Sandusky is the most populous city and
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 ...
of
Sanilac County, Michigan
Sanilac County ( ) is a county located in the Thumb region of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 40,611. The county seat is Sandusky. The county was created on September 10, 1822, and was fully organized on ...
. The population was 2,679 at the
2010 census.
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 land.
* It is considered to be part of
the Thumb
The Thumb is a region and a peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan, so named because the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, Lower Peninsula is shaped like a mitten. The Thumb area is generally considered to be in the Central Michigan region, east of t ...
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, ...
, which in turn is a subregion of the
Flint/Tri-Cities
Central Michigan, also called Mid Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As its name implies, it is the middle area of the Lower Peninsula. Lower Michigan is said to resemble a mitten, and Mid Michigan corres ...
.
** Sandusky can also be considered as in the
Blue Water Area, a subregion of the Thumb.
School
Sandusky is served by Sandusky Community Schools. The district has an elementary school and a junior/senior high school. Sandusky is home to the Wolves, who usually play sports in the Greater Thumb East Conference. Sandusky is a Division 3 school.
Transportation
*
*
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 2,679 people, 1,124 households, and 616 families living 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 1,258 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.4%
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 ...
, 1.5%
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 ...
, 0.3%
Native American, 1.1%
Asian, 1.3% from
other races, and 1.4% 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 3.5% of the population.
There were 1,124 households, of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.1% 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, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 45.2% were non-families. 40.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.85.
The median age in the city was 41.4 years. 21.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.5% were from 25 to 44; 27.7% were from 45 to 64; and 18.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 45.7% male and 54.3% female.
2000 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 2000, there were 2,745 people, 1,081 households, and 649 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,168 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.12%
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 ...
, 0.87%
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 ...
, 0.15%
Native American, 1.75%
Asian, 1.35% from
other races, and 0.77% 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 3.42% of the population.
There were 1,081 households, out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% 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, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.9% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.8% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,667, and the median income for a family was $44,622. Males had a median income of $31,531 versus $20,932 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 $17,639. About 7.2% of families and 11.0% 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 8.9% of those under age 18 and 14.0% of those age 65 or over.
Media
Radio
Local radio stations licensed to serve Sandusky are commercial broadcasters
WMIC
WMIC (660 AM) is a full service radio station licensed to Sandusky, Michigan with a power output of 1,000 watts. WMIC covers Sanilac County, Michigan and The Thumb area of Michigan. The station is owned by Sanilac/GB Broadcasting and broadcasts ...
AM and
WTGV
WTGV-FM (97.7 Hertz, MHz) is a radio station broadcasting a classic hits/oldies format, serving Sandusky, Michigan, Sandusky and the Thumb and Blue Water area of Michigan. WTGV is owned and operated by Sanilac Broadcasting.
Programming
WTGV feat ...
FM, owned by Sanilac/GB Broadcasting; and religious station
WNFR
WNFR, broadcasting at 90.7 FM, is an Adult Contemporary Christian music and talk radio station licensed to Sandusky, Michigan. WNFR has a studio located in Port Huron
Port Huron is a city in and seat of government of St. Clair County, Michig ...
.
FM
*
WHYT
HYT may refer to:
* HYT (watchmaker), Swiss
* High Year Tenure, in the US Armed Forces
* Hueytown, Alabama, US
* Hyde North railway station, England, station code
* Hytera
Hytera (; previously HYT; ) is a Chinese publicly traded and partly s ...
88.1 FM, Imlay City, Contemporary Christian, ''Smile FM''
*
WNFR
WNFR, broadcasting at 90.7 FM, is an Adult Contemporary Christian music and talk radio station licensed to Sandusky, Michigan. WNFR has a studio located in Port Huron
Port Huron is a city in and seat of government of St. Clair County, Michig ...
90.7 FM, Sandusky, Contemporary Christian ''90.7 Hope FM''
*
WIDL
WIDL (92.1 FM, "I92") is a radio station broadcasting a classic rock format. Licensed to Cass City, Michigan, it first began broadcasting on 104.9 MHz licensed to Caro, Michigan, and still maintains offices and studios in Caro with sister statio ...
92.1 FM, Cass City, Classic Rock ''I-92, The Thumb's Only Road for Pure Classic Rock''
*
WBGV
WBGV (92.5 FM, "Country 92.5") is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to Marlette, Michigan, it first began broadcasting in 1999. It serves the central area of Michigan's Thumb, and parts of the Blue Water Area. It can ...
92.5 FM, Marlette, Country, ''The Thumb's Best Country''
*
WHNN
WHNN (96.1 FM, "96.1 WHNN") is a radio station serving the Saginaw, Bay City, Midland and Flint, Michigan areas with an adult contemporary format. The transmitter for WHNN is located on Dutcher Road near Van Buren Road in the northwest corne ...
96.1 FM, Bay City, Adult Contemporary, ''My 96-1, The Best Variety of Yesterday and Today''
*
WBTI
WBTI is a Hot AC radio station licensed to Lexington, Michigan at 96.9 MHz on the FM dial, with an effective radiated power of 3,000 watts. WBTI covers Sanilac County, Michigan and Lambton County, Ontario as well as portions of Lapeer ...
96.9 FM, Lexington, CHR/Top 40, ''Today's Hit Music''
*
WTGV
WTGV-FM (97.7 Hertz, MHz) is a radio station broadcasting a classic hits/oldies format, serving Sandusky, Michigan, Sandusky and the Thumb and Blue Water area of Michigan. WTGV is owned and operated by Sanilac Broadcasting.
Programming
WTGV feat ...
97.7 FM, Sandusky, Classic Hits, ''97-7 WTGV, The Thumb's Greatest Hits''
*
WKCQ
WKCQ (98.1 FM) is a radio station licensed to Saginaw, Michigan, and broadcasting on 98.1 mHz with an effective radiated power of 50,000 watts. The station has broadcast a popular country music format since 1968 (the country format began under the ...
98.1 FM, Saginaw, Country, ''98 KCQ, The Most Country''
*
WLEW 102.1 FM, Bad Axe, Classic Hits, ''Cruise 102, The Station That Rocks the Docks and Shakes the Lakes''
*
WQUS
WQUS (103.1 FM, "U.S. 103.1") is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Lapeer, Michigan, and broadcasting a classic rock radio format. It is owned by Townsquare Media and also airs live game broadcasts of two local sports teams: the Onta ...
103.1 FM, Lapeer, Classic Rock, ''U.S. 103.1, Ultimate Classic Rock''
*
WCZE 103.7 FM, Harbor Beach, Christian Country, ''Positive Country 103.7''
*
WSAQ
WSAQ (107.1 FM) is a country music radio station licensed to Port Huron, Michigan, with an effective radiated power of 6,000 watts. WSAQ covers St. Clair County, Michigan and Lambton County, Ontario as well as portions of Macomb, Lapeer, and ...
107.1 FM, Port Huron, Country, ''Q-Country, The Greatest Country Music of All Time''
AM
*
WMIC
WMIC (660 AM) is a full service radio station licensed to Sandusky, Michigan with a power output of 1,000 watts. WMIC covers Sanilac County, Michigan and The Thumb area of Michigan. The station is owned by Sanilac/GB Broadcasting and broadcasts ...
660 AM, Sandusky (Daytime Only), Full Service/Country, ''The Thumb's Information Station''
*
WSGW 790 AM, Saginaw, News/Talk, ''Your Connection to the Saginaw Valley and the World''
*
CHOK
CHOK (1070 kHz, "CHOK 103.9 FM & 1070 AM") is a Canadian commercial radio station, licensed to Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, and owned by Blackburn Radio. The station broadcasts a country music format with local all-news radio, talk radio and s ...
1070 AM, Sarnia, Full Service/AC, ''First in Local Information''
*
WMPC 1230 AM, Lapeer, Religious, ''Where Many Preach Christ''
*
WLEW 1340 AM, Bad Axe, Country, ''The Thumb's Hottest Country''
*
WKYO
WKYO (1360 AM) is a radio station licensed to Caro, Michigan broadcasting a full-service classic country format. In addition to its classic country format the station features a strong commitment to local news and information from around Caro an ...
1360 AM, Caro, Classic Country, ''Classic Country WKYO''
*
WPHM
WPHM (1380 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station in Port Huron, Michigan. The station broadcasts a News/Talk/Sports radio format. It is owned by Radio First with studios on Huron Avenue in Downtown Port Huron.
WPHM is powered at 5,000 watts. ...
1380 AM, Port Huron, News/Talk/Sports, ''Where the Blue Water Area Comes to Talk''
*
WHLS
WHLS (1450 AM) is an alternative rock radio station licensed to Port Huron, Michigan, with a power output of 1,000 watts, covering much of St. Clair County, Michigan. It is the oldest continuously operating radio station serving St. Clair Coun ...
1450 AM, Port Huron, Active Rock, ''Rock 105.5, ,Port Huron's Alternative''
*
WLCO
WLCO (1530 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a contemporary Christian format, as an affiliate of Smile FM. Licensed to Lapeer, Michigan, it first began broadcasting under the WTHM call sign in 1962. Until December 2019, it broadcast a country ...
1530 AM, Lapeer, Classic Country, ''Real Country, Today's Stars and Legends''
Newspaper
* Sandusky and Sanilac County are served by ''
The Tribune Recorder Leader'', which hits
news racks on Wednesdays and mailboxes on Thursdays, and by the Sanilac County News.
* Daily editions of the ''
Detroit Free Press
The ''Detroit Free Press'' (commonly referred to as the ''Freep'') is a major daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest local newspaper owned by Gannett (the publisher of ''USA Today''), and is operated by the Detro ...
'', ''
The Detroit News
''The Detroit News'' is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan
Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United S ...
'' and the
Port Huron Times Herald' are also available throughout the area.
Climate
This
climatic
Climate is the long-term weather pattern in a region, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorolog ...
region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the
Köppen Climate Classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system, Sandusky 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 cold ...
, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.
Government
Sandusky city is governed under the
4th Class City charter, original written in 1895 as the Fourth Class City Act then recognized as the cities' charter in 1976.
References
External links
City of Sandusky
{{Authority control
Cities in Sanilac County, Michigan
County seats in Michigan