Manistee, Michigan

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Manistee, Michigan
City
Location of Manistee, Michigan
Coordinates: 44°14′37″N 86°19′17″W / 44.24361°N 86.32139°W / 44.24361; -86.32139Coordinates: 44°14′37″N 86°19′17″W / 44.24361°N 86.32139°W / 44.24361; -86.32139
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Manistee
Area^[1]
• Total	4.47 sq mi (11.58 km²)
• Land	3.29 sq mi (8.52 km²)
• Water	1.18 sq mi (3.06 km²)
Elevation	663 ft (202 m)
Population (2010)^[2]
• Total	6,226
• Estimate (2012^[3])	6,173
• Density	1,892.4/sq mi (730.7/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	49660
Area code(s)	231
FIPS code	26-50720^[4]
GNIS feature ID	1620680^[5]

River waterfront in downtown Manistee

Manistee is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 6,226 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Manistee County.^[6] The name "Manistee" is from an Ojibwe word first applied to the principal river of the county.^[7] The derivation is not certain,^[8] but it may be from ministigweyaa, "river with islands at its mouth".^[9]^[10] Other sources claim that it was an Ojibwe term meaning "spirit of the woods."^[11]

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.

History

Missionaries visited Manistee in the early 19th century, 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 Ottawa.

The village of Manistee was one of about 15 Ottawa villages along the shore of Lake Michigan in 1830. Much of the Manistee River Valley, including Manistee itself, was an Ottawa Reservation from 1836-1848.^[12]

The first permanent Euro-American 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 occurred.^[13]

In 2000, Manistee made national headlines after a judge and jury convicted a woman for expressing privately to her mother her wish that immigrants would learn English, deeming it "insulting conduct" consisting of "fighting words" that was punishable under local ordinance. Allegations of improper procedure and irregularities in the court records appeared. Two years later (November 1, 2002) and after the defendant spent four nights in jail, the conviction was overturned by the state Court of Appeals.^[14]^[15]^[16]^[17]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.47 square miles (11.58 km²), of which, 3.29 square miles (8.52 km²) is land and 1.18 square miles (3.06 km²) is water.^[1]
At the mouth of the Manistee River is the Manistee Pierhead lights (north and south piers) that were built in 1873, and replaced in 1927.^[18]
Manistee is considered to be part of Northern Michigan.

Climate

Climate data for Manistee
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °F (°C)	30 (−1)	33 (1)	42 (6)	55 (13)	67 (19)	76 (24)	81 (27)	78 (26)	71 (22)	60 (16)	46 (8)	34 (1)	56.1 (13.5)
Average low °F (°C)	17 (−8)	18 (−8)	25 (−4)	34 (1)	44 (7)	53 (12)	58 (14)	58 (14)	51 (11)	42 (6)	33 (1)	23 (−5)	38 (3.4)
Precipitation inches (mm)	2.13 (54.1)	1.42 (36.1)	2.13 (54.1)	2.80 (71.1)	2.64 (67.1)	3.27 (83.1)	3.03 (77)	3.94 (100.1)	3.58 (90.9)	3.27 (83.1)	2.87 (72.9)	2.28 (57.9)	33.36 (847.5)
Source: U.S. Climate Data,^[19]

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census^[2] of 2010, there were 6,226 people, 2,816 households, and 1,614 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,892.4 inhabitants per square mile (730.7 /km²). There were 3,599 housing units at an average density of 1,093.9 per square mile (422.4 /km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.5% White, 0.5% African American, 3.8% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.4% of the population.

There were 2,816 households of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.1% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.7% were non-families. 36.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.82.

The median age in the city was 43.6 years. 21.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.9% were from 25 to 44; 30.1% were from 45 to 64; and 18% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.

2000 census

As of the census^[4] 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 per square mile (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 age distribution of the population shows 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.

Industry

In its heyday, Manistee was home to a booming logging industry. Silas C. Overpack was a famous resident in the later part of the 19th 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.

In the late 19th century, Manistee was one of the leading shingle manufacturing cities in the world with over 30 shingle mills on the Manistee river at one time. During this 1880's lumber boom, Manistee had more millionaires per capita than anywhere else in the United States.^[20]

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, and Martin Marietta. The town is also a local favorite for tourism and fishing.

Media

Manistee is home to two radio stations, WMTE (AM) (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.

Formerly distributing newspapers in Manistee included the Bear Lake Beacon, the Copemish Courier, the Manistee Advocate, the Manistee Daily Advocate (which became the Manistee News Advocate), the Manistee Daily News, the Manistee Democrat, and the Onekama Lake Breeze.

Movies

Manistee is home to 10 West Studios^[21] which produces full-length motion pictures. Notable movies include: What If..., starring Kevin Sorbo and John Ratzenberger filmed in Manistee, Jerusalem Countdown featuring Randy Travis, Stacy Keach and Lee Majors, and Mickey Matson and the Copperhead Conspiracy starring Christopher Lloyd and Ernie Hudson also filmed in Manistee.

Area activities

Orchard Beach State Park is approximately 2 miles North of Manistee.
Little River Casino Resort is approximately 5 miles North-East of Manistee.
Manistee National Golf Resort is approximately 2 miles South of Manistee.
Manistee Golf and Country Club was established in 1901 and is located within the city of Manistee.
There are three public beaches, Fifth Avenue Beach with the small man-made lake next to Fifth Avenue Beach and First Street Beach, located respectively north and south of the harbor entrance on the shore of Lake Michigan.^[22]

Local events and attractions

Manistee has museums, an opera house, and recurring events.^[23] These include:

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

Arcadia Area Historical Museum^[24]
Brethren Heritage Museum^[25]
Kaleva Bottle House Museum also known as the John J. Makinen Bottle House
Kaleva Train Depot Museum
Lake Bluff Bird Sanctuary (Michigan Audubon Society)^[26]^[27]^[28]
Manistee Art Institute^[29]
Manistee County Historical Museum^[30]
Manistee Fire Hall^[31]^[32]
Manistee National Forest Festival
Marilla Historical Museum^[33]
Our Savior's Historical Museum^[30]
Ramsdell Theatre, home to the Manistee Civic Players.^[34] and the Manistee Art Institute.^[35]
Riverwalk, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of Victoriana and scenic river views.^[36]
Page Road
SS City of Milwaukee, a National Historic Landmark^[37]
Victorian Manistee Tours
Victorian Sleighbell Parade and Old Christmas Weekend^[38]
Historic Vogue Theatre built in 1938, having Art Deco/Art Moderne design elements, and considered to be notable.^[39]
Waterworks Building^[40]

Retail

Manistee has a historic downtown with many original buildings from the Victorian era. The entire Downtown District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There are a good variety of retail stores in Manistee, many of which are locally owned and operated.

Government and infrastructure

The Michigan Department of Corrections Oaks Correctional Facility is in Manistee Township, near Manistee.^[41]^[42]

Recreation

Over 40 charter fishing boats^[43] operate on Lake Michigan from Manistee County ports.
Fishing in the Manistee River can yield salmon and steelhead.^[44]
Because a large portion of the county is public land, hunting is popular.
Filmmaker Michael Moore visited Manistee in February 2011 to support the restoration of the Vogue Theatre in downtown Manistee.^[45]

Schools

Currently operating

Elementary

James Madison Elementary (DayCare, Pre-School, K), Manistee Area Public Schools
Thomas Jefferson Elementary (1-3), Manistee Area Public Schools
Trinity Lutheran School (K-8), Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod Private School
John F. Kennedy Elementary (Location of Former Middle School) (4-6), Manistee Area Public Schools

Secondary

Casman Alternative Academy (7-12), Provides an alternative education for those in Manistee County and surrounding areas.
Manistee High/Middle School (7-12), Manistee Area Public Schools, Class B/Division 3 ; Division 5 (Football) in sports

All grades

Manistee Catholic Central School (K-12), Roman Catholic private school, Class D/Division 4 ; Division 8 (Football)

Formerly operating