Port Huron | |
|---|---|
City | |
| City of Port Huron | |
.jpg)   .jpg)  Images from top to bottom, left to right: Downtown along Huron Avenue (BL I-69),Blue Water Bridge,Fort Gratiot Light,Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse,Seventh Street–Black River Bridge | |
| Nickname(s): Maritime Capital of the Great Lakes, Gateway to Canada | |
 Location withinSt. Clair County | |
  Port Huron Location within the state of Michigan Show map of Michigan Port Huron Location within the United States Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates:42°58′30″N82°25′28″W / 42.97500°N 82.42444°W /42.97500; -82.42444 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Michigan |
| County | St. Clair |
| Settled | 1814 |
| Incorporated | 1857 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council–manager |
| • Mayor | Anita Ashford |
| • Clerk | Cyndee Jonseck |
| • Manager | James Freed |
| Area | |
• Total | 12.27 sq mi (31.78 km2) |
| • Land | 8.10 sq mi (20.98 km2) |
| • Water | 4.17 sq mi (10.80 km2) |
| Elevation | 604 ft (184 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 28,983 |
| • Density | 3,577.26/sq mi (1,381.14/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code(s) | 48060, 48061 |
| Area code | 810 |
| FIPS code | 26-65820[2] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1624839[3] |
| Website | Official website |
Port Huron is a city andcounty seat ofSt. Clair County, Michigan, United States.[4] The population was 28,983 at the2020 census. The city is bordered on the west byPort Huron Township, but the two are administered autonomously.
Port Huron is located along the source of theSt. Clair River at the southern end ofLake Huron. The city is along theCanada–United States border and directly across the river fromSarnia, Ontario. The two cities are connected by theBlue Water Bridge at the eastern terminus ofInterstate 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).
This area was long occupied by theOjibwa people. French colonists had a temporary trading post and fort at this site in the 17th century.
In 1814, following theWar of 1812, the United States establishedFort 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 anOjibwareservation in part of what is now Port Huron, in exchange for their cession of lands under treaty for European-American settlement. But in 1836, underIndian Removal, the US forced the Ojibwa to move west of theMississippi River and resettle in what are now the states of Wisconsin and Minnesota.[5]
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 successfulshipbuilding andlumber 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).[6]
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.[7]
On October 8, 1871, the city, as well as places north inSanilac andHuron counties, burned in thePort Huron Fire of 1871. A series of other fires leveledHolland andManistee, as well asPeshtigo, Wisconsin andChicago, Illinois on the same day. TheThumb 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.[8]
The following historic sites have been recognized by the State of Michigan through its historic marker program.
The city was hit by a violentF4 tornado onMay 21, 1953, damaging or destroying over 400 structures, killing two, and injuring 68.
The city received theAll-America City Award in 1955 and 2005.
In June 1962, thePort Huron Statement, aNew Left manifesto, was adopted at a convention of theStudents for a Democratic Society. The convention did not take place within the actual city limits of Port Huron, but instead was held at aUnited Auto Workers retreat north of the city (now part ofLakeport State Park). A historical marker will be erected on the site in 2025.[9]
Port Huron is the only site in Michigan where alynching 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 theEqual Justice Initiative on this memorialization.[10]
On November 11, 2017,veterans 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 ofVeterans Day.[11][12]
In April 2023, thePere Marquette Railwaybascule bridge was demolished after a nearly decade long battle between preservationists and the Port Huron Yacht Club.[13] 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.[14]
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According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.26 square miles (31.75 km2), of which 8.08 square miles (20.93 km2) is land and 4.18 square miles (10.83 km2) is water.[15] The city is considered to be part ofthe Thumb area ofEast-Central Michigan, also called theBlue 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. TheBlack River divides the city in half, snaking through Port Huron and emptying into the St. Clair River near Downtown.
Port Huron has ahumid continental climate (Köppen climate classificationDfa) with hot summers, cold winters and rain or snow in all months of the year.
| Climate data for Port Huron NOAA Station (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1931–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 64 (18) | 69 (21) | 82 (28) | 87 (31) | 96 (36) | 102 (39) | 103 (39) | 102 (39) | 101 (38) | 90 (32) | 81 (27) | 66 (19) | 103 (39) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 51.0 (10.6) | 51.7 (10.9) | 65.1 (18.4) | 77.0 (25.0) | 86.7 (30.4) | 92.0 (33.3) | 93.5 (34.2) | 91.8 (33.2) | 88.7 (31.5) | 79.0 (26.1) | 64.4 (18.0) | 54.0 (12.2) | 95.3 (35.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 30.9 (−0.6) | 33.3 (0.7) | 42.2 (5.7) | 54.2 (12.3) | 66.7 (19.3) | 76.4 (24.7) | 81.3 (27.4) | 79.7 (26.5) | 73.1 (22.8) | 60.5 (15.8) | 46.9 (8.3) | 36.0 (2.2) | 56.8 (13.8) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 25.4 (−3.7) | 26.9 (−2.8) | 35.2 (1.8) | 46.1 (7.8) | 57.7 (14.3) | 67.6 (19.8) | 73.3 (22.9) | 71.8 (22.1) | 65.0 (18.3) | 53.2 (11.8) | 41.0 (5.0) | 31.2 (−0.4) | 49.5 (9.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 19.9 (−6.7) | 20.5 (−6.4) | 28.3 (−2.1) | 38.0 (3.3) | 48.8 (9.3) | 58.8 (14.9) | 65.2 (18.4) | 64.0 (17.8) | 56.8 (13.8) | 46.0 (7.8) | 35.2 (1.8) | 26.4 (−3.1) | 42.3 (5.7) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 1.1 (−17.2) | 2.8 (−16.2) | 10.8 (−11.8) | 24.4 (−4.2) | 36.2 (2.3) | 46.0 (7.8) | 54.3 (12.4) | 53.3 (11.8) | 42.2 (5.7) | 32.5 (0.3) | 20.2 (−6.6) | 9.7 (−12.4) | −2.5 (−19.2) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −19 (−28) | −15 (−26) | −7 (−22) | 8 (−13) | 21 (−6) | 32 (0) | 35 (2) | 37 (3) | 25 (−4) | 20 (−7) | 2 (−17) | −7 (−22) | −19 (−28) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 2.48 (63) | 2.06 (52) | 2.21 (56) | 3.15 (80) | 3.53 (90) | 3.62 (92) | 3.25 (83) | 3.14 (80) | 3.32 (84) | 3.13 (80) | 2.81 (71) | 2.17 (55) | 34.87 (886) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 11.1 (28) | 11.4 (29) | 4.6 (12) | 0.4 (1.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 1.3 (3.3) | 6.7 (17) | 35.5 (90) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 14.0 | 10.3 | 10.8 | 12.9 | 13.0 | 10.9 | 10.1 | 10.3 | 10.1 | 12.6 | 11.8 | 12.7 | 139.5 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 7.4 | 5.9 | 2.9 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 4.4 | 22.0 |
| Source:NOAA[16][17] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 1,584 | — | |
| 1860 | 4,371 | 175.9% | |
| 1870 | 5,973 | 36.7% | |
| 1880 | 8,883 | 48.7% | |
| 1890 | 13,543 | 52.5% | |
| 1900 | 19,158 | 41.5% | |
| 1910 | 18,863 | −1.5% | |
| 1920 | 25,944 | 37.5% | |
| 1930 | 31,361 | 20.9% | |
| 1940 | 32,759 | 4.5% | |
| 1950 | 35,725 | 9.1% | |
| 1960 | 36,084 | 1.0% | |
| 1970 | 35,794 | −0.8% | |
| 1980 | 33,981 | −5.1% | |
| 1990 | 33,694 | −0.8% | |
| 2000 | 32,338 | −4.0% | |
| 2010 | 30,184 | −6.7% | |
| 2020 | 28,983 | −4.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[18] | |||
Port Huron is the largest city inthe Thumb area, and is a center of industry and trade for the region.
As of the census[19] of 2010, there were 30,184 people, 12,177 households, and 7,311 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,735.6 inhabitants per square mile (1,442.3/km2). There were 13,871 housing units at an average density of 1,716.7 per square mile (662.8/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 84.0%White, 9.1%African American, 0.7%Native American, 0.6%Asian, 1.2% fromother races, and 4.5% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino 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.
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A reference to thePort Huron Statement was made in the Coen Brothers filmThe Big Lebowski.[22]
In 2009, the TV showCriminal Minds used Port Huron, and Detroit as locations for an episode involving crossing the border intoOntario.[23]
Port Huron has had a strong tradition of minor league hockey for many years.
ThePort Huron Flags played in the originalInternational Hockey League from 1962 to 1981, winning threeTurner Cup championships in 1966, 1971 and 1972. Its leading career scorers wereKen Gribbons, who played most of his career in the IHL;Bob McCammon, a lifelong IHLer who went on to be aNational Hockey League coach with thePhiladelphia Flyers and theVancouver Canucks;Bill LeCaine andLarry Gould, who played a handful of NHL games with thePittsburgh Penguins and theVancouver Canucks, respectively.
LegendaryNHL hockey broadcasterMike Emrick started his career doingplay-by-play hockey for the Flags on AM 1450WHLS in the mid 1970s. Emrick would go on to broadcast Olympic hockey games and Stanley Cup playoffs forNBC Sports, and is a frequent guest contributor to sister stationWPHM.[24]
Port Huron was also represented in theColonial 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 theBorder Cats, the team was renamed the Beacons in 2002, the Flags in 2005 and the Icehawks in 2007. Among the more notable players wereBob McKillop,Jason Firth, Tab Lardner andBrent Gretzky.
ThePort Huron Fighting Falcons of the juniorNorth 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 theKeystone Ice Miners.
Port Huron is also home to thePort Huron Prowlers of theFederal Prospects Hockey League.
ThePort Huron Piratesindoor football team dominated theGreat Lakes Indoor Football League up until their departure toFlint, MI.McMorran Arena once again hosted indoor football with thePort Huron Predators of theContinental Indoor Football League in 2011. The Predators failed to finish the2011 season, and were replaced in2012 by thePort Huron Patriots who also participated in the CIFL.
The City of Port Huron owns and operates 17 waterfront areas containing 102 acres (0.4 km2) and 3.5 miles (5.6 km) 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.
The city government is organized under acouncil–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 current mayor is former city clerk Pauline Repp. The city levies an income tax of 1 percent on residents and 0.5 percent on nonresidents.[25]
Federally, Port Huron is part ofMichigan's 9th Congressional District, represented by RepublicanLisa McClain, elected in 2022.
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.[26] 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.[27] Port Huron was also a national leader in thechicory coffee substitute industry. Future CongressmanHenry 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.[28] 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.[29]
Wartime also brought another industry to Port Huron: the Mueller Metals Company, which built a factory in Port Huron in 1917. The plant primarily madeshell casings for World War I. The factory was originally owned by theMueller Co., and since has been spun off into its own entity called Mueller Industries.[30] 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.[31]
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 andBlue Water Convention Center.[32]
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.[33]Domtar also operates a paper mill in Port Huron, located on the Black River. It was originally built in 1888 by theE. B. Eddy Company. The Domtar mill also specializes in specialty papers for the medical and food service industries.[34] 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.[35] The factory was purchased byHenkel and closed in 2010. However, Henkel continues to manufacture ink and carbon products under the Acheson brand.[36]
Port Huron's Domtar Mill closed in 2021,[37] followed by the Dunn Paper Mill in 2022.[38]
A variety of factories related to theautomotive industry occupy Port Huron's Industrial Park on the city's south side. Many of these produce plastic components for vehicles.
Jenks Shipbuilding Company was founded in 1889, renamed in 1903 asPort Huron Shipbuilding and ceased operations sometime after 1908.[39] 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:
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, a nonprofitmanaged care health care organization based inFlint, purchased the former Port Huron Hospital and began operating the 186-bed facility as Mclaren Port Huron in May 2014.[40]
Lake Huron Medical Center, is a 144-bed facility operated byOntario, California basedPrime Healthcare Services. The for-profit company purchased the former St. Joseph Mercy Port Huron hospital in September 2015 fromTrinity Healthcare.[41] Upon completion of the sale, the formerly non-profit Catholic institution converted to a for-profit entity.
CF Bancorp, abank holding company for Citizens Federal Bank, was based in Port Huron. It was closed by regulators in April 2010 after it suffered frombank failure in the aftermath of the2007–2008 financial crisis.[42][43]
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 depositmarket share:JPMorgan Chase (2 branches),Huntington Bancshares (3 branches), Eastern Michigan Bank (1 branch), and Northstar Bank (1 branch).[44]
The first station to sign on in Port Huron was WAFD, which stood forWe Are Ford Dealers.[45] The station was owned by the Albert B. Parfet Company, a localFord car dealership. WAFD signed on March 4, 1925, and signed off in 1926, with plans to relocate the station to Detroit.[46]
WHLS, coinciding with the opening of the Blue Water Bridge, signed on in 1938. It was founded by Harold Leroy Stevens andFred Knorr. John Wismer became part owner of the station in 1952. He would later launch the first cable television system in Port Huron andWSAQ 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 becomeWPHM, and was bought by Lee Hanson in 1986. WPHM got FM sister stationWBTI in 1992. Wismer and Hanson were direct competitors until they were both bought by Bob Liggett'sRadio First in 2000.
Radio First owns and operates five radio stations in the region while Port Huron Family Radio is the licensee of sole stationWGRT. Non-commercial stations includeWRSX (an affiliate ofMichigan Public andNPR), high school stationWORW, and religious broadcastersWNFA andWNFR.
Local FM[edit]
| Local AM[edit]
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St. Clair County lies in theDetroit television market. Channels available onComcast are as follows:
Detroit Area[edit] | Southwestern Ontario[edit]
St. Clair County also receives the following stations from the Sarnia /London area, but are currently not carried on cable:
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Two Interstates terminate at the Port Huron-to-Sarnia Blue Water Bridge, and they meetHighway 402.
I-69 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, inSarnia, Ontario, the route heads easterly designated as Highway 402. (Once fully completed, the mainline of I-69 will span from theU.S.–Mexico border inBrownsville, Texas, to theU.S.–Canada border in Port Huron, Michigan.)
I-94 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.
BL I-69
BL I-94
M-25 follows the Lake Huron/Saginaw Bay shoreline, beginning inBay 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.
M-29 begins at BL I-94 in Marysville just south of the city and continues southerly.
M-136 runs west from M-25 to M-19.TheBlue Water Area Transit system,[47] 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 andNew Baltimore about 30 miles (48 km) south. Commuters could take an express bus traveling down I-94 and get off at the 23 Mile RoadSMART Bus stop. At the same time, another bus will travel downM-25 andM-29 and pick up commuters inMarysville,Saint Clair andAlgonac before ending up at the same stop on 23 Mile Road. This new system will help people inSt. Clair County travel throughMetro Detroit.
St. Clair County International Airport is a public airport located five miles (8 km) southwest of the central business district.
Places adjacent to Port Huron, Michigan | |
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Municipalities and communities ofSt. Clair County, Michigan,United States | ||
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| Other communities |
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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