Algonac ( ) is a city in St. Clair County 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 4,196 at the 2020 census. Incorporated as a village in 1867 and again as a city in 1967, Algonac is located at the southern end of the

St. Clair River The St. Clair River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed November 7, 2011 river in central North America which flows from Lake Huron into Lake St. Clair, forming part ...

and contains a long boardwalk and riverfront park. Algonac State Park is located just north of the city. The city is also notable for the founding and headquarters of the now-defunct Chris-Craft Boats company.

History

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

European American European Americans are Americans of European ancestry. This term includes both people who descend from the first European settlers in the area of the present-day United States and people who descend from more recent European arrivals. Since th ...

John Martin, in the newly-organized Michigan Territory.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 ...

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 spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...

. The village of Algonac was within Clay Township, although the two municipalities are administered autonomously since Algonac incorporated as a city in 1967. 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 Christian buildings, such as Church (building), churches, chapels, convents, and seminaries. It has evolved over the two thousand years of the Christian religion, partly by innovation and partly ...

. It was the home of Chris-Craft boat company, the maker of the first mass-produced speedboats. It was also the home of Gar Wood, 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. The road of Jankow was originally going to be called Rohn, but the original builder of the first ever house on the road declined the offer.

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 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

. As the city has many canals, it has been nicknamed "the

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

of Michigan". The city is located in the Blue Water Area, 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 of Michigan, Lower Peninsula is shaped like a mitten. The Thumb area is generally considered to be in the Central Michigan region, east of t ...

. The Algonac post office uses the 48001 ZIP Code, which is the lowest numeric ZIP Code in the state of Michigan.

Demographics

2010 census

As of 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 4,110 people, 1,756 households, and 1,082 families living in the city. 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 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 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 ...

, 0.3%

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, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 1.6% 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 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 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, 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, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 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 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 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

* runs through the city as Pointe Tremble Road and St. Clair River Drive, parallel to the St. Clair River. * runs entirely on Harsens Island just south of the city.

Ferry

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

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

, connecting Algonac with the Walpole Island First Nation in

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. *Near Algonac's city center, ferry 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 Metro Detroit is a major metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Michigan, consisting of the city of Detroit and over 200 municipalities in the Southeast Michigan, surrounding area. There are varied definitions of the area, including the officia ...

Notable people

* Morgan Beadlescomb, track and field athlete who attended school in Algonac * Emily Helen Butterfield, women's rights advocate, born in Algonac * Jane Cadwell, competition swimmer and Olympian * Martha Hughes Cannon, physician who briefly practiced medicine in Algonac * Danny DeKeyser, professional hockey player in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

* Leroy Drumm, bluegrass and country music songwriter * Judson Gilbert II, state politician who attended school in Algonac * John S. Gray, businessman and banker who worked as a teacher in Algonac * Jeff Gutt, singer of Stone Temple Pilots who attended school in Algonac * Dan Kloeffler, television journalist who attended school in Algonac * Billy Leslie, former professional racing driver, born in Algonac *

Catelynn Lowell Catelynn Baltierra (née Lowell; born March 12, 1992) is an American reality television personality, author, and public speaker. From Algonac, Michigan, Algonac, Michigan, she received public attention after being cast in the reality television se ...

, reality television personality * Garfield Wood, inventor, entrepreneur, and championship motorboat builder and racer

Images

File:Algonac, MI post office.jpg, File:Algonac City Offices (Michigan).jpg, File:Algonac, MI boardwalk.jpg, File:Algonac Clay Museum (Michigan).jpg,

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