Cheboygan ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of and the largest settlement in Cheboygan County. At the 2020 census, Cheboygan had a population of 4,770.

Cheboygan is situated on Lake Huron at the mouth of the Cheboygan River. It is the third-largest American city on Lake Huron after Port Huron and Alpena. Cheboygan is part of Northern Michigan, and is the northernmost city in Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Directly north of Cheboygan is Bois Blanc Island (part of Mackinac County), which can be accessed via ferry from Cheboygan.

History

Cheboygan was originally an Ojibwe settlement. In 1844, Jacob Sammons, a cooper from Fort Mackinac, chose the old native camping ground, known as Shabwegan, as the site for his cabin. He recruited other settlers, and a post office named "Duncan" was established in 1846. It was made the county seat in 1853.

Duncan or Duncan City was given a post office in 1850 as a result of the building of sawmills in this area. Duncan was made the county seat in 1853 and the location of the federal land office in 1855. The county seat shifted to Cheboygan in about 1870. Later Duncan was included within the expanded boundaries of Cheboygan. Rail maps in 1876 show planned rail service for Cheboygan, but due to various setbacks, rail did not arrive there until 1881. There was a theater built in town in 1877.

Cheboygan was incorporated as a city in 1889.

In 1944, Cheboygan became the home port of the former U.S. Coast Guard cutter and icebreaker , serving from 1944 to 2006. Beginning in 2006, the port continued this role as the home dock of the new , a successor cutter.

Etymology

The name of the city shares the name of the county and probably has its origin from the Cheboygan River, although the precise meaning is no longer known. It may have come from an Ojibwe word zhaabonigan meaning "sewing needle". Alternatively, the origin may have been "Chabwegan," meaning "a place of ore."

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Climate

The climate is described as Humid Continental by the Köppen Climate System, abbreviated as Dfb

Demographics

thumb|The Cheboygan County Historical Museum Complex, originally built as the Cheboygan County Sheriff Residence with attached jail cells (1882) and the New Jail addition (1912-14).

thumb|[[Carnegie library|Carnegie Free Library building; the first building constructed in Cheboygan to serve specifically as a library. Steel magnate Andrew Carnegie donated $15,000 for the building in 1908. It was completed in 1913, and served as the city library until 1966.]]

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Cheboygan had a population of 4,770. The median age was 42.0 years. 20.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 89.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 87.8 males age 18 and over.

92.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 7.7% lived in rural areas.

There were 2,087 households in Cheboygan, of which 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 31.9% were married-couple households, 21.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 36.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 38.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The city is home to Cheboygan High School.

Tourist attractions

thumb|Opposite views of the Opera House, which now also houses the City Hall, police headquarters and fire station.

  • Bois Blanc Island
  • Cheboygan Crib Light
  • Cheboygan State Park
  • Opera House

Media

The city and county are served by a daily newspaper, the Cheboygan Daily Tribune. A television station, WTOM-TV, is licensed to Cheboygan and maintains broadcast facilities along US Highway 23 south of the city, but this station operates as a satellite, with programming originating from parent station WPBN-TV in Traverse City.

Transportation

State trunklines

  • parallels the Lake Huron shore, running primarily east–west in Cheboygan, and can be used to access Rogers City and Alpena, both southeast of Cheboygan.
  • is the primary north–south thoroughfare in Cheboygan, and can be used to access Interstate 75 and M-33, both south of Cheboygan.

County-designated highways

Trails

  • North Central State Trail
  • North Eastern State Trail

Bus

  • Indian Trails provides daily intercity bus service between St. Ignace and Bay City, Michigan. This route doubles as the Amtrak Thruway service for the area.

Notable people

  • George M. Humphrey, 55th United States Secretary of the Treasury
  • Debbie Massey, golfer. Winner of three LPGA Tour events
  • Scott Sigler, 1988 graduate of CAHS. Contemporary American author of science fiction and horror.

References

  • City of Cheboygan
  • Cheboygan Area Chamber of Commerce
  • Cheboygan: Change in a Small Town 1844-2001
  • Website for the USCGC Mackinaw, home ported in Cheboygan