Menominee ( ) is a city 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 ...

Menominee County, Michigan Menominee County ( ) is a county located in the Upper Peninsula in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,502. The county seat is Menominee. The county's name comes from an Ojibwe word meaning "wild rice eat ...

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 ...

. The population was 8,488 at the 2020 census. It is the

of Menominee County. Menominee is the fourth-largest city in the Upper Peninsula, behind Marquette, Sault Ste. Marie, and

Escanaba Escanaba ( ), commonly shortened to Esky, is a port city and the county seat of Delta County, Michigan, Delta County in the U.S. state of Michigan, located on Little Bay de Noc in the state's Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Upper Peninsula. The popu ...

. Menominee Township is located to the north of the city, but is politically autonomous. Menominee is part of the Marinette, WI–MI micropolitan statistical area.

History

In historic times, this area was the traditional territory of the Menominee Indian Tribe. The town of Menominee was named after their English name which roughly translates as " wild rice," a nickname given to them by their

Ojibwe The Ojibwe (; Ojibwe writing systems#Ojibwe syllabics, syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the Great Plains, n ...

neighbors based on their cultivation of wild rice as a staple food. In their own language, they are known as ''Mamaceqtaw'' which means simply "the people", and the town of Menominee is known as ''Menīkāneh'', which means "at the good village". They were removed to west of the Mississippi River and now have a reservation along the Wolf River in North Central Wisconsin after ceding their territory to the United States in the 1836 Treaty of the Cedars. Menominee gained prominence in the 19th century as a lumber town; in its heyday, it produced more lumber than any other city in the United States of America. During this time of prosperity, the Menominee Opera House was built. It is being restored. In the 1910s, a cycle car, the " Dudly Bug", was manufactured in Menominee. In the waning years of lumber production, local business interests, interested in diversifying Menominee's manufacturing base, attracted inventor Marshall Burns Lloyd and his Minneapolis company Lloyd Manufacturing, which made wicker baby buggies. In 1917, Lloyd invented an automated process for weaving wicker and manufactured it as the Lloyd Loom. This machine process is still in use today. In the 21st century, the economy of Menominee is based on manufacturing (paper products, wicker lawn furniture, and auto supplies) and tourism. In 1940, during the "Vote for Gracie" publicity stunt in which comedian

Gracie Allen Grace Ethel Cecile Rosalie Allen (July 26, 1895 – August 27, 1964) was an American vaudevillian, singer, actress, and comedian who became internationally famous as the zany partner and comic foil of husband George Burns, her straight man, ap ...

ran for president, she was nominated for mayor of Menominee, but was disqualified because she was not a resident of the city.

Sports

The Menominee Maroons won the state high school championship in its division for

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

in 1967 and

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

in 1998, 2006 and 2007. In the 2006 season, the Maroons finished unbeaten and only allowed 38 points scored against them but their offense scored 513 points in that entire season. They beat the former

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

and

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

Division One state champions. Menominee shares a historic high school football rivalry with neighbor

Marinette, Wisconsin Marinette is a city in and the county seat of Marinette County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located on the south bank of the Menominee River, at its mouth at Green Bay (Lake Michigan), Green Bay, part of Lake Michigan; to the north is Stephe ...

. The two have conducted the third-longest rivalry in the nation. Menominee, like most good-sized towns, embraced the newly emerging 19th-century sport of football. A local group took the name of North End Athletic Club and, under manager McPhaul, were the visiting opponent for the newly formed Green Bay team sponsored by the Indian Packing Co. led by captain

Curly Lambeau Earl Louis "Curly" Lambeau ( ; April 9, 1898 – June 1, 1965) was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). Lambeau, along with his friend and fellow Green Bay, Wisconsin native, George Whitney ...

. The Indian Co. Packers of Green Bay defeated the N.E.A.C. Colts of Menominee 53–0 at Hagemeister Field.

Geography

Menominee County Courthouse 2 2020-09-06

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. It is the southernmost city and location in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Menominee has a cairn marking the halfway point between the

North Pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's rotation, Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distingu ...

and the

Equator The equator is the circle of latitude that divides Earth into the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Southern Hemisphere, Southern Hemispheres of Earth, hemispheres. It is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, about in circumferen ...

. This is slightly north of the

45th parallel north The 45th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 45 degrees north of Earth's equator. It crosses Europe, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean. The 45th parallel north is often called the halfway point between the ...

, due to the flattening of the earth at the poles. This is one of six Michigan sites and 29 places in the U.S.A. where such signs are known to exist. Menominee, Michigan, is also the site of the Menominee Crack, an unusual geological feature that formed spontaneously in 2010.

Twin city with Marinette, Wisconsin

Menominee and

are sometimes described as "

twin cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in stat ...

". Menominee shares a hospital, community foundation, newspaper and chamber of commerce with Marinette. Marinette is the principal city of the Marinette, Wisconsin–Menominee, Michigan Micropolitan Statistical Area. Numerous city groups work together to benefit the entire two-city, two-county and two-state community.

Climate

This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Menominee has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.

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 8,599 people, 3,987 households, and 2,311 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 4,456 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.7%

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 ...

, 0.4%

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 ...

, 0.9% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% from other races, 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 1.4% of the population. There were 3,987 households, of which 26.3% 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, 12.6% had a female householder with no spouse present, 5.4% had a male householder with no spouse present, and 42.0% were non-families. 37.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.74. The median age in the city was 44 years. 21.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.7% were from 25 to 44; 30.3% were from 45 to 64; and 18.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.7% male and 51.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 9,131 people, 4,063 households, and 2,441 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 4,393 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.35%

, 0.14%

, 0.82% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.27% from other races, and 1.10% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.12% of the population. 31.6% were of

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 ...

, 9.3% French, 8.7% Swedish, 8.7% Polish, 7.2% Irish and 6.7%

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 ...

ancestry according to Census 2000. There were 4,063 households, out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% were

living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.9% were non-families. 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.86. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.9% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 18.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,523, and the median income for a family was $38,867. Males had a median income of $32,850 versus $22,145 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 $17,500. About 9.9% of families and 13.3% 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 18.2% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.

Historic downtown and marina

Much of Menominee's L-shaped downtown runs along the shores of the bay of Green Bay and includes the Great Lakes Memorial Marina and park. Many of the downtown buildings in the First Street Historic District, built at the end of the 19th century or the beginning of the 20th, have been restored. They now provide space for several upscale restaurants, gift shops, beauty salons and day spas, antique shops, galleries, and a variety of essential services. The Menominee Bandshell is a focal point for concerts, an art show, a car show and a four-day community festival.

Economy

The greater Menominee area is home to a variety of industries, including shipbuilding, auto parts, chemicals, helicopter design and construction, airplane components, health care, and paper-making. In good financial times, some local companies have reported a shortage of skilled workers. The types of jobs available locally include assemblers, assembly coordinators, building and grounds technicians, custodians, cutting machine operators, electricians, fabrication operators, fixture technicians, journeyman toolmakers, machinists, maintenance mechanics, material handlers, metal fabricators, forklift drivers, paint coordinators, powder coating specialists, research-and-development technicians, quality control technicians, sewing and weaving machine operators, shipping/loading/receiving attendants, spinning and rewind machine operators, cutters, stamping operators, welders, and welding coordinators. Menominee is also the headquarters and manufacturing plant of Enstrom Helicopter Corporation, a US helicopter manufacturer. Enstrom manufactures its F-28F & F-280FX piston helicopters and its 480B turbine helicopter in Menominee.

Government

Beginning in January 2012, the mayor of Menominee was Jean Stegeman, who held the office until January 2024. In November 2023, Mayor Stegeman was narrowly defeated by her challenger, Casey Hoffman. Hoffman took office as mayor in January 2024. Hoffman made history in the city by being the first openly gay GOP member to win the mayor seat, and one of the first in the state Since November 2021, the city manager has been Brett J Botbyl .

Transportation

Ground transportation

Several highways connect through the Menominee area: * connects with

and Marquette to the north and

and

Green Bay, Wisconsin Green Bay is a city in Brown County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the head of Green Bay (Lake Michigan), Green Bay (known locally as "the bay of Green Bay"), a sub-basin of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the F ...

to the south. * runs northeast to provide a more direct route to Escanaba along the shore of Lake Michigan's Green Bay. * starts just across the state line in Marinette and travels westerly. * starts just across the state line in Marinette and travels northerly and then westerly. Indian Trails bus lines operates daily intercity bus service between Hancock 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 Menominee.

Airport

Menominee is serviced by the Menominee-Marinette Twin County Airport (KMNM)

Car ferries

Ann Arbor Railroad ran cross-

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 ...

car ferries from Betsie Lake, Elberta, Michigan, to Menominee starting in 1894, and also connected railcar freight with the Wisconsin & Michigan Railway until 1938 or some time after. In January 1970 the

Interstate Commerce Commission The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was a regulatory agency in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads (and later Trucking industry in the United States, truc ...

authorized the Ann Arbor Railroad to abandon this service. The location of the Ann Arbor car ferry slip in Lighthouse Ann Arbor Park has been converted to a boat launch.

Railroad

Currently, the railroad lines serving the twin cities only offer freight service as provided by the

Escanaba and Lake Superior Railroad The Escanaba & Lake Superior Railroad is a Class III shortline railroad that operates of track in Northeastern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Its main line runs from Rockland, Michigan, to Green Bay, Wisconsin, and it also own ...

. The

Milwaukee Road The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), better known as the Milwaukee Road , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States, Midwest and Pacific Northwest, Northwest of the United States from 1847 ...

railroad began passenger service to

Menominee The Menominee ( ; meaning ''"Menominee People"'', also spelled Menomini, derived from the Ojibwe language word for "Wild Rice People"; known as ''Mamaceqtaw'', "the people", in the Menominee language) are a federally recognized tribe of Na ...

in 1903. That year they constructed a rail passenger depot, running frequent trips between Menominee and Ellis Junction (now Crivitz). They shared the station tracks with the Wisconsin & Michigan Railway. The passenger ridership dropped significantly by 1920 causing the

to abandon service to the Menominee station in May 1927 and after that closed the station. The Wisconsin and Michigan Railroad continued their freight service to 1938. The Chicago and Northwestern Railroad also had a freight and passenger station on 7th Street in town. Passenger service to the C&NW station ended on July 16, 1969. The

railroad passenger station is located at 219 West Fourth Avenue. The station was built in 1903 originally as a part of the Menominee Branch Railroad Company (chartered July 2, 1883). Currently under private ownership.

Education

The school district is Menominee Area Public Schools. In 1918 the school district withdrew its German courses and set its German textbooks on fire.

Recreation

Menominee's waterfront is the setting for public events in the summer, including a city-sponsored festival. The Marinette Menominee Area Chamber of Commerce coordinates a concert series held on Thursdays from late June to mid-August. The Cabela Master Walleye Circuit brought hundreds of fishermen and women to the area for tournaments in 2005, 2008 and 2009. Image:MenomineeMichiganSign.jpg, Welcome sign Image:MenomineeMichiganMarina.jpg, Marina Image:MenomineeMichiganUSRoute41.jpg, US 41 in Menominee Image:MenomineeMichiganLighthouse.jpg, Menominee Pier Light

Notable people

* James Bonk, longtime chemistry professor,

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

* Audrey Cleary, North Dakota state legislator * John O. Henes, businessman and philanthropist *

Kathleen Kirkham Kathleen Kirkham Woodruff (April 15, 1895 – November 7, 1961) was an American actress on stage and in silent films. Career Kathleen Kirkham was born on April 15, 1895, to Mrs. L.B. Kirkham, who was a stage actress prior to her marriage. Kirk ...

, silent-film actress *

Mitchell Leisen James Mitchell Leisen (October 6, 1898 – October 28, 1972) was an American film director, director, art director, and costume designer. Film career He entered the film industry in the 1920s, beginning in the art and costume departments. He d ...

, Hollywood director, art director and costumer designer * Kent T. Lundgren, pharmacist and Michigan state senator *

Dave Mason David Thomas Mason (born 10 May 1946) is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist from Worcester, who came to prominence in 1967 as a founding member of the rock band Traffic. While with Traffic, he wrote and sang lead vocals on two of the b ...

, NFL player * Richard P. Matty, Wisconsin state assemblyman * John McLean, Olympic silver medal winner * Alvin H. Nielsen, molecular spectroscopist * Harald Herborg Nielsen, physicist * William Nolde, last American soldier killed in

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

* Fred Stephenson Norcross,

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

football captain, coach

Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate degree programs and a variety of graduate and doctor ...

* Doris Packer, actress who played Mrs. Rayburn, Theodore Cleaver's principal in the television series ''

Leave It to Beaver ''Leave It to Beaver'' is an American television sitcom that follows the misadventures of a suburban boy, his family and his friends. It starred Barbara Billingsley, Hugh Beaumont, Tony Dow and Jerry Mathers. CBS first broadcast the show ...

'' * Bill Rademacher, NFL player,

Super Bowl III Super Bowl III was an American football championship game played on January 12, 1969, at the Miami Orange Bowl, Orange Bowl in Miami, Miami, Florida. It was the third AFL–NFL Championship Game in professional American football, and the fi ...

champion * Mitzi Shore, owner of

The Comedy Store The Comedy Store is an American comedy club opened in April 1972. It is located in West Hollywood, California, at 8433 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip. An associated club is located in La Jolla, San Diego, California. History The Comedy ...

in Los Angeles * Samuel M. Stephenson, member of

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from Michigan * Bart Stupak, member of US House of Representatives from Michigan * Laurie Stupak, former mayor of Menominee, MI, wife of Bart Stupak * Robyn Leigh Tanguay, molecular toxicologist,

* Leonard J. Umnus, college football player and coach

References

External links

*
Menominee's Historic Waterfront Downtown

Spies Public Library

Menominee Area Public Schools

Marinette Menominee Area Chamber of Commerce
{{Authority control Cities in Menominee County, Michigan County seats in Michigan Michigan placenames of Native American origin Michigan populated places on Lake Michigan Marinette micropolitan area