Baraga ( ) is a village in Baraga County in 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 1,883 at the 2020 census. The village is named after Bishop Frederic Baraga. The village is located in Baraga Township on the Keweenaw Bay 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 ...

at the junction of

US 41 U.S. Route 41, also U.S. Highway 41 (US 41), is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway System, United States Numbered Highway that runs from Miami, Florida, to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Until 1949, the part i ...

and M-38. It is entirely within the boundaries of the L'Anse Indian Reservation. The Baraga ZIP code 49908 also serves areas of northern and northwestern Baraga Township.

History

Baraga began with the establishment of the Holy Name Mission at this site by Rev. Frederic Baraga in 1843. The post office opened with the name ''Bristol'' on June 29, 1869, and changed to Baraga on May 11, 1870. In 1993, the Baraga Correctional Facility was opened in the town. On May 30, 2022, a consortium including Finnish technology giant Wärtsilä, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), and Burns & McDonnell unveiled a contract with Milwaukee-based WEC Energy’s subsidiary Upper Michigan Energy Resources for a fuel testing pilot.

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 is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, the population was 1,883. 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 617 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 37.2%

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 ...

, 31.4%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

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 ...

, 22.8% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.9% from other races, and 7.5% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 1.2%

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.

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 2,053 people, 527 households, and 310 families residing in the village. The

was . There were 580 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 44.9%

, 29.4%

, 22.0% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 3.6% from two or more races.

or Latino residents of any race were 1.0% of the population. There were 527 households, of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.0% 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, 18.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.2% were non-families. 37.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age in the village was 35.7 years. 15.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 40.9% were from 25 to 44; 22.6% were from 45 to 64; and 10% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 68.8% male and 31.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,285 people, 544 households, and 326 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 605 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 68.79%

, 0.16%

, 23.97% Native American, 0.62% Asian, 0.31% from other races, and 6.15% from two or more races.

or Latino residents of any race were 0.86% of the population. 25.5% were of Finnish, 9.9% French, 9.2%

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, and 6.3%

French-Canadian French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French colonists first arriving in France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of French Canadians live in the prov ...

ancestry according to Census 2000. There were 544 households, out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.6% were

living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.9% were non-families. 36.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 3.03. In the village, 27.2% of the population was under the age of 18, 7.8% was from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.4 males. The median income for a household in the village was $26,290, and the median income for a family was $33,906. Males had a median income of $31,838 versus $21,333 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 $14,795. About 9.8% of families and 15.6% 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 14.2% of those under age 18 and 20.1% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Indian Trails bus lines operates daily intercity bus service between Hancock and

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

with a stop in Baraga Township, just outside Baraga.

Gallery

File:BaragaMichiganPostOfficeUS41.jpg, Post office File:BaragaMichiganWelcomeSignUS41.jpg, Welcome sign File:BaragaStateParkEntranceSign.jpg, Baraga State Park entrance File:M38EastTerminusUS41.jpg, M-38 east terminus File:BaragaMichiganPanoramaKeweenawBayLakeSuperior.jpg, Panorama over

File:BaragaCountyMuseumUS41.jpg, Baraga County Historical Museum

References

External links

Baraga County Historical Museum

''The L'Anse Sentinel''
{{authority control Villages in Baraga County, Michigan Villages in Michigan Populated places established in 1843 Michigan populated places on Lake Superior 1843 establishments in Michigan