Port Huron is a city in and
seat of government of
St. Clair County,
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, ...
,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
.
The population was 28,983 at the
2020 census. The city is bordered on the west by
Port Huron Township, but the two are administered autonomously.
Port Huron is located along the source of the
St. Clair River
The St. Clair River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed November 7, 2011 river in central North America which flows from Lake Huron into Lake St. Clair, forming part ...
at the southern end of
Lake Huron. The city is along the
Canada–United States border and directly across the river from
Sarnia, Ontario
Sarnia is a city in Lambton County, Ontario, Canada. It had a Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population of 72,047, and is the largest city on Lake Huron. Sarnia is located on the eastern bank of the junction between the Upper and Lower Great Lakes, ...
. The two cities are connected by the
Blue Water Bridge at the eastern terminus of
Interstate 69/
Interstate 94. Port Huron has the easternmost point of land in the state of Michigan and is also one of the northernmost areas included in the Detroit–Warren–Dearborn Metropolitan Statistical Area (
Metro Detroit).
History

This area was long occupied by the
Ojibwa people. French colonists had a temporary trading post and fort at this site in the 17th century.
In 1814, following the
War of 1812, the United States established
Fort Gratiot at the base of Lake Huron. A community developed around it. The early 19th century was the first time a settlement developed here with a permanent European-American population. In the 19th century, the United States established an
Ojibwa reservation in part of what is now Port Huron, in exchange for their cession of lands under treaty for European-American settlement. But in 1836, under
Indian Removal, the US forced the Ojibwa to move west of the
Mississippi River and resettle in what are now the states of Wisconsin and Minnesota.
In 1857, Port Huron became incorporated. Its population grew rapidly after the 1850s due a high rate of immigration: workers leaving poverty, famine, and revolutions in Europe were attracted to the successful
shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other Watercraft, floating vessels. In modern times, it normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation th ...
and
lumber
Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...
industries in Michigan. These industries supported development around the Great Lakes and in the Midwest. In 1859 the city had a total of 4,031 residents; some 1,855, or 46%, were foreign-born or their children (first-generation Americans).
By 1870, Port Huron's population exceeded that of surrounding villages. In 1871, the State Supreme Court designated Port Huron as the county seat of St. Clair County.
On October 8, 1871, the city, as well as places north in
Sanilac and
Huron counties, burned in the
Port Huron Fire of 1871. A series of other fires leveled
Holland
Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...
and
Manistee, as well as
Peshtigo, Wisconsin and
Chicago, Illinois
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
on the same day. The
Thumb Fire that occurred a decade later, also engulfed Port Huron.
In 1895 the village of Fort Gratiot, in the vicinity of the former Fort Gratiot, was annexed by the city of Port Huron.
The following historic sites have been recognized by the State of Michigan through its historic marker program.
* Fort St. Joseph. The fort was built in 1686 by the French explorer Duluth. This fort was the second European settlement in lower Michigan. This post guarded the upper end of the St. Clair River, the vital waterway joining Lake Erie and Lake Huron. Intended by the French to bar English traders from the upper lakes, the fort in 1687 was the base of a garrison of French and Indian allies. In 1688 the French abandoned this fort. The site was incorporated into Fort Gratiot in 1814. A park has been established at the former site of the fort.
* Fort Gratiot Light. The
Fort Gratiot Lighthouse was built in 1829 to replace a tower destroyed by a storm. In the 1860s workers extended the tower to its present height of . The light, automated in 1933, continues to guide shipping on Lake Huron into the narrow and swift-flowing St. Clair River. It was the first lighthouse established in the State of Michigan.
*
Lightship ''Huron''. From 1935 until 1970, the ''Huron'' was stationed in southern Lake Huron to mark dangerous shoals. After 1940 the ''Huron'' was the only lightship operating on the Great Lakes. Retired from
Coast Guard Service in 1970, she was presented to the City of Port Huron in 1971.
* Grand Trunk Railway Depot. The depot, which is now part of the Port Huron Museum, is where 12-year-old
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison (February11, 1847October18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventions, ...
departed daily on the Port Huron–Detroit run. In 1859, the railroad's first year of operation, Edison convinced the railroad company to let him sell newspapers and confections on the daily trips. He became so successful that he soon placed two newsboys on other Grand Trunks running to Detroit. He made enough money to support himself and to buy chemicals and other experimental materials.
* Port Huron Public Library. In 1902 the city of Port Huron secured money from philanthropist
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie ( , ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the History of the iron and steel industry in the United States, American steel industry in the late ...
to erect a municipal library and arranged for matching operating funds. In 1904, a grand Beaux-Arts-style structure was built at a cost of $45,000. At its dedication,
Melvil Dewey, creator of a widely used book classification system, delivered the opening address. The Port Huron Public Library served in its original capacity for over sixty years. In 1967, a larger public library was constructed. The following year the former library was renovated and re-opened as the Port Huron Museum of Arts and History. An addition was constructed in 1988.
* Harrington Hotel. The hotel opened in 1896 and is a blend of Romanesque, Classical and Queen Anne architecture. The hotel closed in 1986, but a group of investors bought the structure that same year to convert it into housing for senior citizens. The Harrington Hotel is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
.
*
Grand Trunk Western Railroad Tunnel. The tunnel was opened in 1891 and links Port Huron with Canada. This international submarine railway tunnel was the first international tunnel in the world. The tunnel's total length is , with underwater. The tunnel operations were electrified in 1908; half a century later they were converted to use diesel fuel. Tracks were lowered in 1949 to accommodate larger freight cars. During
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, a plot to blast the tunnel was foiled. A new tunnel has since been opened.
The city was hit by a violent
F4 tornado on
May 21, 1953, damaging or destroying over 400 structures, killing two, and injuring 68.
The city received the
All-America City Award in 1955 and 2005.
In June 1962, the
Port Huron Statement, a
New Left
The New Left was a broad political movement that emerged from the counterculture of the 1960s and continued through the 1970s. It consisted of activists in the Western world who, in reaction to the era's liberal establishment, campaigned for freer ...
manifesto, was adopted at a convention of the
Students for a Democratic Society. The convention did not take place within the actual city limits of Port Huron, but instead was held at a
United Auto Workers retreat north of the city (now part of
Lakeport State Park). A historical marker will be erected on the site in 2025.
Port Huron is the only site in Michigan where a
lynching of an African-American man took place. On May 27, 1889, in the early morning, a mob of white men stormed the county jail to capture 23-year-old Albert Martin. A mixed-race man, he was accused of attacking a woman. They hanged him from the 7th Street Bridge. A memorial was installed in 2018 at the site, recounting Martin's history. The city collaborated with the
Equal Justice Initiative on this memorialization.
On November 11, 2017,
veteran
A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in an job, occupation or Craft, field.
A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in the military, armed forces.
A topic o ...
s from around the country, such as Dave Norris, Clitus Schuyler, and Lou Ann Dubuque, joined together at a cemetery in Port Huron to share the significance of
Veterans Day.
In April 2023, the
Pere Marquette Railway
The Pere Marquette Railway was a railroad that operated in the Great Lakes (North America), Great Lakes region of the United States and southern parts of Ontario in Canada. It had trackage in the states of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and the Canadi ...
bascule bridge was demolished after a nearly decade long battle between preservationists and the Port Huron Yacht Club. Built in 1931, the structure was eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, and was one of only six similar bridges remaining in the US.
Historic photographs
File:PortHuron1902.jpg, Port Huron circa 1902
File:Huron Avenue, Port Huron, MI.jpg, Huron Avenue in 1912
File:St Clair River Tunnel - Port Huron Michigan.jpg, St. Clair Tunnel in 1907
File:Fort Gratiot Lighthouse postcard - Port Huron Michigan.jpg, Gratiot Lighthouse in 1902
File:Fort Gratiot Lighthouse (2).jpg, Fort Gratiot Lighthouse
File:Port_Huron_PM_Bridge.jpg, The Pere Marquette Railway bridge as seen in 2021, it was demolished in 2023.
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 city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.
The city is considered to be part of
the Thumb
The Thumb is a region and a peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan, so named because the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, Lower Peninsula is shaped like a mitten. The Thumb area is generally considered to be in the Central Michigan region, east of t ...
area of
East-Central Michigan, also called the
Blue Water Area. The easternmost point (on land) of Michigan can be found in Port Huron, near the site of the Municipal Office Center and the wastewater treatment plant. The
Black River divides the city in half, snaking through Port Huron and emptying into the St. Clair River near Downtown.
Climate
Port Huron 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 ...
(
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 ...
''Dfa'') with hot summers, cold winters and rain or snow in all months of the year.
Demographics
Port Huron is the largest city in
the Thumb
The Thumb is a region and a peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan, so named because the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, Lower Peninsula is shaped like a mitten. The Thumb area is generally considered to be in the Central Michigan region, east of t ...
area, and is a center of industry and trade for the region.
2010 census
As of the census
of 2010, there were 30,184 people, 12,177 households, and 7,311 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 13,871 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 84.0%
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 ...
, 9.1%
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 ...
, 0.7%
Native American, 0.6%
Asian, 1.2% from
other races, and 4.5% 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 residents of any race were 5.4% of the population.
There were 12,177 households, of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.5% were married couples living together, 19.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.0% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.03.
The median age in the city was 35.8 years. 25.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.3% were from 25 to 44; 25.2% were from 45 to 64; and 13.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.8% male and 52.2% female.
Culture
* The
Port Huron Museum is a series of four museums, namely:
**
Carnegie Center (Port Huron Museum)
**
Huron Lightship
**
Thomas Edison Depot Museum
**
Fort Gratiot Lighthouse
* The Great Lakes Maritime Center offers opportunities to learn about the history of the Great Lakes. Freighters pass within of the glass windows, and there is an underwater live camera feed.
* The Desmond District Demons is a horror film festival, held at the end of October annually. The festival focuses on elevating the horror genre, hosting independent film screenings alongside a Dark Arts Exhibition showcasing local artists.
* The Black River Film Society is a community focused on cultivating the areas independent film screenings and host regular film related events, such as premiering
Stockholm (2018 film) in Michigan, Tough Guy: The Bob Probert Story and Sincerely Brenda.
* The School for Strings presents over 50 concerts each year with its Fiddle Club, Faculty, and Student Ensembles. It provides music education across the area.
* Each year, the
Port Huron to Mackinac Boat Race is held, with a starting point in Port Huron north of the
Blue Water Bridge. The race finishes at
Mackinac Island, crossing Lake Huron. It is considered by some boaters to be a companion to the longer
Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac.
* The
Port Huron Civic Theatre began in 1956 by a group of theater lovers. Since 1983, it has used
McMorran Place for its productions.
* The Blue Water Film Festival (2010–2014) was held in the fall, which had notables such as
Chris Gore,
Sid Haig,
Curtis Armstrong,
Timothy Busfield,
Loni Love,
Dave Coulier.
* The main branch of the St. Clair County Library is located in downtown Port Huron. The library contains more than 285,300 books, nearly 200 magazine subscriptions, and over 22,700 books on tape, books on compact disc, music compact discs, cassettes, and videos.
* The International Symphony Orchestra of
Sarnia
Sarnia is a city in Lambton County, Ontario, Canada. It had a Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population of 72,047, and is the largest city on Lake Huron. Sarnia is located on the eastern bank of the junction between the Upper and Lower Great Lakes, ...
, Ontario and Port Huron, Michigan perform events at McMorran Place, Port Huron Northern Theatre and Temple Baptist Church in Sarnia.
* Encompassing over 100 homes and buildings, the Olde Town Historic District is Port Huron's first and only residential historic district. The Olde Town Historic Neighborhood Association is an organization working to preserve historic architecture in Port Huron. They have hosted an annual historic home tour, flower plantings and beautification and neighborhood Christmas decorations.
* The Welkin Base Ball Club is Port Huron's historic
vintage base ball team. Modeled on Port Huron's first baseball club from 1867, the Welkin Base Ball Club re-creates the time of baseball's roots.
Pop culture
A reference to the
Port Huron Statement was made in the Coen Brothers film ''
The Big Lebowski''.
In 2009, the TV show ''
Criminal Minds'' used Port Huron, and Detroit as locations for an episode involving crossing the border into
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
.
Sports
Port Huron has had a strong tradition of minor league hockey for many years.
The
Port Huron Flags played in the original
International Hockey League from 1962 to 1981, winning three
Turner Cup championships in 1966, 1971 and 1972. Its leading career scorers were
Ken Gribbons, who played most of his career in the IHL;
Bob McCammon, a lifelong IHLer who went on to be a
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
coach with the
Philadelphia Flyers and the
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...
;
Bill LeCaine and
Larry Gould, who played a handful of NHL games with the
Pittsburgh Penguins and the
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...
, respectively.
Legendary
NHL hockey broadcaster
Mike Emrick started his career doing
play-by-play hockey for the Flags on AM 1450
WHLS in the mid 1970s. Emrick would go on to broadcast Olympic hockey games and Stanley Cup playoffs for
NBC Sports
NBC Sports is an American programming division for NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, that is responsible for sports broadcasts on their broadcast network NBC, the Cable television, cable channels NBC owns, and on Peacock (streaming service) ...
, and is a frequent guest contributor to sister station
WPHM.
Port Huron was also represented in the
Colonial Hockey League (also operating under the names United Hockey League and International Hockey League), with franchises from 1996 until the league folded in 2010. Originally called the
Border Cats, the team was renamed the Beacons in 2002, the Flags in 2005 and the Icehawks in 2007. Among the more notable players were
Bob McKillop,
Jason Firth, Tab Lardner and
Brent Gretzky.
The
Port Huron Fighting Falcons of the junior
North American Hockey League played at McMorran Place, beginning in 2010 until 2013. The team moved to Connellsville, PA for the 2014 season. The team's name was changed to the
Keystone Ice Miners.
Port Huron is also home to the
Port Huron Prowlers of the
Federal Prospects Hockey League.
The
Port Huron Pirates indoor football team dominated the
Great Lakes Indoor Football League up until their departure to
Flint, MI.
McMorran Arena once again hosted indoor football with the
Port Huron Predators of the
Continental Indoor Football League in 2011. The Predators failed to finish the
2011 season, and were replaced in
2012 by the
Port Huron Patriots who also participated in the CIFL.
Parks
The City of Port Huron owns and operates 17 waterfront areas containing and of water frontage. This includes three public beaches and six parks with picnic facilities. The city also has nine scenic turnout sites containing over 250 parking spaces. Port Huron operates the largest municipal marina system in the state and has five separate locations for boat mooring.
The city has 14 public parks, 4 smaller-sized “tot” parks, 19 playgrounds (City owned), 9 playgrounds (School owned), 33 tennis courts, including 16 at schools and 6 indoors, 3 public beaches, 4 public swimming pools, 1 community center, and 1 public parkway.
Government
The city government is organized under a
council–manager government form. The City Council is responsible for appointing a city manager, who is the chief administrative officer of the city. The manager supervises the administrative affairs of the city and carries out the policies established by the City Council. As the Chief Administrative Officer, the City Manager is responsible for the organization of the administrative branch and has the power to appoint and remove administrative officers who are responsible for the operation of departments which carry out specific functions. The City Council consists of seven elected officials—a mayor and six council members. Beginning with the 2011 election, citizens voted separately for Mayor and Council. Council members will serve staggered four-year terms and the mayor will serve a two-year term. The city levies an income tax of 1 percent on residents and 0.5 percent on nonresidents.
The current mayor is Anita Ashford, who was elected in November 2024 to her first two year term after defeating eight term incumbent Pauline Repp.
Port Huron lies in the
64th State House District and is represented by Republican
Joseph G. Pavlov. In the State Senate, Port Huron is represented by
Dan Lauwers in the
25th State Senate District.
Federally, Port Huron is part of
Michigan's 9th Congressional District, represented by Republican
Lisa McClain, elected in 2022.
Backyard Chickens in Port Huron
In early 2025, residents of Port Huron, Michigan, initiated efforts to legalize the keeping of backyard chickens within city limits. Advocates highlighted concerns about food insecurity, noting that approximately one in twelve families in Port Huron struggle with access to nutritious food. They argued that allowing residents to raise chickens could provide a sustainable source of protein and foster community resilience through the sharing of surplus eggs.
On March 10, 2025, the Port Huron City Council discussed a proposal to amend local ordinances to permit residents to keep up to five hens on properties of at least a quarter-acre. Advocates emphasized benefits such as enhanced sustainability, reduced reliance on external food supply chains, and alignment with practices in other Michigan cities like Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor. The proposal included stipulations to address concerns about noise and animal welfare, such as prohibiting roosters and collaborating with the St. Clair County Humane Society to manage complaints.
The ordinance amendment was formally introduced on April 14, 2025, with the City Council voting 6–1 in favor. The proposed regulations specify that hens must be confined in a backyard coop with at least one square foot per bird, accompanied by an enclosed run no larger than eight by eight feet. Coops must be situated at least ten feet from property lines and twenty feet from neighboring residences. The ordinance also mandates daily feeding and watering, regular cleaning to prevent vermin and insect infestations, and prohibits keeping hens inside residences, porches, or attached garages.
These developments in Port Huron reflect a broader trend in Michigan toward supporting urban agriculture and self-sufficiency. State Representative Jim DeSana reintroduced legislation in February 2025 aimed at easing zoning restrictions for backyard chickens, proposing that residents with at least a quarter-acre of residential property be allowed to keep up to five hens per quarter-acre, with a maximum of twenty-five hens. The legislation seeks to bolster food security and reduce grocery expenses for families.
Education
;High schools
*
Port Huron Northern High School
*
Port Huron High School
* Harrison Center
;Colleges
*
St. Clair County Community College
Economy
Industry
Some of Port Huron's earliest industries were related to the agriculture industry. A large grain elevator was located on the St. Clair River just north of the current Municipal Office Center. A bean dock was located on the St. Clair River, where dry edible beans from points north in the Thumb were loaded into ships. The dock operated as the Port Huron Terminal Company. Currently the bean dock is used as an event venue. Port Huron was also a national leader in the
chicory coffee substitute industry. Future Congressman
Henry McMorran in 1902 started Port Huron's chicory processing plant, located on the Black River near 12th Avenue. A second chicory plant operated at 3rd and Court Streets in Port Huron, which would later be purchased by McMorran's son. The roadside weed which grew in areas of the Thumb and Saginaw Valleys was brought to Port Huron for processing and then shipped worldwide. Chicory was commonly used as a coffee substitute especially in wartime.
Wartime also brought another industry to Port Huron: the Mueller Metals Company, which built a factory in Port Huron in 1917. The plant primarily made
shell casings for World War I. The factory was originally owned by the
Mueller Co., and since has been spun off into its own entity called Mueller Industries. The Port Huron Factory is still in operation, located on Lapeer Road on the city's west side, where they produce a variety of valves and fittings.
The Peerless Cement Company operated a cement plant just south of the Blue Water Bridge from the 1920s through the 1970s. The waterfront site is now the location of the Edison Inn and
Blue Water Convention Center.
There are two paper mills in Port Huron. Dunn Paper operates a specialty paper mill at the mouth of the St. Clair River just north of the Blue Water Bridge.
Domtar also operates a paper mill in Port Huron, located on the Black River. It was originally built in 1888 by the
E. B. Eddy Company. The Domtar mill also specializes in specialty papers for the medical and food service industries. Adjacent to the Domtar Mill is the site of the former Acheson Colloids Company. Dr. Edward Acheson in 1908 founded the company, which made a variety of chemical and carbon-based products. The factory was purchased by
Henkel and closed in 2010. However, Henkel continues to manufacture ink and carbon products under the Acheson brand.
Port Huron's Domtar Mill closed in 2021, followed by the Dunn Paper Mill in 2022. It was announced in 2025 that the former Domtar Mill would restart production on one if its paper machines under the ownership of Legacy Paper Group.
A variety of factories related to the
automotive industry
The automotive industry comprises a wide range of company, companies and organizations involved in the design, Business development, development, manufacturing, marketing, selling, Maintenance, repairing, and Custom car, modification of motor ve ...
occupy Port Huron's Industrial Park on the city's south side. Many of these produce plastic components for vehicles.
Shipbuilding
Jenks Shipbuilding Company was founded in 1889, renamed in 1903 as ''Port Huron Shipbuilding'' and ceased operations sometime after 1908. The shipyard was found on the north bank of the Black River between Erie Street and Quay Street which is now a parking area for Bowl O Drome and Port Huron Kayak Launch.
Ships built by Jenks includes:
*
SS Henry Steinbrenner - 1901 bulk freighter, lost in a storm on Lake Superior
*
SS John B. Cowle - 1902 bulk freighter
*
MS Normac - 1902 former fireboat and floating restaurant
*
SS Eastland - 1902 passenger vessel, capsized in Chicago, worst maritime disaster on the Great Lakes.
Healthcare
Port Huron is served by two acute care facilities,
McLaren Port Huron (formerly known as Port Huron Hospital), and Lake Huron Medical Center (formerly known as St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Port Huron).
McLaren Health Care Corporation
McLaren Health Care Corporation, is headquartered in Grand Blanc, Michigan, includes 12 hospitals in Michigan, ambulatory surgery centers, imaging centers, a 490-member employed primary and specialty care physician network, commercial and Medic ...
, a nonprofit
managed care health care organization based in
Flint, purchased the former Port Huron Hospital and began operating the 186-bed facility as Mclaren Port Huron in May 2014.
Lake Huron Medical Center, is a 144-bed facility operated by
Ontario, California based
Prime Healthcare Services. The for-profit company purchased the former St. Joseph Mercy Port Huron hospital in September 2015 from
Trinity Healthcare. Upon completion of the sale, the formerly non-profit Catholic institution converted to a for-profit entity.
Finance
CF Bancorp, a
bank holding company for Citizens Federal Bank, was based in Port Huron. It was closed by regulators in April 2010 after it suffered from
bank failure in the aftermath of the
2008 financial crisis
The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the global financial crisis (GFC), was a major worldwide financial crisis centered in the United States. The causes of the 2008 crisis included excessive speculation on housing values by both homeowners ...
.
There are currently four banks with a total of seven branches in the city containing $563 million in deposits, which are, in order of local deposit
market share
Market share is the percentage of the total revenue or sales in a Market (economics), market that a company's business makes up. For example, if there are 50,000 units sold per year in a given industry, a company whose sales were 5,000 of those ...
:
JPMorgan Chase (2 branches),
Huntington Bancshares (3 branches), Eastern Michigan Bank (1 branch), and Northstar Bank (1 branch).
Media
Radio
The first station to sign on in Port Huron was WAFD, which stood for ''We Are Ford Dealers''. The station was owned by the Albert B. Parfet Company, a local
Ford car dealership. WAFD signed on March 4, 1925, and signed off in 1926, with plans to relocate the station to Detroit.
WHLS, coinciding with the opening of the Blue Water Bridge, signed on in 1938. It was founded by Harold Leroy Stevens and
Fred Knorr. John Wismer became part owner of the station in 1952. He would later launch the first cable television system in Port Huron and
WSAQ in 1983. Wismer died in 1999. WHLS remains the longest continually operated station in the region.
The Times Herald launched its own radio station in 1947 known as WTTH. That station would later become
WPHM, and was bought by Lee Hanson in 1986. WPHM got FM sister station
WBTI in 1992. Wismer and Hanson were direct competitors until they were both bought by Bob Liggett's
Radio First in 2000.
Radio First owns and operates five radio stations in the region while Port Huron Family Radio is the licensee of sole station
WGRT. Non-commercial stations include
WRSX (an affiliate of
Michigan Public and
NPR), high school station
WORW, and religious broadcasters
WNFA and
WNFR.
Local FM
*
WNFA 88.3 FM, Port Huron, Religious, ''Blue Water Christian Hit Radio''
*
WNFR 90.7 FM, Port Huron, Religious, ''Wonderful News Radio''
*
WRSX 91.3 FM, Port Huron, "
Michigan Public" (news/talk), ''Port Huron's NPR News Station''
*
WORW 91.9 FM, Port Huron, Educational, ''The Wave''
*
WBGV 92.5 FM, Marlette, Country, ''The Thumb's Best Country''
* W224DT 92.7 FM, Marine City,
AAA/
Americana, "92.7 The Hills" (relay of
WHLX)
*
WBTI 96.9 FM, Lexington, CHR/Top 40, ''Today's Hit Music''
*
WTGV 97.7 FM, Sandusky, Adult Contemporary, ''Light & Easy Listening''
*
WGRT 102.3 FM, Port Huron, Adult Contemporary, ''Your Great Music Station''
*
W288BT 105.5 FM, St. Clair (relays
WHLS AM), Active Rock, ''Port Huron's Alternative''
*
WSAQ 107.1 FM, Port Huron, Country, ''Q-Country, The Greatest Country Music of All Time''
Local AM
*
WMIC 660 AM, Sandusky (Daytime Only), Full Service/Country, ''The Thumb's Information Station''
*
WHLS 1450 AM, Port Huron, Active Rock, ''Port Huron's Alternative''
*
WPHM 1380 AM, Port Huron, News/Talk/Sports, ''Where the Blue Water Area Comes to Talk''
*
WHLX 1590 AM, Marine City,
AAA/
Americana, "92.7 The Hills"
* WPLS727 1610 AM, Port Huron,
Travelers' information station -
Blue Water Bridge
Newspaper
* ''
The Times Herald'', a daily local newspaper serving
St Clair County and
Sanilac counties. It is owned by
Gannett
Gannett Co., Inc. ( ) is an American mass media holding company headquartered in New York City. It is the largest U.S. newspaper publisher as measured by total daily circulation.
It owns the national newspaper ''USA Today'', as well as several ...
, which also owns the
Detroit Free Press and
USA Today
''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
.
* Daily editions of the ''
Detroit Free Press'' and ''
The Detroit News'' are also available throughout the area.
Broadcast television
St. Clair County lies in the
Detroit television market. Channels available on
Comcast are as follows:
Detroit Area
*
WJBK 2 (
Fox)
*
WDIV-TV 4 (
NBC)
*
WXYZ-TV 7 (
ABC)
*
WMYD 20 (
Independent)
*
WPXD 31 (
Ion)
*
WADL 38 (
MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV (stylized as mynetworkTV; unofficially abbreviated MNT or MNTV) is an American commercial broadcast television syndication service and former television network owned by Fox Corporation, operated by its Fox Television Stations ...
)
*
WKBD 50 (
The CW
The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...
)
*
WTVS 56 (
PBS)
*
WWJ-TV 62 (
CBS)
Southwestern Ontario
*
CBET-DT (9.1
CBC)
*
CIII-DT-29 (29.1
Global
Global may refer to:
General
*Globe, a spherical model of celestial bodies
*Earth, the third planet from the Sun
Entertainment
* ''Global'' (Paul van Dyk album), 2003
* ''Global'' (Bunji Garlin album), 2007
* ''Global'' (Humanoid album), 198 ...
)
St. Clair County also receives the following stations from the Sarnia /
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
area, but are currently not carried on cable:
*
CKCO-TV-3 42 (
CTV)
*
CFPL-DT (10.1
CTV Two)
*
CHCH-DT-2 (51.1
Independent)
*
CICO-DT-59 (33.1
TVOntario
TVO (stylized in all lowercase as tvo), formerly known as TVOntario, is a Canadian Public broadcasting, publicly funded English-language educational television network and media organization serving the Canadian province of Ontario. It operates ...
)
Transportation
Major highways
Two Interstates terminate at the Port Huron-to-Sarnia Blue Water Bridge, and they meet
Highway 402.
* enters the area from the west, coming from Lansing and Flint, terminating at the approach to the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron, along with I-94. On the Canadian side of the border, in
Sarnia
Sarnia is a city in Lambton County, Ontario, Canada. It had a Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population of 72,047, and is the largest city on Lake Huron. Sarnia is located on the eastern bank of the junction between the Upper and Lower Great Lakes, ...
, Ontario, the route heads easterly designated as Highway 402. (Once fully completed, the mainline of I-69 will span from the
U.S.–Mexico border in
Brownsville, Texas, to the
U.S.–Canada border in Port Huron, Michigan.)
* enters the Port Huron area from the southwest, having traversed the entire Metro Detroit region, and, along with I-69, terminates at the approach to the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron. On the Canadian side of the border, in Sarnia, Ontario, the route heads easterly designated as Highway 402.
*
*
* follows the Lake Huron/Saginaw Bay shoreline, beginning in
Bay City and ending in at junction with I-94/I-69, and BL I-94/BL I-69 on the north side of the city.
* begins at BL I-94 in Marysville just south of the city and continues southerly.
* runs west from M-25 to M-19.
Mass transit
The
Blue Water Area Transit system, created in 1976, includes eight routes in the Port Huron area. Blue Water Transit operates the Blue Water Trolley, which provides a one-hour tour of various local points of interest. Recently, Blue Water Area Transit received a grant from the state to buy new buses for a route between the Port Huron hub and
New Baltimore about south. Commuters could take an express bus traveling down I-94 and get off at the 23 Mile Road
SMART Bus stop. At the same time, another bus will travel down
M-25 and
M-29 and pick up commuters in
Marysville,
Saint Clair and
Algonac before ending up at the same stop on 23 Mile Road. This new system will help people in
St. Clair County travel through
Metro Detroit.
Rail
*
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
provides intercity passenger rail service on the ''
Blue Water'' route from Chicago to
Port Huron (Amtrak station).
* Two class one freight railroads operate in Port Huron –
Canadian National Railway (CN) and
CSX Transportation (CSXT) with international connections via the
St. Clair Tunnel.
*
Via Rail train service from
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
to
Sarnia
Sarnia is a city in Lambton County, Ontario, Canada. It had a Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population of 72,047, and is the largest city on Lake Huron. Sarnia is located on the eastern bank of the junction between the Upper and Lower Great Lakes, ...
(part of the
Quebec City–Windsor Corridor) is also available; however, this train does not cross the river, requiring passengers to make arrangements for road travel to Port Huron.
Airports
St. Clair County International Airport is a public airport located five miles (8 km) southwest of the central business district.
Notable people
*
Edward Goodrich Acheson (1856–1931), inventor of
carborundum
*
Emma Eliza Bower (1852–1937) physician, club-woman, and newspaper owner, publisher, editor
*
Burt D. Cady, politician
*
Jack Campbell, hockey player
*
Ezra C. Carleton, mayor and congressman
*
Robert Hardy Cleland, judge
*
Omar D. Conger, senator for Michigan
*
Deepchord, electronic music producer
*
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison (February11, 1847October18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventions, ...
(1847–1931), inventor and entrepreneur, moved to Port Huron in 1854
*
Elizabeth Farrand, author and librarian
*
Shawn Faulkner, football player
*
Eugene Fechet, army officer
*
Otto Fetting, religious leader
*
Obadiah Gardner, senator for
Maine
Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...
*
Jim Gosger, baseball player
*
Dorothy Henry, illustrator, cartoonist, painter
*
Bill Hogg, baseball pitcher
*
Herbert W. Kalmbach, attorney for
President Richard Nixon
*
Fred Lamlein, baseball player
*
Michael Mallory, author
*
Steve Mazur, guitarist
*
William McColl, clarinetist
*
Robert J. McIntosh, politician and pilot
*
Terry McMillan, author
*
Henry McMorran, businessman and congressman
*
Marko Mitchell, football wide receiver
*
Colleen Moore, silent movie era actress
*
John Morrow, football center
*
Jason Motte, baseball pitcher
*
Robert C. Odle, Jr., lawyer
*
Clifford Patrick O'Sullivan, judge
*
Dick Van Raaphorst, football placekicker
*
Kevin Rivers, tech businessman and songwriter
*
Mary Alma Ryan, Catholic nun and superior of the school that became
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College.
*
Frank Secory, baseball player and umpire
*
Frederick C. Sherman, admiral
*
Annah May Soule (1859–1905), professor at
Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States. It is the oldest member of the h ...
*
Nina Spalding Stevens (1876–1959), museum director
*
Sara Stokes, singer
*
Dennis Sullivan, mathematician
*
John Swainson, (1925–1994),
Governor of Michigan and a Justice of the
Michigan Supreme Court
*
Stephan Thernstrom, professor and author
*
Harold Sines Vance, businessman and government official
*
Kris Vernarsky, hockey player
*
Felix Watts, inventor
*
Harry Wismer, broadcaster and sports team owner
*
James Kamsickas, businessman
See also
*
Port Huron Statement
*
Shipwrecks of the 1913 Great Lakes storm
*
Blue Water River Walk
*
That Certain Feeling
References
External links
City of Port Huron
Surrounding communities
{{Authority control
1857 establishments in Michigan
Cities in St. Clair County, Michigan
County seats in Michigan
Michigan populated places on the St. Clair River
Populated places established in 1857
Populated places on Lake Huron in the United States
St. Clair River