White Pine 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 ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) in

Ontonagon County Ontonagon County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 Census, the population was 5,816, making it Michigan's third-least populous county. The co ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

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 CDP had a population of 474 at the 2010 census. White Pine is located within Carp Lake Township. Much of White Pine was developed in the 1950s a housing community for miners at the White Pine mine. Copper mines in Michigan had historically helped provide housing for workers so that miners could have nearby places to live and attract families which were believed to allow more stable workforces with employees staying with the company longer. The site developed as a typical post war suburb. Many homes were single-story ranch homes although a trailer park and apartment complex were also built. The community never developed fully as the

Copper Range Company The Copper Range Company was a major copper-mining company in the Copper Country of Michigan, United States. It began as the Copper Range Company in the late 19th century as a holding company specializing in shares in the copper mines south of Hou ...

envisioned. The automobile transformed how workers commuted where previous mine sites had workers walking from nearby housing to the mine, many workers by the 1950s preferred driving 90 miles a day and remain in their current homes rather than move.

History

It was a station on the Chicago, Minneapolis and St. Paul Railway. Thomas H. Wilcox, a mining engineer, found mass copper in the Mineral River and formed the White Pine Copper Company to mine it. The settlement was given a post office as "White Pine Mine" in June 1915. The community of White Pine was listed as a newly-organized

for the 2010 census, meaning it now has officially defined boundaries and population statistics for the first time.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, White Pine has a total area of , all land. White Pine is located within Carp Lake Township east of the

Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park The Porcupine Mountains, or Porkies, are a group of small mountains spanning the northwestern Upper Peninsula of Michigan in Ontonagon and Gogebic counties, near the shore of Lake Superior. The Porcupine Mountains were named by the native ...

. The

operated the White Pine mine in White Pine from 1955 to 1995. White Pine is served by the 49971 ZIP Code, which is the highest numeric ZIP Code in the state of Michigan.

Demographics

References

External links

Mine Site Visit: Copper Range Company White Pine Mine
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Solid Waste, observations from EPA site visit May 5 and 6, 1992 *

Copper mining in Michigan Copper mining in Michigan became an important industry in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Its rise marked the start of copper mining as a major industry in the United States. Geology Within the state of Michigan, copper is found almost ex ...

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Ontonagon County, Michigan Census-designated places in Michigan Unincorporated communities in Michigan Census-designated places in Ontonagon County, Michigan