HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Standish 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 ...
of Arenac County, Michigan. The population was 1,458 at the 2020 census.


History

The town was platted by John D. Standish in 1871, who owned all of the land in the vicinity. Before the plat was formally recorded, Standish sold off some of his land in the area. The town was initially named "Granton". John Standish owned the town's first business, a
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 ...
, he later had the town name changed back to Standish. Jackson and Lansing Railroad reached the community in 1871. The first hotel was built in Standish in 1871 and named The Standish House, by a sheriff of Bay County. The hotel went through several owners before it burned down in March 1902. In 1888 the railroad depot was built by local farmers in the area, each bringing their own materials to help with the construction. In 1898 the State Bank of Standish opened, (now Citizens Bank). Standish was incorporated as a village in 1893 with James Austin as its president, and later a city in 1903, with Mr. H. Randall was as its first mayor. In 1907 Standish got its first
automobile A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...
dealership, a
Buick Buick () is a division (business), division of the Automotive industry in the United States, American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American automobil ...
dealership. By 1912 the city got its first commercial electric lighting for homes and businesses, with power being available between 7 A.M. to Midnight. By 1926 the city was receiving 24-hour electricity service supplied by the Northern Power Company. In 1918, the first gravel road between Pinconning and Standish was built, being a loose dirt road beforehand. The same year that prohibition on alcohol took effect, 1920, three illegal
moonshine Moonshine is alcohol proof, high-proof liquor, traditionally made or distributed alcohol law, illegally. The name was derived from a tradition of distilling the alcohol (drug), alcohol at night to avoid detection. In the first decades of the ...
stills were confiscated by the sheriff, and local arrests were made. By 1938 the population of Standish was 913. The city received the deed to Woodmere Cemetery in 1940. On September 22, 1970 the charter of the city of Standish was adopted, making Standish a home-rule city.


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 , all land. Standish is located roughly 5.2 miles from the
Saginaw Bay Saginaw Bay is a bay within Lake Huron located on the eastern side of the U.S. state of Michigan. It forms the space between Michigan's Thumb region and the rest of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Saginaw Bay is in area. It is located in parts ...
.


Climate


Demographics


2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 1,509 people, 619 households, and 353 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 682 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.3%
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 ...
, 0.5%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 1.5% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.6% 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 2.6% of the population. There were 619 households, of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.7% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.0% were non-families. 36.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.96. The median age in the city was 40 years. 23.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.2% were from 25 to 44; 25.7% were from 45 to 64; and 17.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.1% male and 51.9% female.


2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,581 people, 619 households, and 362 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 672 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.52%
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 ...
, 0.25%
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 ...
, 0.63% Native American, 0.89% Asian, 0.82% from other races, and 0.89% 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 2.02% of the population. There were 619 households, out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.4% were married couples living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.4% were non-families. 37.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 3.08. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.2% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $22,212, and the median income for a family was $31,719. Males had a median income of $28,523 versus $20,333 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,608. About 16.4% of families and 19.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.5% of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over.


Economy


Correctional Facility

Standish is home to the state Standish Maximum Correctional Facility, which operated from 1990 through 2009. In late 2009 the facility was briefly considered as a potential United States site for more than 220 prisoners to be relocated from the
Guantanamo Bay detention camp The Guantanamo Bay detention camp, also known as GTMO ( ), GITMO ( ), or simply Guantanamo Bay, is a United States military prison within Naval Station Guantanamo Bay (NSGB), on the coast of Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. It was established in 2002 by p ...
, although neighbors and local residents expressed concern and opposition. At the time, Michigan public officials, including both of its senators (
Carl Levin Carl Milton Levin (June 28, 1934 – July 29, 2021) was an American attorney and politician who served as a List of United States senators from Michigan, United States senator from Michigan from 1979 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party (U ...
and
Debbie Stabenow Deborah Ann Stabenow ( ; née Greer; born April 29, 1950) is an American politician who served from 2001 to 2025 as a United States senator from Michigan. A member of the Democratic Party, she was Michigan's first female U.S. senator. Before he ...
) and governor
Jennifer Granholm Jennifer Mulhern Granholm (born February 5, 1959) is an American politician who was the 16th United States secretary of energy from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she previously served as the 47t ...
, also objected to the idea.


Infrastructure


Major highways

* * * *


Bus

* Indian Trails provides daily intercity bus service between St. Ignace and
Bay City, Michigan Bay City is a city in Bay County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The population was 32,661 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The city is located just upriver from the Saginaw Bay on the Saginaw River. It is the princip ...
.


Education

The city of Standish is in the Standish-Sterling Community Schools District. There is one elementary school: Standish-Sterling Elementary located in Sterling. Standish-Sterling Middle School operates in the former Standish-Sterling High School. A new high school, Standish-Sterling Central High School, opened in 2001.


External links


Standish Area Chamber of Commerce



References

{{Authority control Cities in Arenac County, Michigan County seats in Michigan