Negaunee, Michigan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Negaunee is a city in Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,576 at the 2000 census. The city is located at the southwest corner of Negaunee Township. The city is home to the Michigan Iron Industry Museum. The name Negaunee comes from a Native American word (Chippewa tribe) meaning pioneer. The neighboring town of Ishpeming who's name means "on the summit" often interpret ishpeming as "heaven" and tell the unknowing that negaunee means "Hell". The two cities have high schools with a healthy rivalry. Within the city limits is Teal Lake.
Negaunee is home to Pioneer Days, a festival held every year the week following July 4th, Heikki Lunta Winterfest, and the Negaunee Invitational Basketball Tournament.
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[edit] History
The city was built after the discovery of iron ore in the area during the early 1800s. The Jackson Mine was established in 1845 to mine the iron ore which would be shipped to steel making plants. The first iron forge in the Lake Superior region was established soon after in Negaunee as well. In 1858, the community was given a post office. In 1865, Negaunee was incorporated as a town and in 1868 the first police force was formed. 1873 marks the year Negaunee was recognized as a city. As mining operations expanded, many immigrants helped settle the area, bringing with them rich traditions that remain today. Due to extensive underground mining roughly half the city was abandoned in the early 1900's due to risk of cave-in. Because of the abandonment, Negaunee lost two hospitals, a school, four supermarkets, one museum, one theater, and nearly half of its residential area. Since then, Negaunee has lost some of its luster. Its population has been on a slow descent for the past eighty years. The city closed its trolley system in 1927. The Jackson Mine ceased all operations within the city limits in the 1940's. Due to bad bussiness, scores of local restaurants, supermarkets, banks, and schools have closed down. After the Spanish-American War, Negaunee erected a monument to those people from the area who were killed in the fighting. The monument has been abandoned for decades, but a renovation is a possibility. Today the downtown region is literally a plethera of abandoned buildings mixed with a few local businesses who survived the twentieth century.
However, the city has begun to bounce back. Abandoned local restaurants and bussinesses are being replaced by chain restaurants and nationwide bussinesses. The current mayor, Kim Peterson, and his City Council have done more toward renovation than any City Council before them. The city aims to possibly re-open their trolley system, due to a recent discovery of one of the original trolleys. In 1985, the Negaunee Historical Museum was founded. The Museum has raised awareness and sparked interest in renovation and restoration of the city.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 38.0 km² (14.7 mi²). 35.7 km² (13.8 mi²) of it is land and 2.3 km² (0.9 mi²) of it (6.07%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 4,576 people, 1,946 households, and 1,218 families residing in the city. The population density was 128.2/km² (332.1/mi²). There were 2,088 housing units at an average density of 58.5/km² (151.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.63% White, 0.28% African American, 1.29% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.13% from other races, and 1.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.44% of the population.
There were 1,946 households out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.3% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,117, and the median income for a family was $39,750. Males had a median income of $36,026 versus $22,380 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,889. About 6.3% of families and 9.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.7% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.
