Saugatuck ( ) is a city in Allegan County 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 865 at the 2020 census. The city is within Saugatuck Township, but is administratively autonomous. Originally a lumber town and port, Saugatuck, along with the adjacent city of Douglas, became a noted art colony and tourist destination in the

Arts and Crafts movement The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and America. Initiat ...

of the late 19th century. In the early 20th century, Saugatuck was home to the famous Big Pavilion, a large dance hall that attracted bands and visitors from across the Midwest. The building was a popular destination on

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

from its construction in 1909 until it burned down on May 6, 1960. Today, tourists are drawn to the art galleries, harbor, marinas, scenery, unusual stores, the view from atop Mount Baldhead, and tourist attractions as well as Oval Beach on Lake Michigan, which enjoys a worldwide reputation. Nearby are

Saugatuck Dunes State Park Saugatuck Dunes State Park is a public recreation area covering on the shore of Lake Michigan between Saugatuck, Michigan, Saugatuck and Holland, Michigan, Holland in Allegan County, Michigan, Allegan County, Michigan. History The site was onc ...

and Allegan State Game Area as is the city of

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 ...

. Saugatuck is known as a popular vacation destination for the LGBT+ community with similar cultural attributes as Fire Island Pines and

Provincetown, Massachusetts Provincetown () is a New England town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, in the United States. A small coastal resort town with a year-round population of 3,664 as of the 2020 United States census, Provi ...

History

William C. Butler was the first European-American settler in 1830 of "Kalamazoo village", as it was at first known. He bought land and had a village plat laid out in 1833. In 1836 the legislature gave

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 ...

, formerly known as Bronson in honor of Titus Bronson, its current name. The origin of the name is identical to that of the Saugatuck River in Connecticut but the source does not mention Connecticut. Thus the community was renamed after the township current name, Newark. The first postmaster suggested the name of Saugatuck, a native American name signifying a stream outlet, for the post office, and this name was taken when Saugatuck was incorporated as a village in 1868 by the County Board of Supervisors. The village was reincorporated by the legislature in its 1869-1870 session. Its charter was amended in 1893. In 1895, the village came under the village general law for its government. The Saugatuck and Ganges Phone Company was formed for the village in 1893–1894. In 1968, a hundred years after incorporation as a village, Saugatuck might have looked into incorporating as a city, but it appears incorporation actually happened in 1984, according to historical information on the Saugatuck city website.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Tourism

Saugatuck's primary source of revenue stems from tourism: although only about 1,000 individuals call Saugatuck their year-round home, the population of the town swells to nearly 3,000 in the summer. Saugatuck is a prime summer weekend getaway destination for residents of

Chicago 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 ...

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 ...

, and

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

areas, some attracted by the many

bed and breakfast A bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. In addition, a B&B sometimes has the hosts living in the house. ''Bed and breakfast'' is also used to ...

s in the area. In 2010, Saugatuck came in fourth in '' Budget Travel'' magazine's ten coolest towns in America. In town, attractions include the many art galleries (over a dozen), small, independent shops, and several restaurants. The Star of Saugatuck, a large paddle-wheel boat, gives daily tours of the

Kalamazoo River The Kalamazoo River is a river in the U.S. state of Michigan. The river is long from the junction of its North and South branches to its mouth at Lake Michigan, with a total length extending to when one includes the South Branch.U.S. Geologic ...

and Lake Michigan. The

Saugatuck Chain Ferry The Saugatuck Chain Ferry is a cable ferry, hand-cranked chain ferry that crosses the Kalamazoo River in Saugatuck, Michigan. It connects downtown Saugatuck to Mount Baldhead, Mount Baldhead Park and Oval Beach. It is the only operational hand-c ...

, a hand-cranked vessel, departs from Wick's Park and takes tourists from the town side of the river to the other shore for a walk to the beach, the historical museum or to climb the stairs at Mt. Baldhead. In addition to the art and music festivals throughout the year, the Saugatuck Center for the Arts features equity theater, music concerts, art exhibits, educational events, a green market, and is available for event rental. Other attractions include the nearby town of Douglas, Saugatuck's sister city. Saugatuck's historic churches contribute to a vibrant community while preserving some of the oldest buildings in town. The oldest of these churches i
First Congregational Church
founded in 1860. Douglas was home to the '' SS Keewatin'', a coal-fired steamship formerly of the Canadian Pacific Railway. The 105-year-old ship was a floating museum and a fixture in the harbor until it was recently purchased and moved back to Canada. Since the 1970s, Saugatuck and neighboring Douglas have been popular as a tourist destination for gay and lesbian tourists from the

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

, and

areas, as well as other Midwestern urban areas. It has even been nicknamed by some as the

Fire Island Fire Island is the large center island of the outer barrier islands parallel to the South Shore of Long Island in the U.S. state of New York. In 2012, Hurricane Sandy once again divided Fire Island into two islands. Together, these two isl ...

or Provincetown of the Midwest.

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 925 people, 513 households, and 243 families residing 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 942 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.6%

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 ...

, 0.6%

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 ...

, 0.6% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.9% 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 3.8% of the population. There were 513 households, of which 14.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.0% 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, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 52.6% were non-families. 43.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.80 and the average family size was 2.43. The median age in the city was 53.3 years. 12.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 3.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18% were from 25 to 44; 44.2% were from 45 to 64; and 21.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.5% male and 49.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,065 people, 549 households, and 265 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 928 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.21%

, 1.60%

, 0.38% Native American, 0.94% Asian, 0.09%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.41% from other races, and 0.38% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 4.32% of the population. There were 549 households, out of which 18.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.5% were

living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 51.7% were non-families. 41.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.93 and the average family size was 2.62. In the city, the population was spread out, with 16.8% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 32.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $44,317, and the median income for a family was $64,582. Males had a median income of $46,160 versus $26,485 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 $34,382. About 6.7% of families and 11.5% 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 19.1% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Albert Henry Krehbiel, most decorated American painter ever at the French Academy * Aubrey McClendon, businessman * Blake Dunn, professional baseball outfielder * Bob Topp, American football player. *

Burr Tillstrom Franklin Burr Tillstrom (October 13, 1917 – December 6, 1985) was a puppeteer and the creator of ''Kukla, Fran and Ollie''. Early life Tillstrom was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Bert and Alice Burr Tillstrom. He attended Senn High School in ...

, puppeteer and the creator of Kukla, Fran and Ollie. * Butch Jones, American football coach * Dorothy Meredith, artist and educator * Dorr Felt, inventor and industrialist * Dulah Marie Evans, painter, photographer, printmaker, illustrator, and etcher. * Florence Resnikoff, artist and educator * Francis B. Stockbridge, U.S. Senator in the state of Michigan. * Frederick F. Fursman, impressionist painter and educator * Howard Wolpe, politician who served as a seven-term U.S. Representative from Michigan * Jacob Falconer, congressman * Jacqueline Carey, writer, primarily of fantasy fiction. * James F. Boyce, chemist * LaKela Brown, artist working in sculpture and plaster relief * Mabel Hewit, woodblock print artist * Matt Vanderbeek, former professional football player * Max Kahn, Litvak lithographer, painter and sculptor *

Michael Gallagher (journalist) Michael Gallagher (born c. 1958) is an American newspaper editor. Gallagher was formerly an Investigative journalism, investigative journalist for Gannett, Gannett News Service until he was convicted of voicemail hacking in an investigation into C ...

, newspaper editor * Otis Wells Johnson, manufacturer, banker, and Republican politician. *

Pope Leo XIV Pope Leo XIV (born Robert Francis Prevost, September 14, 1955) has been head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State since May 2025. He is the first pope to have been born in the United States and North America, the fir ...

, attended nearby St. Augustine Seminary High School * Rachel Reenstra, comedian, actress, and wildlife conservationist * Ray Johnson, artist *

Sandra Bartky Sandra Lee Bartky (née Schwartz; May 5, 1935 – October 17, 2016) was a professor of philosophy and gender studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her main research areas were feminism and phenomenology. Her notable contributions to ...

, professor of philosophy and gender studies * Scott Baker (racing driver), professional stock car racing driver

References

External links

Saugatuck/Douglas Convention and Visitors Bureau official websiteSaugatuck City
{{authority control * 1830 establishments in Michigan Territory Cities in Allegan County, Michigan Gay villages in the United States Michigan populated places on Lake Michigan Populated places established in 1830