Port Sanilac is a village in Sanilac Township,

Sanilac County Sanilac County ( ) is a county located in the Thumb region of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 40,611. The county seat is Sandusky. The county was created on September 10, 1822, and was fully organized on ...

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, ...

. The population was 567 at the 2020 census.

History

This village was originally a

lumberjack Lumberjack is a mostly North American term for workers in the logging industry who perform the initial harvesting and transport of trees. The term usually refers to loggers in the era before 1945 in the United States, when trees were felled us ...

settlement on the shore of

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 ...

named "Bark Shanty." In the late 1840s and 1850s, the settlement gained its first

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

, schoolhouse, and general store. In 1854, Bark Shanty's first post office opened. In 1857 the village was renamed to Port Sanilac, as it is in Sanilac Township in Sanilac County. Local legend attributes the name to a

Wyandot Wyandot may refer to: Native American ethnography * Wyandot people, who have been called Wyandotte, Huron, Wendat and Quendat * Wyandot language, an Iroquoian language * Wyandot Nation of Kansas, an unrecognized tribe and nonprofit organization ...

te Indian Chief named Sanilac. See

List of Michigan county name etymologies There are 83 counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. The boundaries of these counties have not changed substantially since 1897. However, throughout the 19th century, the state legislature frequently adjusted county boundaries. County creation w ...

. Local landmarks include the Port Sanilac lighthouse (burning

kerosene Kerosene, or paraffin, is a combustibility, combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in Aviation fuel, aviation as well as households. Its name derives from the Greek (''kērós'') meaning " ...

from its opening in 1886 until its electrification in 1924) and a twenty-room Victorian mansion (now the Sanilac County Museum) built in 1872 by a horse-and-buggy doctor, Dr. Joseph Loop. The Sanilac Shores Underwater Preserve is a designated ship wreck preserve that is very popular with scuba divers. Seal of Port Sanilac

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 land. It is located at . It 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 ...

, which in turn is a subregion of the

Flint/Tri-Cities Central Michigan, also called Mid Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As its name implies, it is the middle area of the Lower Peninsula. Lower Michigan is said to resemble a mitten, and Mid Michigan corres ...

Harbor

Port Sanilac Harbor, Michigan is located on the west shore of Lake Huron, about 30 miles north of Port Huron, Michigan. The project was authorized by the River and Harbor Act of October 27, 1965. The existing project provides for a harbor of refuge protected by breakwater structures extending to 12-foot depth contour in lake; for dredging a harbor basin 10 feet deep; for dredging an entrance channel 12 feet deep; a 70-foot extension of the south breakwater; a 300-foot arm added to the north breakwater; and riprap placed at the lakeward side of the breakwater addition. The harbor services primarily recreational navigation interests.

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 623 people, 290 households, and 175 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 441 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 97.3%

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 ...

, 0.2%

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 ...

, 0.3% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.8% 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 2.2% of the population. There were 290 households, of which 23.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.8% 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, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.7% were non-families. 36.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.66. The median age in the village was 51.1 years. 19.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 3.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.6% were from 25 to 44; 33% were from 45 to 64; and 25.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 45.4% male and 54.6% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 658 people, 319 households, and 176 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 437 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 96.66%

, 0.76% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.61% from other races, and 1.82% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 2.13% of the population. There were 319 households, out of which 20.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% were

living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.8% were non-families. 42.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 26.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.03 and the average family size was 2.77. In the village, the population was spread out, with 19.9% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 20.1% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 28.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 77.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.2 males. The median income for a household in the village was $28,409, and the median income for a family was $38,250. Males had a median income of $30,795 versus $21,875 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 village was $18,153. About 4.8% of families and 7.8% 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 15.3% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

Media

A list of popular radio stations are below... *630 AM

CFCO CFCO (630 kHz) is a news, sports, and country music AM radio station located in Chatham-Kent, Ontario. The station, owned by London, Ontario-based Blackburn Radio, features a heavy local news commitment. CFCO is one of the few dedicated country ...

Country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

*660 AM

WMIC WMIC (660 AM) is a full service radio station licensed to Sandusky, Michigan with a power output of 1,000 watts. WMIC covers Sanilac County, Michigan and The Thumb area of Michigan. The station is owned by Sanilac/GB Broadcasting and broadcasts ...

News News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different Media (communication), media: word of mouth, printing, Mail, postal systems, broadcasting, Telecommunications, electronic communication, or through the te ...

Talk Talk may refer to: Communication * Communication, the encoding and decoding of exchanged messages between people * Conversation, interactive communication between two or more people * Lecture, an oral presentation intended to inform or instruct ...

. *950 AM WWJ

*1380 AM

WPHM WPHM (1380 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station in Port Huron, Michigan. The station broadcasts a News/Talk/Sports radio format. It is owned by Radio First with studios on Huron Avenue in Downtown Port Huron. WPHM is powered at 5,000 watts. ...

*1450 AM

WHLS WHLS (1450 AM) is an alternative rock radio station licensed to Port Huron, Michigan, with a power output of 1,000 watts, covering much of St. Clair County, Michigan. It is the oldest continuously operating radio station serving St. Clair Coun ...

Rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

*92.5 FM

WBGV WBGV (92.5 FM, "Country 92.5") is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to Marlette, Michigan, it first began broadcasting in 1999. It serves the central area of Michigan's Thumb, and parts of the Blue Water Area. It can ...

*95.9 FM CFPL

*96.9 FM

WBTI WBTI is a Hot AC radio station licensed to Lexington, Michigan at 96.9 MHz on the FM dial, with an effective radiated power of 3,000 watts. WBTI covers Sanilac County, Michigan and Lambton County, Ontario as well as portions of Lapeer ...

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...

*97.7 FM

WTGV WTGV-FM (97.7 Hertz, MHz) is a radio station broadcasting a classic hits/oldies format, serving Sandusky, Michigan, Sandusky and the Thumb and Blue Water area of Michigan. WTGV is owned and operated by Sanilac Broadcasting. Programming WTGV feat ...

Easy Listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to the 1970s. It is related to middle of the road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit s ...

Soft Rock Soft rock (also known as light rock or mellow rock) is a form of rock music that originated in the late 1960s in the United States and the United Kingdom which smoothed over the edges of singer-songwriter and pop rock, relying on simple, mel ...

Sports Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The number of participants in ...

*103.7 FM WCZE

*106.3 FM CHKS

*107.1 FM

WSAQ WSAQ (107.1 FM) is a country music radio station licensed to Port Huron, Michigan, with an effective radiated power of 6,000 watts. WSAQ covers St. Clair County, Michigan and Lambton County, Ontario as well as portions of Macomb, Lapeer, and ...

TV Stations * Channel 2

WJBK WJBK (channel 2) is a television station in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Owned and operated by the Fox network through its Fox Television Stations division, the station maintains studios and transmitter facilities on West 9 Mile Road in th ...

Detroit (

Fox News The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...

) * Channel 4

WDIV WDIV-TV (channel 4) is a television station in Detroit, Michigan, United States, affiliated with NBC. It serves as the flagship broadcast property of the Graham Media Group subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company. WDIV-TV maintains studio facilit ...

Detroit (

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

) * Channel 5

WNEM-TV WNEM-TV (channel 5) is a television station licensed to Bay City, Michigan, United States, serving northeastern Michigan as a dual affiliate of CBS and MyNetworkTV. Owned by Gray Media, the station maintains studios on North Franklin Street in ...

Saginaw-Bay City (

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

) * Channel 7

WXYZ-TV WXYZ-TV (channel 7) is a television station in Detroit, Michigan, United States, affiliated with American Broadcasting Company, ABC. It is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company alongside independent station WMYD (channel 20). The two stations shar ...

Detroit (

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

)

Education

Carsonville-Port Sanilac Schools has a combined high school and middle school off M-46 between Port Sanilac and Carsonville. Port Sanilac's last elementary school closed in the early 1980s and the building is now used as the Bark Shanty Community Center. Elementary students are bused to nearby Carsonville.

History

Geography

Harbor

Demographics

2010 census

2000 census

Media

Education

Notes

Further reading

External links