Algonac is a city in St. Clair County of 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 sove ...

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 t ...

. The population was 4,110 at the 2010 census. Algonac is located at the southern end of the St. Clair River, just before it splits into a large delta region known as the St. Clair Flats. (Coordinates ) The St. Clair River drains

Lake Huron Lake Huron ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the easterly portion of Lake Michigan–Huron, having the same surface elevation as Lake Michigan, to which it is connected by the , Straits of Mack ...

into Lake St. Clair and is part of the Great Lakes Waterway. At the center of Algonac is Algonac City Park, a

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are green spaces set aside for recreation inside towns and cities. ...

which contains a half-mile long

boardwalk A boardwalk (alternatively board walk, boarded path, or promenade) is an elevated footpath, walkway, or causeway built with wooden planks that enables pedestrians to cross wet, fragile, or marshy land. They are also in effect a low type of br ...

along the St. Clair River. Just to the north of the city is Algonac State Park. Algonac was the birthplace of Emily Helen Butterfield, an artist and the first woman to be licensed as an architect in Michigan. She was famous for innovations in

church architecture Church architecture refers to the architecture of buildings of churches, convents, seminaries etc. It has evolved over the two thousand years of the Christian religion, partly by innovation and partly by borrowing other architectural styles as ...

. It was the home of the now-defunct Chris-Craft boat company, the maker of the first mass-produced speedboats. It was also the home of

Gar Wood Garfield Arthur "Gar" Wood (December 4, 1880 – June 19, 1971) was an American inventor, entrepreneur, and championship motorboat builder and racer who held the world water speed record on several occasions. He was the first man to trave ...

, the first great speed boat racer. Algonac is home to two museums dedicated to its history. The Algonac Clay Community Museum contains many displays of Algonac's local history. The Algonac Clay Maritime museum displays the maritime history of the city and township, with many displays of Chris-Craft boats and Gar Wood boats built there. Both museums are open every weekend from May through October. Algonac is known as the birthplace of modern power boating.

History

Long occupied by Native American tribes, Algonac was settled in 1805 by

European American European Americans (also referred to as Euro-Americans) are Americans of European ancestry. This term includes people who are descended from the first European settlers in the United States as well as people who are descended from more recent Eu ...

John Martin, in the newly-organized

Michigan Territory The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroit ...

.Romig, Walter (1986)
''Michigan Place Names''
p. 17. Wayne State University Press. The area had been known by French colonists, the first Europeans to settle here, as ''Pointe Du Chêne'' ("oak point", because of local trees). The later British colonists called it Manchester. In 1836, it was the fourth village laid out by Americans along the St. Clair River. Its present name was coined by

Henry Schoolcraft Henry Rowe Schoolcraft (March 28, 1793 – December 10, 1864) was an American geographer, geologist, and ethnologist, noted for his early studies of Native American cultures, as well as for his 1832 expedition to the source of the Mississippi R ...

and applied to the area in 1843. Most settlement did not occur until the mid-19th century and later. In 1863, the small community was described as containing "a church, two or three saw-mills, a grist-mill, woollen factory, and about 700 inhabitants". It served as the center of a farming area. The economy was also based in lumbering, shipping, and trades associated with maritime activities on the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...

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 th ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Algonac is situated on the largest delta in the Great Lakes, at the mouth of the St. Clair River. As the city has many canals, it has been nicknamed "the

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

of Michigan". The city is located in the

Blue Water Area The Thumb is a region and a peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan, so named because the Lower Peninsula is shaped like a mitten. The Thumb area is generally considered to be in the Central Michigan region, east of the Tri-Cities and north of Me ...

, a sub-region of

the Thumb The Thumb is a region and a peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan, so named because the Lower Peninsula is shaped like a mitten. The Thumb area is generally considered to be in the Central Michigan region, east of the Tri-Cities and north of M ...

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2010, there were 4,110 people, 1,756 households, and 1,082 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was . There were 2,040 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.1%

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

, 0.3%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.7% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 1.3% of the population. There were 1,756 households, of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.8% were

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

living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.4% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age in the city was 42.3 years. 21.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24% were from 25 to 44; 30.8% were from 45 to 64; and 15.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.6% male and 50.4% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 4,613 people, 1,871 households, and 1,212 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 2,014 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.36%

, 0.15%

, 0.95% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.17% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.02% of the population. There were 1,871 households, out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were

living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.2% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.05. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $42,133, and the median income for a family was $55,000. Males had a median income of $41,644 versus $25,000 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $22,441. About 8.6% of families and 9.4% of the population 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 ...

, including 10.7% of those under age 18 and 15.2% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Major highways

* M-29 runs through the city as Pointe Tremble Road and St. Clair River Drive, parallel to the St. Clair River * M-154 runs entirely on Harsens Island, roughly southwest to northeast

Ferry

The Walpole–Algonac Ferry crosses the St. Clair River along the

Canada–United States border The border between Canada and the United States is the longest international border in the world. The terrestrial boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: ...

, connecting Algonac with the Walpole Island First Nation in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

. Near Algonac's city center,

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water ta ...

service is available to Russell Island. Just to the west of the city, in Clay Township, ferry service is also offered to Harsens Island.

Bus

The Blue Water Area Transportation Commission operates a Port Huron-to- Chesterfield Township bus service morning and evening Monday-Friday that passes through Algonac via M-29. This connects with the SMART system of

Metro Detroit The Detroit metropolitan area, often referred to as Metro Detroit, is a major metropolitan area in the U.S. State of Michigan, consisting of the city of Detroit and its surrounding area. There are varied definitions of the area, including the ...

References

External links

Official City Website

Algonac State Park
- Michigan DNR website

- local public high school {{Authority control Cities in St. Clair County, Michigan Michigan populated places on Lake St. Clair Michigan populated places on the St. Clair River Populated places established in 1805 1805 establishments in Michigan Territory