Lake City is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

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 so ...

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, ...

. It is 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 ...

of Missaukee County, and is the largest city within the county. The city is located in the

Northern Lower Peninsula Northern Michigan (also known as Northern Lower Michigan and colloquially within Michigan as "Up North") is a region of the U.S. state of Michigan. The region, which is distinct from the more northerly Upper Peninsula and Isle Royale, which are ...

of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population of Lake City was 829. Lake City has been nicknamed "Michigan's Christmas Tree Capital", due to the high number of farms near the city.

History

The community's first settler, Daniel Reeder, built his cabin on Muskrat Lake, now Lake Missaukee, in 1868. On January 22, 1872, Reeder was the name of post office open and the last name of its first postmaster, Daniel. The county selected Reeder by a one-vote margin as the county seat in 1873. The community became a station of the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad. The community was renamed on January 25, 1877, to Lake City. Lake City was incorporated as a village and platted in 1889. The village became a city in 1932. Much of Missaukee County grew in the early 20th century because of the region's timber industry. The community continues to thrive because of local lumber mills.

Geography

Lake City is in western Missaukee County, by road northeast of

Cadillac Cadillac Motor Car Division, or simply Cadillac (), is the luxury vehicle division (business), division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Its major markets are the United States, Canada and China; Cadillac models are ...

and southeast of Manton. 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 , all land. Lake City derives its name from the numerous lakes within the vicinity, including Lake Missaukee, which forms the western boundary of the city. Other large lakes nearby include Crooked Lake and Sapphire Lake.

Climate

Education

Lake City is served by the Lake City Area Schools district. High school students are served by Lake City High School.

Transportation

Major highways

* is an east–west highway, traversing the

Lower Peninsula The Lower Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Lower Michigan – is the larger, southern and less elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; the other being the Upper Peninsula, which is separated by the S ...

from Manistee on

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...

to Tawas City on

Lake Huron Lake Huron ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is shared on the north and east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the south and west by the U.S. state of Michigan. The name of the lake is derived from early French ex ...

. Other communities M-55 passes through include

, Houghton Lake, Prudenville, and West Branch. * is a north–south highway, running from the

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

border neat Sturgis to

Charlevoix Charlevoix ( , ) is a cultural and natural region in Quebec, on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River as well as in the Laurentian Mountains area of the Canadian Shield. This dramatic landscape includes rolling terrain, fjords, headlands ...

on Lake Michigan. The second-longest state trunkline highway in Michigan, M-66 passes through

Battle Creek Battle Creek is a city in northwestern Calhoun County, Michigan, United States, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo River, Kalamazoo and Battle Creek River, Battle Creek rivers. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a tota ...

Ionia Ionia ( ) was an ancient region encompassing the central part of the western coast of Anatolia. It consisted of the northernmost territories of the Ionian League of Greek settlements. Never a unified state, it was named after the Ionians who ...

, and the nearby communities of McBain and Kalkaska. North of Lake City, M-66 reaches a junction with M-42 which can be used to access Manton.

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 836 people, 337 households, and 216 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 489 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.2%

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 ...

, 1.2%

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 ...

, 1.7% Native American, 0.7% Asian, and 1.2% 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 2.9% of the population. There were 337 households, of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.4% 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, 6.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.9% were non-families. 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.89. The median age in the city was 40.5 years. 23.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.2% were from 25 to 44; 27.5% were from 45 to 64; and 19.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.2% male and 48.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 923 people, 381 households, and 238 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 493 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.72%

, 0.11%

, 0.43% Native American, 0.76% Asian, 0.43% from other races, and 0.54% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.63% of the population. There were 381 households, out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were

living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.3% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.93. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.1% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 22.5% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 20.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $28,864, and the median income for a family was $34,286. Males had a median income of $27,361 versus $19,044 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 $17,067. About 10.7% of families and 13.1% 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 13.7% of those under age 18 and 17.2% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Albert J. Engel, former politician *

Albert J. Engel Jr. Albert Joseph Engel Jr. (March 21, 1924 – April 5, 2013) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Education and career Engel was born in Lake City, Michigan, the son of United States Rep ...

, former judge for the

United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (in case citations, 6th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: * Eastern District of Kentucky * Western District of K ...

* Bruce Rendon, politician * Daire Rendon, former Republican state representative Indicted for conspiracy for undue possession of a voting machine and false pretenses relating to 2020 election. *

Burt Reynolds Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor most famous during the 1970s and 1980s. He became well known in television series such as ''Gunsmoke'' (1962–1965), '' Hawk'' (1966) and '' Dan Augus ...

, Oscar-nominated and Golden Globe award-winning actor, film and television star * James Wieghart, former newspaper editor

References

Sources

External links

*
Lake City, Michigan - Pure Michigan

Missaukee Area Chamber of Commerce
{{Michigan county seats Cities in Missaukee County, Michigan County seats in Michigan 1889 establishments in Michigan Populated places established in 1889