Manistee, Michigan

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Manistee, Michigan
Location of Manistee, Michigan
Location of Manistee, Michigan
Coordinates: 44°14′37″N 86°19′17″W / 44.24361, -86.32139
Country United States
State Michigan
County Manistee
Area
 - Total 4.4 sq mi (11.3 km²)
 - Land 3.3 sq mi (8.4 km²)
 - Water 1.1 sq mi (2.8 km²)
Elevation 663 ft (202 m)
Population (2000)
 - Total 6,586
 - Density 2,023.7/sq mi (781.4/km²)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 49660
Area code(s) 231
FIPS code 26-50720[1]
GNIS feature ID 1620680[2]
River waterfront in downtown Manistee
River waterfront in downtown Manistee

Manistee is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 6,586. It is the county seat of Manistee County[3]. Manistee is locally known as "The Stee". It is said that the name "Manistee" is a Native American word first applied to the principal river of the county.[4] Specifically, it is said it could be interpreted as: 'river at whose mouth there are islands.'[5] But see, Manistee River, which says it is from the Ojibwa word Manistiqweita, meaning "Crooked River".[6]

Manistee Township is located to the northeast of the city, but is politically separate. The city is located at the mouth of the Manistee River on Lake Michigan.

Contents

[edit] Geography

[edit] Transportation

[edit] History

Missionaries visited Manistee in the early 1800s, and a Jesuit mission house is known to have been located on the NW shore of Lake Manistee in 1826. In 1832, a group of traders from Massachusetts built a log house up the Manistee River. However, they were soon driven off by the Indians. The first permanent settlement was made on 16 April 1841, when John Stronach and his brother Joseph Stronach arrived at the mouth of the Manistee River in a schooner loaded with fifteen men and equipment to establish a saw mill.

On October 8, 1871, the town was practically destroyed by fire; on the same day the Peshtigo Fire, the Great Chicago Fire, and fires in Port Huron and Holland, Michigan occurred.[9]

[edit] Demographics

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 6,586 people, 2,912 households, and 1,729 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,023.7 per square mile (782.4/km²). There were 3,426 housing units at an average density of 1,052.7/sq mi (407.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.90% White, 0.33% African American, 1.38% Native American, 0.52% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.96% from other races, and 1.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.20% of the population.

There were 2,912 households out of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.6% were non-families. 35.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.0% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 86.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,351, and the median income for a family was $41,816. Males had a median income of $35,347 versus $20,102 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,810. About 6.9% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.2% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Industry

In its hayday, Manistee was home to a booming logging industry. Silas C. Overpack was a famous resident in the later part of the nineteenth century associated with logging. His well known invention that he made downtown was his logging wheels which was used in the logging industry from about 1875 until the later part of the 1920s.

Manistee is also associated with the Salt Industry. Manistee is now the home of three factories on Lake Manistee; Packaging Corporation of America, Morton Salt (this plant is the largest salt plant in the world, and produces water softener products that are distributed by Walmart), and Martin Marietta. The town is also a local favorite for tourism and fishing.

[edit] Media

Manistee is home to two radio stations, WMTE (1340) and WMTE-FM (101.5). The Ludington Daily News, Manistee News Advocate and Traverse City Record-Eagle cover the Manistee area and distribute daily newspapers in the city.

[edit] Area activities

  • Orchard Beach State Park is approximately 2 miles North of Manistee.
  • Little River Casino Resort is approximately 1 mile East of Manistee.
  • Manistee National Golf Resort is approximately 2 miles South of Manistee.
  • Manistee Golf and Country Club is located within the city of Manistee.

[edit] Local events and attractions

Manistee is an historic city, with many museums, an opera house, and recurring events.[10] These include:

The City of Milwaukee, a retired railroad car ferry, in Manistee harbor
The City of Milwaukee, a retired railroad car ferry, in Manistee harbor

For a list of official Michigan historical markers in the city, see Manistee County, Michigan.[14]

[edit] Retail

Manistee is known for its historic downtown, which retains many original buildings from the Victorian era. There are a good variety of retail stores in Manistee, many of which are locally owned and operated. Oleson's is at the corner of US 31 and Memorial Drive. It was recently remodeled and expanded. The only "big box" store currently located in Manistee is K-Mart. Walgreens has come into town. It is located across US 31 from K-Mart. Wal-Mart is considering opening a location in Manistee but recently cancelled a purchase agreement with the city over environmental concerns. The piece of land the city wanted to sell Walmart was the site of a former dump.[15]

[edit] Recreation

  • Fishing from the breakwater can be fabulous.
  • Over 40 charter fishing boats [16] operate on Lake Michigan from Manistee County ports.
  • Fishing in the Manistee River can yield salmon and steelhead.[17]
  • Because a large portion of the county is public land, hunting is popular.

[edit] Schools

Elementary

  • James Madison Elementary (K-3), Manistee Area Public Schools
  • John F. Kennedy Elementary (4-5), Manistee Area Public Schools
  • Thomas Jefferson Elementary (K-3), Manistee Area Public Schools
  • Trinity Lutheran School (K-8), Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod private school

Secondary

  • Casman Alternative Academy (7-12), Provides an alternative education for those in Manistee County and surrounding areas.
  • Manistee Middle School (6-8), Manistee Area Public Schools
  • Manistee High School (9-12), Manistee Area Public Schools, Class B in sports

All grades

  • Manistee Catholic Central School (K-12), Roman Catholic private school, Class D, smallest school in Michigan with a football program

[edit] Notable people associated with Manistee

  • Dave Campbell, baseball player and sportscaster
  • Byron M. Cutcheon, Civil War veteran and winner of the Congressional Medal of Honor, Congressman, attorney, and postmaster
  • Fred Green, Governor of Michigan, 1927-1931
  • James Earl Jones, actor, first began acting at the Ramsdell Theater in Manistee.
  • Edward Kozlowski, Polish-American priest, later Bishop of Milwaukee
  • Michael J. Malik, Sr., developer
  • Harry W. Musselwhite, politician and newspaper publisher
  • Harriet Quimby, first licensed American aviatrix was born in nearby Arcadia Township
  • Bernie Schroeder, radio broadcaster
  • Robert Pershing Wadlow, known as the World's Tallest Man in medical history (8 feet, 11.1 inches tall) died at the Hotel Chippewa in Manistee on 1940-07-15. Wadlow died as the result of an infected blister on his right ankle, caused by an ill-fitting leg brace.[18] In the 1970's, one of Waldow's shoes was on display at Synder's Shoe store in downtown Manistee. Employees of the hotel reported that two beds had to be welded together to make an area long enough for Wadlow to sleep. The Hotel was located at the west end of Water Street. It was destroyed by fire and eventually torn down. Today it is a privately-owned vancant lot, available for purchase.

[edit] City Officials

The chief operating officer is the City Manager. Mitch Deisch City Manager City Hall 70 Maple Street P.O. Box 358 Manistee, MI 49660-0358 Phone (231) 398.2801 Fax (231) 723.1546

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  2. ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  3. ^ Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  4. ^ Clarke Historical Library, Central, Michigan University, Bibliography for Manistee County.
  5. ^ County place names
  6. ^ Miner, Betsy, Michigan Rivers to Canoe, Great Lakes Escapes.
  7. ^ Lighthouse facts
  8. ^ M-55 end point photos
  9. ^ The Great Fire Of 1871
  10. ^ Manistee Attractions, Events, Culture
  11. ^ Historic Arcadia
  12. ^ Ramsdell Theatre.
  13. ^ SS City of Milwaukee
  14. ^ Michigan Historical Markers.
  15. ^ McRay, Vanessa (2007-08-16). Wal-Mart to cancel Manistee purchase agreement over environmental concerns. Traverse City Record-Eagle. Retrieved on 2007-08-27.
  16. ^ Charter Fishing boats
  17. ^ Fly fishing connection.
  18. ^ Guinness World Records - Human Body - Extreme Bodies - Tallest Man. Guinness World Records (2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-28.

[edit] Further reading

[edit] External links

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Municipalities and communities of
Manistee County, Michigan
County seat: Manistee
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