Munising ( ') is a city in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Alger County, Michigan. The population was 1,986 at the 2020 census. The city is partially surrounded by Munising Township, but the two are administered autonomously.

Located on the southern shore of Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula, it serves as the western gateway to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

History

The area encompassing Munising has been inhabited for thousands of years by the Ojibwe and Noquet, who used the low lying grasslands opposite Grand Island to harvest blueberries and other crops. The name for the city comes from the Ojibwe word minisiing, meaning "at the island". A post office was established as the Munising post office on December 22, 1868. It was renamed as Gogarnville on October 23, 1889, when Julius Gogarn was appointed as postmaster. The office was moved to his farm. He was a German-born American Civil War veteran and first Supervisor of Munising Township. That post office continued until July 15, 1893.

Geography

Munising is located on the southern edge of Munising Bay, also known as the South Bay of Grand Island Harbor, across from Grand Island around the mouth of the Anna River. It is the primary embarkation point for cruises to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and Grand Island National Recreation Area. Grand Island is located one half mile north in Munising Bay.

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

The Munising area has many waterfalls including Alger Falls, Horseshoe Falls, Memorial Falls, Munising Falls, Miners Falls, Scott Falls, Tannery Falls and Wagner Falls.

Climate

Munising has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) with cool to warm summers coupled with cold winters with heavy lake-effect snowfall.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Munising had a population of 1,986. The median age was 50.9 years. 17.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 27.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.6 males age 18 and over.

0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 918 households in Munising, of which 20.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 36.4% were married-couple households, 24.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 31.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 42.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. of 2010, there were 2,355 people, 1,032 households, and 592 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,252 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.2% White, 0.2% African American, 4.8% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.4% of the population.

There were 1,032 households, of which 22.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.0% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.6% were non-families. 37.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.76.

The median age in the city was 48.6 years. 18.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.5% were from 25 to 44; 28.4% were from 45 to 64; and 26.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.4% male and 52.6% female.

2000 census

As of the census

  • George Snow Hill, painter
  • Steven J. Raica, Roman Catholic priest, 5th Bishop of Gaylord, Michigan, 5th Bishop of Birmingham, Alabama
  • Brock Strom, professional football player

<gallery class="center" widths="150px">

File:2009-0618-Munising-downtown.jpg|Downtown Munising (Elm Avenue)

File:2009-0618-Munising-AlgerCtyCourt.jpg|Alger County Courthouse Complex

File:Harbor of Munising, Michigan.jpg|Munising Harbor

File:2009-0618-Munising-CityHall.jpg|Munising City Hall

File:A storm across Munising Bay, seen from the east side.jpg|A storm across Munising Bay, seen from the east side

</gallery>

References

  • City of Munising official website
  • Munising Visitor's Bureau
  • Munising Area Tourism and Economic Development
  • Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore