Ontonagon ( ) is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. The population was 1,285 at the 2020 census. It is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Ontonagon County, and is the only incorporated place within the county. The village is located within Ontonagon Township, at the mouth of the Ontonagon River on

Lake Superior Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. Lake Michigan–Huron has a larger combined surface area than Superior, but is normally considered tw ...

. Industry was centered on the

Smurfit-Stone Container Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation was a global pulp and paper industry, paperboard and paper-based packaging company based in Creve Coeur, Missouri, and Chicago, Illinois, with approximately 21,000 employees. In 2007, Smurfit-Stone was ranke ...

production facility at the river mouth until the plant closed in 2010.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the village has a total area of , of which is land and (3.89%) is water. Ontonagon is the westernmost incorporated community in the United States that uses the

Eastern Time Zone The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 U.S. states, states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, and the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico. * Eastern Standard Time (EST) is five ...

, being located on the same line of longitude as

Hattiesburg, Mississippi Hattiesburg is a city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, located primarily in Forrest County, Mississippi, Forrest County (where it is the county seat and most populous city) and extending west into Lamar County, Mississippi, Lamar County. The ci ...

. It also lies further west than Wyatt, Missouri, the easternmost community in the United States west of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

Climate

This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Ontonagon has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Ontonagon, Michigan
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Demographics

According to the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 1,494 people, 717 households, and 390 families residing in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 910 housing units at an average density of . At the census of 2020, there were 1,285 people residing in the village. The population density was . There were 893 housing units at an average density of . In 2020, its racial makeup was 92.92%

non-Hispanic white Non-Hispanic Whites, also referred to as White Anglo Americans or Non-Latino Whites, are White Americans who are classified by the United States census as "White" and not of Hispanic or Latino origin. According to annual estimates from the Unit ...

, 0.47% Native American, 0.62% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 5.91% other, and 1.71% Hispanic or Latino of any race. In 2010, the racial makeup of the village was 97.3%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.1%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.7% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino people of any race were 1.2% of the population. In 2010, there were 717 households, of which 19.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 45.6% were non-families. 41.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.99 and the average family size was 2.66. The median age in the village was 51.1 years. 17.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.5% were from 25 to 44; 33.3% were from 45 to 64; and 25.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 48.9% male and 51.1% female. In 2000, the median income for a household in the village was $28,300, and the median income for a family was $35,804. Males had a median income of $36,964 versus $20,815 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the village was $16,293. 11.8% of the population and 6.5% of families were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

. 15.1% of those under the age of 18 and 10.0% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Transportation

Major highways

* is a north–south highway with its northern terminus in downtown Ontonagon. The highway continues south into

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. * is an east–west highway with its western terminus in Ontonagon. The highway can be used to access locations east of Ontonagon, including Houghton and Baraga. * an east–west highway with its eastern terminus in Ontonagon. The highway can be used to access locations west of Ontonagon, including Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park.

Airport

The village is served by the Ontonagon County Airport (KOGM).

Railroads

Ontonagon was formerly the terminus of the Milwaukee Road Chippewa-Hiawatha. While service ended in 1953, Ontonagon Station remains today. Railroads in Ontonagon have since been removed.

Notable people

* John B. Bennett (1904–1964), politician and lawyer * Arnold J. Cane (1914–1968), lawyer and jurist * Joan Newton Cuneo (1876–1934), racing driver * Dan Dobbek (1934–2023), baseball player * Richard C. Flannigan (1859–1923), lawyer and judge * Jane Toombs (died 2014), writer * Steven Tuomi (1962–1987), victim of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer * Patrick Roger Vail (1859–1913), politician and businessman * Jim Yeadon (born 1949), activist and politician

References

External links

Village of Ontonagon official website
{{authority control Villages in Ontonagon County, Michigan Villages in Michigan Michigan placenames of Native American origin County seats in Michigan Populated places established in 1843 1843 establishments in Michigan Michigan populated places on Lake Superior