Mancelona ( ) is a village 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 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, ...

. Part of Mancelona Township, the village is located within Antrim County. Its population was 1,344 at the 2020 census.

History

In 1869, Perry Andress established a homestead in the area, naming it after his daughter, Mancelona Andress. Two years later, the Township of Mancelona was established, and named after her as well. In 1872, an extension of the

Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad The Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad at its height provided passenger and freight railroad services between Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Straits of Mackinac in Michigan, USA. The company was formed on January 18, 1854. Beginnings After grapp ...

was extended through the area, and a station called Mancelona was established. In 1882, an organization by the name of "John Otis & Company" built a large charcoal furnace just south of Mancelona. The company also platted a town around the furnace, naming it "Furnaceville". Soon after this, the

built a station at that town. The furnace flourished, and in 1886 a group of businessmen from

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

bought out the company, and renamed the company Antrim Iron Works and the town Antrim. A large

blast furnace A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally pig iron, but also others such as lead or copper. ''Blast'' refers to the combustion air being supplied above atmospheric pressure. In a ...

and iron works was built on the site, and the new company began doing business. The iron company shuttered in 1945, and was demolished in the 1980s.

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. The village is located at . Mancelona is known for its close proximity to many bodies of water, including the Jordan River, and the

Elk River Chain of Lakes Watershed The Elk River Chain of Lakes Watershed, commonly known as the Chain of Lakes, is a waterway consisting of numerous lakes and connecting rivers in the northwestern Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The watershed empties via the Elk ...

, especially Torch Lake.

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 1,390 people, 518 households, and 349 families residing in the village. 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 594 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 95.1%

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 ...

, 1.1% Native American, and 3.7% 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 people of any race were 0.9% of the population. There were 518 households, of which 40.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.9% 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, 19.3% had a female householder, 7.1% had a male householder, and 32.6% were other-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.19. The median age in the village was 34.1 years. 29.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.9% were from 25 to 44; 23.2% were from 45 to 64; and 12.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 47.3% male and 52.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,408 people, 535 households, and 367 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 582 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 95.60%

, 0.36%

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 ...

, 1.35% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.71% from other races, and 1.92% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 2.20% of the population. There were 535 households, out of which 36.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were

living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.07. In the village, the population was spread out, with 28.9% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.1 males. The median income for a household in the village was $29,583, and the median income for a family was $32,375. Males had a median income of $25,313 versus $18,917 for females.

Education

Mancelona Public Schools operates public schools. Mancelona teams are known as the "Ironmen".

Major highways

* traverses the town southwest to northeast. Northeast of Mancelona, the highway continues through the towns of

Alba ''Alba'' ( , ) is the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland. It is also, in English-language historiography, used to refer to the polity of Picts and Scots united in the ninth century as the Kingdom of Alba, until it developed into the Kingd ...

, Boyne Falls, and

Walloon Lake Walloon Lake is a glacier-formed lake located in Charlevoix and Emmet counties, just southwestward from the northern tip of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. It is now home to many vacation homes and cottages. Though the end of the west arm o ...

, before ending at

US 31 U.S. Route 31 or U.S. Highway 31 (US 31) is a major north–south U.S. highway connecting southern Alabama to northern Michigan. Its southern terminus is at an intersection with US 90/ US 98 in Spanish Fort, Alabama. I ...

in downtown Petoskey. To the southwest, US 131 runs through Kalkaska and Fife Lake before turning due south and converting to a

freeway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...

, continuing south toward

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

Kalamazoo Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 73,598. It is the principal city of the Kalamazoo–Portage metropolitan are ...

. * is another north–south highway running through Mancelona. To the north, M-66 runs through East Jordan before terminating at

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 ...

. To the south, M-66 runs with US 131 to Kalkaska, but continues south to the east of US 131, running through smaller communities like Lake City, Marion, and eventually,

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 Sturgis. * is an east–west highway that has its eastern terminus in downtown Mancelona. M-88 is entirely within Antrim County, running through the communities of Bellaire and Central Lake before terminating at US 31 in Eastport. * is an east–west county-designated highway that serves as an eastward extension of M-88. East of Mancelona, C-38 enters Otsego County.

References

{{authority control Villages in Antrim County, Michigan Villages in Michigan Populated places established in 1889 1889 establishments in Michigan