Presque Isle County, Michigan | |
|---|---|
 Presque Isle County Courthouse inOnaway | |
 Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofMichigan | |
| Coordinates:45°19′N83°28′W / 45.32°N 83.46°W /45.32; -83.46 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Michigan |
| Founded | 1840 (created) 1871 (organized) 1875 (reorganized)[1] |
| Seat | Rogers City |
| Largest city | Rogers City |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,573 sq mi (6,660 km2) |
| • Land | 659 sq mi (1,710 km2) |
| • Water | 1,914 sq mi (4,960 km2) 74% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 12,982 |
• Estimate (2024) | 13,230 |
| • Density | 19.7/sq mi (7.61/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Website | presqueislecounty |
Presque Isle County (/ˈprɛskiːl/PRESK-eel) is acounty in theLower Peninsula of theU.S. State ofMichigan. As of the2020 census, the population was 12,982.[2] Thecounty seat isRogers City.[3] The county was authorized by State legislation on April 1, 1840,[4] but the county government was not established until 1871. The government was reorganized in 1875.[1] The name is ananglicisation of theFrench wordpresqu'île orpresque-isle, which means a specific kind ofpeninsula with a very narrowisthmus or connection to anotherlandform, denominated a "presque-isle", i. e., literally "almost an island".[1] A large part ofPresque Isle Township consists of that peninsula, withLake Huron on the east,Grand Lake on the west, and narrow strips of land connecting it to the mainland at the north and south ends. The community of Presque Isle is near the center of this peninsula.
 | This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(June 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
EarlyNative Americans living in the area werenomadic, using the land as hunting grounds. To them the land between theOcqueoc andSwan Rivers wassacred ground. The name "Presque Isle" was given to the area by Frenchfur traders who portaged over the strip of land that attaches Presque Isle to the mainland.
Earlydevelopment of the area was delayed because it lacked a navigable river. The Ocqueoc River was Presque Isle's largest river yet was shallow and crooked, and had manyrapids. In the spring of 1839 asurveying party, contracted by the State of Michigan, reported that the land of this area was worthless. This further discouraged development until the 1860s when the Crawford family settled into a quietcove of Lake Huron, south of modernRogers City. They intended to develop a stonequarry, but found the stone too flaky to be used as building material. Turning tolumbering, they sold the wood tosteamers traveling theGreat Lakes.
In 1868 W. E. Rogers, anArmy officer, organized a surveying party to Presque Isle, with Albert Molitor assupervisor. Seeing the vastforests, they attempted to purchase Crawford's Quarry but were refused. They formed the Molitor-Rogers Company and purchased the land at the future site of Rogers City. The following year a large party ofGerman andPolish immigrants arrived and settled in the area. The Molitor-Rogers Company built asawmill, store, boarding house, andblacksmith shop. Only the Company supplied the small city. After a difficult winter in 1870–71, the community began to thrive.
The county's originalsettlers were lumbermen, fishermen, and farmers. In 1907 amining engineer/geologist from New York, H. H. Hindshaw, visited Crawford's Quarry and found it to be rich inlimestone. Following this discovery, theMichigan Limestone and Chemical Company of Calcite, Michigan was founded. The company purchased 8,000 acres (32 km2) at Calcite, the new name for Crawford's Quarry. Needing a means of shipping their product, the Bradley Transportation Company was formed. The company is known in the area for being the chief business, employing a significant portion of the residents. One of the darker aspects of the county's history involved the loss of one of the Bradley Transportation Company's cargo ships, theCarl D. Bradley, which sank on Lake Michigan during a windstorm in November 1958, taking 33 lives, 28 of whom resided in Presque Isle County (23 were from Rogers City, three were from Onaway, and two were from Posen or Metz Township).[5][note 1]
Today the world's largest limestone processing plant is in Rogers City, which is also a major Great Lakes port. This is the bestnatural harbor on Lake Huron betweenPort Huron andMackinaw City.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 2,573 square miles (6,660 km2), of which 659 square miles (1,710 km2) is land and 1,914 square miles (4,960 km2) (74%) is water.[6] Although Presque Isle County is on Michigan's Lower Peninsula, it is considered to be part ofNorthern Michigan.
By land
By water
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 26 | — | |
| 1870 | 355 | 1,265.4% | |
| 1880 | 3,113 | 776.9% | |
| 1890 | 4,687 | 50.6% | |
| 1900 | 8,821 | 88.2% | |
| 1910 | 11,249 | 27.5% | |
| 1920 | 12,131 | 7.8% | |
| 1930 | 11,330 | −6.6% | |
| 1940 | 12,250 | 8.1% | |
| 1950 | 11,996 | −2.1% | |
| 1960 | 13,117 | 9.3% | |
| 1970 | 12,836 | −2.1% | |
| 1980 | 14,267 | 11.1% | |
| 1990 | 13,743 | −3.7% | |
| 2000 | 14,411 | 4.9% | |
| 2010 | 13,376 | −7.2% | |
| 2020 | 12,982 | −2.9% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 13,230 | [7] | 1.9% |
| US Decennial Census[8] 1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10] 1990-2000[11] 2010-2018[2] | |||
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 12,982 and a median age of 56.1 years. 15.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 32.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 100.7 males age 18 and over.[12]
The racial makeup of the county was 95.1%White, 0.3%Black or African American, 0.5%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Asian, <0.1%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 0.3% from some other race, and 3.4% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.2% of the population.[13]
<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[14]
There were 6,047 households in the county, of which 17.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 51.1% were married-couple households, 21.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[12]
There were 9,804 housing units, of which 38.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 86.3% were owner-occupied and 13.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.1%.[12]
At the2000 United States census, there were 14,411 people, 6,155 households, and 4,203 families residing in the county.[15]
As of 2000, the median income for a household in the county was $31,656, and the median income for a family was $37,426. Males had a median income of $31,275 versus $20,625 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $17,363. About 6.80% of families and 10.30% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 13.10% of those under age 18 and 9.20% of those over age 64.[15]
Voters in Presque Isle County have generally favored Republican Party nominees. Since 1884, the Republican nominee has garnered the county's vote 72% of the time (26 of 36 elections).
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1884 | 394 | 63.65% | 225 | 36.35% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1888 | 408 | 45.18% | 484 | 53.60% | 11 | 1.22% |
| 1892 | 290 | 34.77% | 471 | 56.47% | 73 | 8.75% |
| 1896 | 763 | 66.06% | 371 | 32.12% | 21 | 1.82% |
| 1900 | 1,328 | 71.67% | 496 | 26.77% | 29 | 1.57% |
| 1904 | 1,861 | 82.93% | 363 | 16.18% | 20 | 0.89% |
| 1908 | 1,706 | 81.39% | 301 | 14.36% | 89 | 4.25% |
| 1912 | 729 | 37.42% | 259 | 13.30% | 960 | 49.28% |
| 1916 | 1,407 | 61.52% | 806 | 35.24% | 74 | 3.24% |
| 1920 | 2,522 | 80.76% | 525 | 16.81% | 76 | 2.43% |
| 1924 | 2,315 | 67.45% | 431 | 12.56% | 686 | 19.99% |
| 1928 | 1,992 | 65.50% | 1,029 | 33.84% | 20 | 0.66% |
| 1932 | 1,560 | 40.36% | 2,217 | 57.36% | 88 | 2.28% |
| 1936 | 1,621 | 35.20% | 2,905 | 63.08% | 79 | 1.72% |
| 1940 | 2,552 | 49.46% | 2,595 | 50.29% | 13 | 0.25% |
| 1944 | 2,209 | 51.21% | 2,092 | 48.49% | 13 | 0.30% |
| 1948 | 2,271 | 54.53% | 1,872 | 44.95% | 22 | 0.53% |
| 1952 | 2,982 | 61.84% | 1,825 | 37.85% | 15 | 0.31% |
| 1956 | 3,058 | 61.43% | 1,917 | 38.51% | 3 | 0.06% |
| 1960 | 2,950 | 52.66% | 2,649 | 47.29% | 3 | 0.05% |
| 1964 | 1,770 | 33.16% | 3,565 | 66.80% | 2 | 0.04% |
| 1968 | 2,565 | 48.85% | 2,300 | 43.80% | 386 | 7.35% |
| 1972 | 3,372 | 56.23% | 2,440 | 40.69% | 185 | 3.08% |
| 1976 | 3,545 | 51.02% | 3,334 | 47.99% | 69 | 0.99% |
| 1980 | 3,486 | 50.43% | 2,952 | 42.71% | 474 | 6.86% |
| 1984 | 4,207 | 62.57% | 2,481 | 36.90% | 36 | 0.54% |
| 1988 | 3,614 | 54.11% | 3,025 | 45.29% | 40 | 0.60% |
| 1992 | 2,398 | 32.65% | 3,308 | 45.04% | 1,639 | 22.31% |
| 1996 | 2,463 | 35.74% | 3,449 | 50.04% | 980 | 14.22% |
| 2000 | 3,660 | 51.69% | 3,242 | 45.79% | 178 | 2.51% |
| 2004 | 3,982 | 52.98% | 3,432 | 45.66% | 102 | 1.36% |
| 2008 | 3,606 | 48.01% | 3,722 | 49.55% | 183 | 2.44% |
| 2012 | 3,794 | 53.45% | 3,192 | 44.97% | 112 | 1.58% |
| 2016 | 4,488 | 61.84% | 2,400 | 33.07% | 369 | 5.08% |
| 2020 | 5,342 | 63.94% | 2,911 | 34.84% | 102 | 1.22% |
| 2024 | 5,568 | 63.55% | 3,036 | 34.65% | 158 | 1.80% |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2024 | 5,391 | 62.64% | 2,992 | 34.77% | 223 | 2.59% |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2022 | 4,165 | 57.07% | 2,981 | 40.85% | 152 | 2.08% |
The county government operates thejail, maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, records deeds, mortgages, andvital records, administerspublic health regulations, and participates with the state in the provision of social services. Thecounty board of commissioners controls the budget and has limited authority to make laws or ordinances. In Michigan, most local government functions – police and fire, building and zoning, tax assessment, street maintenance etc. – are the responsibility of individual cities and townships.
as of June 2021
There are ten recognized Michigan historical markers in the county:[18]
The following television stations broadcast in Presque Isle County:
The following radio stations can be heard in Rogers City
| Call Sign | Frequency | City Broadcast From |
|---|---|---|
| WPHN | 90.5 | Gaylord |
| WCML | 91.7 | Alpena |
| WFDX | 92.5 | Atlanta |
| WKJZ | 94.9 | Hillman |
| WRZG | 96.7 | Rogers City |
| WHAK-FM | 99.9 | Rogers City |
| WWMK | 106.3 | Onaway |
| WHSB | 107.7 | Alpena |
| Call Sign | Frequency | City Broadcast From |
|---|---|---|
| WTCM | 580 | Traverse City |
| WHAK | 960 | Rogers City |
NOAA Weather Radio can be heard on 162.550 MHz (Call Sign KIG83, Alpena)
There is one county-owned airport in Presque Isle County, providing access togeneral aviation:
The nearest commercial airline airports areAlpena County Regional Airport near Alpena,[21] andCherry Capital Airport[22] near (Traverse City).
Places adjacent to Presque Isle County, Michigan | |
|---|---|
Municipalities and communities ofPresque Isle County, Michigan,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| Villages | ||
| Townships | ||
| CDP | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Indian reservation | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| Central cities | |
|---|---|
| Counties | |
| Geography | |
| Transportation | |
| Economy | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
