Algonac, Michigan
Encyclopedia
Algonac is a city in St. Clair County
of the U.S. state
of Michigan
. The population was 4,613 at the 2000 census.
Algonac is located at the southern end of the St. Clair River
, just before it splits into a large delta region known as the St. Clair Flats. (Coordinates 42.6°N 82.56°W) The St. Clair River drains Lake Huron
into Lake St. Clair
and is part of the Great Lakes Waterway
.
At the center of Algonac is Algonac City Park, a park
which contains a half-mile long boardwalk
along the St. Clair River. Just to the north of the city is Algonac State Park
.
Algonac was the birthplace of Emily Helen Butterfield
, artist and first woman to be licensed as an architect in Michigan. She was famous for innovations in church architecture.
, woollen factory, and about 700 inhabitants".
of 2000, there were 4,613 people, 1,871 households, and 1,212 families residing in the city. The population density
was 3,291.7 per square mile (1,272.2/km²). There were 2,014 housing units at an average density of 1,437.1 per square mile (555.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.36% White, 0.15% African American, 0.95% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races
, and 1.15% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.02% of the population.
There were 1,871 households out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples
living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.2% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $42,133, and the median income for a family was $55,000. Males had a median income of $41,644 versus $25,000 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $22,441. About 8.6% of families and 9.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.7% of those under age 18 and 15.2% of those age 65 or over.
(Michigan
) and Walpole Island
(Ontario
). Just to the west of the city, ferry service is also offered to Harsens Island
.
St. Clair County, Michigan
-Interstates:* I-69 enters the county from the west, coming from Lansing and Flint, terminating at the approach to the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron....
of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. The population was 4,613 at the 2000 census.
Algonac is located at the southern end of the St. Clair River
St. Clair River
The St. Clair River is a river in central North America which drains Lake Huron into Lake St Clair, forming part of the international boundary between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Michigan...
, just before it splits into a large delta region known as the St. Clair Flats. (Coordinates 42.6°N 82.56°W) The St. Clair River drains Lake Huron
Lake Huron
Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...
into Lake St. Clair
Lake Saint Clair (North America)
Lake St. Clair is a fresh-water lake named after Clare of Assisi that lies between the Province of Ontario and the State of Michigan, and its midline also forms the boundary between Canada and the United States of America. Lake St. Clair includes the Anchor Bay along the Metro Detroit coastline...
and is part of the Great Lakes Waterway
Great Lakes Waterway
The Great Lakes Waterway is a system of channels and canals that makes all of the Great Lakes accessible to oceangoing vessels. Its principal civil engineering components are the Welland Canal, bypassing Niagara Falls between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, and the Soo Locks, bypassing the rapids of...
.
At the center of Algonac is Algonac City Park, a park
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
which contains a half-mile long boardwalk
Boardwalk
A boardwalk, in the conventional sense, is a wooden walkway for pedestrians and sometimes vehicles, often found along beaches, but they are also common as paths through wetlands, coastal dunes, and other sensitive environments....
along the St. Clair River. Just to the north of the city is Algonac State Park
Algonac State Park
Algonac State Park is a state park in St. Clair County, Michigan. The park has approximately a half mile of St. Clair River frontage, making viewing of international freighters a major attraction.-Ecology:...
.
Algonac was the birthplace of Emily Helen Butterfield
Emily Helen Butterfield
Emily Helen Butterfield was a pioneer in the Michigan women's movement.She was Michigan's first licensed female architect, one of the founders of the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority, active in Greek life, and a founding member of the Detroit Business Women's Club, the first professional women's club in...
, artist and first woman to be licensed as an architect in Michigan. She was famous for innovations in church architecture.
History
Algonac was first settled by John Martin in 1805. The area was then known as Manchester or Pointe Du Chene ("point of the oaks"). In 1836, it was the fourth village laid out on the St. Clair River. In 1863, it was described as containing "a church, two or three saw-mills, a grist-millGristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
, woollen factory, and about 700 inhabitants".
Geography
- According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²), all land.
- Algonac is situated on what is called "the largest fresh-water delta in the world", at the mouth of the St. Clair River. Many canals wind their way throughout the city, which has given Algonac its nickname of "The VeniceVeniceVenice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
of Michigan."
- The city can be considered as in the Blue Water Area, a subregion of the ThumbThe ThumbThe Thumb is a region and a peninsula of Michigan, so named because the Lower Peninsula is shaped like a mitten; thus the Thumb is the area that looks like the thumb of the mitten. The Thumb is generally considered to be in the Mid-Michigan area of the state, located east of Flint/Tri-Cities...
.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 4,613 people, 1,871 households, and 1,212 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 3,291.7 per square mile (1,272.2/km²). There were 2,014 housing units at an average density of 1,437.1 per square mile (555.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.36% White, 0.15% African American, 0.95% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.15% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.02% of the population.
There were 1,871 households out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.2% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $42,133, and the median income for a family was $55,000. Males had a median income of $41,644 versus $25,000 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $22,441. About 8.6% of families and 9.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.7% of those under age 18 and 15.2% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
-
M-29M-29 (Michigan highway)M-29 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan that runs in a south–north direction from Chesterfield Township to Marysville. It generally runs along the shore of Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair River.... -
M-154M-154 (Michigan highway)M-154 is a state trunkline highway in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is entirely on Harsens Island at the mouth of the St. Clair River. It is one of only three trunklines in Michigan on islands. The other two are M-134 on Drummond Island and M-185 on Mackinac Island...
(Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
) and Walpole Island
Walpole Island
Walpole Island is an island and Indian reserve in southwestern Ontario, Canada, on the border between Ontario and Michigan in the United States. It is located in the mouth of the St. Clair River on Lake St. Clair, approximately thirty miles northeast of Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario.In...
(Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
). Just to the west of the city, ferry service is also offered to Harsens Island
Harsens Island
Harsens Island is a wet marshy location at the mouth of the St. Clair River in the U.S. state of Michigan. Politically, the island is in Clay Township of St. Clair County.-History:...
.
- Ferry Service: Near Algonac's city center, ferryFerryA ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
service is available to Russell Island
See also
- Chris-CraftChris-Craft IndustriesChris-Craft Industries, Inc., formerly National Automotive Fibers, Inc., was a publicly-held American corporation traded on the New York and Pacific Stock Exchanges. It later took on the name of one of its acquisitions, Chris-Craft Boats...
- boating manufacturer, which started in Algonac in 1922 - Tashmoo ParkTashmoo ParkTashmoo Park was an amusement park in Algonac, Michigan. Opened in 1897, it closed in 1951. Most of it was later demolished, though the dance pavilion remains today, used by a marina to store recreational boats over the winter....
- Gar Wood - racing legend; one-time resident of Algonac
- KillshotKillshotKillshot, the 1989 novel by author Elmore Leonard, tells the story of a married couple who find themselves in Cape Girardeau, Missouri while on the run from a pair of hitmen.-Plot summary:...
- 1989 novel by Elmore LeonardElmore LeonardElmore John Leonard Jr. , better known as Elmore Leonard, is an American novelist and screenwriter. His earliest published novels in the 1950s were westerns, but Leonard went on to specialize in crime fiction and suspense thrillers, many of which have been adapted into motion pictures.Among his...
, partially set in Algonac
External links
- Official City Website
- Algonac State Park - Michigan DNR website
- Algonac High School - local public high school