Merritt is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

Missaukee County Missaukee County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 15,052. The county seat is Lake City. Missaukee County is part of the Cadillac, MI Micropolitan Statistical Area. The county i ...

in the U.S. state of

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. The community is centered between Butterfield Township to the south and Enterprise Township to the north. As an unincorporated community, Merritt has no legally defined boundaries or population statistics of its own but does have its own post office with the 49667 ZIP Code.

Geography

The community is centered along Merritt Road and M-55 in eastern Missaukee County about east of Lake City. The Merritt post office currently uses the 49667 ZIP Code, which covers most of the eastern portion of Missaukee County, including the northern portion of Butterfield Township and the southern portion of Enterprise Township. The ZIP Code also includes a very small portion of Aetna Township to the west, as well as Lake Township in

Roscommon County Roscommon County ( ') is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 23,459. The county seat is Roscommon. The county was founded in 1840 and organized in 1875. History The county was formed by ...

to the east. The community is surrounded by portions of the Cadillac Forest Management Unit of

Pere Marquette State Forest The Pere Marquette State Forest encompasses lands in Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula, on the western side of the state. Counties within the Pere Marquette are: Leelanau, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, ...

and is located about east of the city of

Cadillac The Cadillac Motor Car Division () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM) that designs and builds luxury vehicles. Its major markets are the United States, Canada, and China. Cadillac models are distributed i ...

. Portions of the

Muskegon River Muskegon River is a river in the western portion of the lower peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The river source is located at Houghton Lake in Roscommon County, flowing out of the North Bay into neighboring Missaukee County. The river pa ...

flow near Merritt, and other notable places within the area include

Dead Stream Flooding State Wildlife Management Area The Dead Stream Flooding State Wildlife Management Area is a Protected areas of Michigan, protected wildlife area located in the U.S. state of Michigan. The wildlife management area centers along the Muskegon River about from its source at Hought ...

Merritt Speedway Merritt may refer to: * Merritt (given name) * Merritt (surname) *Merritt Parkway, a limited access highway in Connecticut, United States, known as "The Merritt" Places ;Canada *Merritt, British Columbia ;United States *Merritt, California **Merri ...

, and the

Reedsburg Dam The Reedsburg Dam is a non-hydroelectric barrage dam crossing the Muskegon River in eastern Missaukee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located in rural Enterprise Township, the dam was constructed in 1940 by the Civilian Conservation Corps ...

. Merritt is served by two separate school districts. Residents in the western portion of the community may attend Lake City Area School District, while the majority of residents to the east may attend Houghton Lake Community School.

History

In 1901, Charles and Elizabeth Merritt traveled from Belleville near Detroit on a covered wagon trip that took three weeks. They settled in the rural area, and other families soon joined them. In 1908, the community was given the name Merritt for the first time when a railway was opened through the area. The area become popular for its abundant supply of lumber. Farming soon became a dominant industry in the area. A school district was established in 1920, and the District No. 3 of Butterfield built a high school in Merritt in 1936. A fire department was established in Merritt in 1955. In 1993, a new fire station was built along M-55. M-74 was a formerly designated

state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...

that existed from 1919 to 1939 near Merritt. The highway was located just northeast of the center of the community. After being decommissioned, it continues to exist as a local roadway called North Star Road, which connects Merritt to the community of Pioneer. The area received its first post office on November 22, 1910 with merchant Charles P. Sherman as the first postmaster. The post office remains in operation and is located at 329 South Merritt Road. The post office has been in its present location since 1956.

Notable people

Burt Reynolds Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor, considered a sex symbol and icon of 1970s American popular culture. Reynolds first rose to prominence when he starred in television series such as ' ...

, actor, director, and producer who lived part of his childhood in Merritt

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Missaukee County, Michigan Unincorporated communities in Michigan Populated places established in 1901 1901 establishments in Michigan