L'Anse ( ) is a village and 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 ...

Baraga County, Michigan Baraga County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Upper Peninsula in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 8,158, making it Michigan's fifth-leas ...

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 1,874 at the 2020 census. The village is located within L'Anse Township in the

Upper Peninsula The Upper Peninsula of Michigan—also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. or Yoop—is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula b ...

and partially inside the L'Anse Indian Reservation.

History

This area was long occupied by people of the Lake Superior Band of Ojibwa (Chippewa), who called it "Gichi-wiikwedong". Much later, French colonists had established a fur trading post here as a part of

New France New France (, ) was the territory colonized by Kingdom of France, France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Kingdom of Great Br ...

and a Jesuit mission, naming it ''L'Anse''. In French, ''L'Anse'' translates as "the cove" or "the bay", a reference to its location in on the southern portion of L'Anse Bay, a portion of the larger Keweenaw Bay, at the base of the

Keweenaw Peninsula The Keweenaw Peninsula (, ) is a peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. Part of the greater landmass of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Upper Peninsula, the Keweenaw Peninsula projects about northeasterly into Lake Superior, forming Keweena ...

. The modern-day village grew around this French trading post. Following treaties with the United States in the 19th century, the Ojibwa/Chippewa ceded extensive amounts of land in Michigan. The L'Anse Indian Reservation was established by the U.S. here as the largest and the oldest in Michigan. In 1896, the village was completely burned to the ground by a deadly fire which left many homeless.

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 , all of it land.

Attractions

* The L'Anse Waterfront Park on Baraga Avenue, located in the downtown area, offers a place for visitors to rest and enjoy the surroundings. * The Falls River Falls in downtown L'Anse is a series of cascading falls spanning the width of the Falls River. * ''The Extra'', located on Main Street, is a comedy and music venue hosting touring performers.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, the population was 1,874. 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 980 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 85.6%

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 ...

, 5.8% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.2%

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 ...

, 0.1%

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 ...

, 0.4% from other races, and 7.5% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 0.8%

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

At the 2010

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 ...

, there were 2,011 people, 874 households and 502 families living in the village. The

was . There were 988 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 88.7%

, 1.4%

, 5.0% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 4.6% from two or more races.

or Latino residents of any race were 0.9% of the population. There were 874 households, of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.0% 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, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.6% were non-families. 37.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.82. The median age was 41.7 years. 22.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.3% were from 25 to 44; 24.1% were from 45 to 64; and 21.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 47.6% male and 52.4% female.

2000 census

At the 2000

, there were 2,107 people, 894 households and 540 families living in the village. The population density was . There were 981 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 91.22%

, 0.09%

, 5.55% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.05%

, and 2.90% from two or more races.

or Latino residents of any race were 0.57% of the population. 27.9% were of Finnish, 11.6% German, 9.4% French, 7.5% Norwegian, 5.9%

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

and 5.1% English ancestry according to Census 2000. There were 894 households, of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% were

living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.5% were non-families. 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.86. 21.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 21.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.3 males. The

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of und ...

was $31,406 and the median family income was $38,984. Males had a median income of $31,583 and females $20,929. 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 ...

was $15,857. About 6.6% of families and 11.0% 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 14.6% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

* runs through the southernmost portion of the village. * begins in the Village of Baraga, across the bay from L'Anse. *The bus line Indian Trails operates daily intercity bus service between

Hancock, Michigan Hancock is a city in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population of Hancock was 4,501 at the 2020 United States census. The city is located within Houghton County, Michigan, Houghton County, and ...

, and

Milwaukee, Wisconsin 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 L'Anse.

Gallery

File:LAnseMichiganParkLakeSuperior.jpg, The L'Anse Waterfront Park is in the village on the shore of

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 ...

File:LAnseMichiganPanoramaKeweenawBayLakeSuperiorUS41.jpg, A view across the Keweenaw Bay to L'Anse. File:LAnseMichiganIntersectionUS41.jpg, the L'Anse Intersection on US 41 File:LAnseMichiganSignUS41.jpg, The sign for L'Anse on US 41 File:LAnseMichiganUS41.jpg, Going through L'Anse File:L'Anse Town Hall.JPG, The L'Anse Township Hall File:Baraga County Courthouse and Annex.JPG, The Baraga County Courthouse and Annex is located in L'Anse. File:SOO GP9 2411 at L'Anse, MI on ex-DSS&A trackage on January 8, 1967 (34500218745).jpg, A train of the now-defunct

Soo Line Railroad The Soo Line Railroad is one of the primary United States railroad subsidiaries for the CPKC Railway , one of six U.S. Class I railroads, controlled through the Soo Line Corporation. Although it is named for the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Saul ...

at L'Anse in 1967.

References

External links

Village of L'anse official Site

''The L'Anse Sentinel''
{{authority control Villages in Baraga County, Michigan Villages in Michigan County seats in Michigan Michigan populated places on Lake Superior Populated places established in 1871 1871 establishments in Michigan