 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.0%

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 ...

, 0.3%

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 ...

, 4.8%

Native American Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States. Related terms and peoples include: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...

, 0.8% Asian, 0.1%

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 ...

, 0.1% from other races, and 2.0% 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 0.7% of the population. There were 558 households, of which 19.4% included children under the age of 18, 38.4% 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, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 47.3% were non-families. 43.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.93 and the average family size was 2.66. The median age in the city was 55.8 years. 15.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 14.7% were from 25 to 44; 32.6% were from 45 to 64; and 32.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 43.8% male and 56.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,567 people, 683 households, and 383 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,086 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.70%

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 ...

, 0.19%

, 5.87%

, 0.19% Asian, and 2.04% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.57% of the population. There were 683 households, out of which 23.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.0% were

living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.8% were non-families. 39.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.88. 2009-0619-HarborSprings-CityHall

In the city, the population was spread out, with 20.4% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 22.8% from 25 to 44, 28.3% from 45 to 64, and 23.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $35,341, and the median income for a family was $46,750. Males had a median income of $29,236 versus $27,167 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 $21,876. About 5.3% of families and 6.8% 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 6.5% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Airports

* The nearest airports with scheduled passenger service are in

Pellston Regional Airport Pellston Regional Airport , also known as Pellston Regional Airport of Emmet County, is a public airport located northwest of the central business district of Pellston, a village in Emmet County, Michigan, United States. It is included in the ...

and Traverse City Cherry Capital Airport. *

Harbor Springs Municipal Airport Harbor Springs Municipal Airport , also known as Harbor Springs Airport, is a public airport located three miles (5 km) east of the central business district of Harbor Springs, a city in Emmet County, Michigan, United States. It is include ...

is a public

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...

with no scheduled commercial flights.

Highways

* follows an east–west route within the city of Harbor Springs. West of the city, the highway continues northerly up the shore of

and through the

Tunnel of Trees A tunnel is an underground or undersea passageway. It is dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, or laid under water, and is usually completely enclosed except for the two portals common at each end, though there may be access and ve ...

to a terminus at Cross Village. East of the city, the highway continues along the shore of

before terminating at US Highway 31 (US 31), which can be used to access Petoskey. * is a north–south route beginning at Harbor Springs and continuing north to Cross Village. * is a north–south route running from just east of the city northerly toward

Mackinaw City Mackinaw City ( ) is a village at the northernmost point of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, United States. Divided between Cheboygan and Emmet counties, Mackinaw City is located at the southern end of the Mackinac Bridge, which carries Interst ...

Notable people

Andrew Blackbird Andrew Jackson Blackbird (c. 1814 – 17 September 1908), also known as Makade-binesi ("Black Hawk")'','' was an Odawa (Ottawa) tribe leader and historian. He was author of the 1887 book, ''History of the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians of Michigan' ...

, Odawa (Ottawa) tribe leader and historian *

Jocko Cunningham Joseph Oliver "Jocko" Cunningham (born October 30, 1950) is a former racing driver who competed in the SCCA/ECAR Formula Atlantic series from 1986 to 1990. He finished second in the championship in 1988 and won the championship in 1989. Among his 7 ...

, racing driver *

Robert Klark Graham Robert Klark Graham (June 9, 1906 – February 13, 1997) was an American eugenicist and businessman who made millions by developing shatterproof plastic eyeglass lenses and who later founded the Repository for Germinal Choice, a sperm bank for ...

, inventor, eugenicist, businessman. Founder of the

Repository for Germinal Choice The Repository for Germinal Choice (originally named the Hermann J. Muller Repository for Germinal Choice, after Nobel laureate Hermann Joseph Muller) was a sperm bank that operated in Escondido, California from 1980 to 1999. The repository is c ...

and recipient of the

Ig Nobel Prize The Ig Nobel Prize () is a satirical prize awarded annually since 1991 to promote public engagement with scientific research. Its aim is to "honor achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think." The name of the award is a ...

F. James McDonald Francis James McDonald (August 3, 1922 – June 13, 2010) was an American engineer and business executive who worked his way up through the ranks at General Motors, ultimately serving as its president and chief operating officer from 1981 to 1987 ...

, former president and chief operating officer of

General Motors General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...

.via Associated Press
"F. James McDonald, Former G.M. President, Is Dead at 87"
''The New York Times'', June 15, 2010. Accessed July 2, 2010. *

Joe Dart Vulfpeck is an American funk/soul band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851 ...

, musician *

Hord Hardin Hord Wilson Hardin (January 3, 1912 – August 5, 1996) was the President of the United States Golf Association (USGA) from 1968 to 1969, then Chairman of the Masters Tournament and the Augusta National Golf Club from 1980 to 1991. Biography H ...

, chairman of the Augusta National Golf Club, 1980-1991.

Images

File:Harbor Springs Michigan Harbor.jpg, Harbor File:Harbor Springs Michigan Post Office.jpg, Post office File:Harbor Springs Michigan Sign M-119.jpg, Sign on M-119 File:Harbor Springs Michigan view from Bluff in Winter.jpg, View of downtown from the bluff

References

External links

City of Harbor Springs

Harbor Springs Chamber of Commerce
{{Authority control Cities in Emmet County, Michigan Michigan populated places on Lake Michigan Populated places established in 1880 1880 establishments in Michigan Coastal resorts in Michigan