Manistee ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located in southwestern Manistee County, it is part of the northwestern Lower Peninsula. Manistee is the county seat of Manistee County, and its population was 6,259 at the 2020 census. This makes Manistee the fifth-largest city in Northern Michigan. Manistee is located on an isthmus between Manistee Lake and Lake Michigan, with the Manistee River bisecting the city as it flows west to the latter. Manistee is located along US 31, one of the major trunkline highways of the state.

Etymology

The name "Manistee" is from an Ojibwe word first applied to the principal river of the county. The derivation is not certain, but it may be from ministigweyaa, "river with islands at its mouth". Other sources claim that it was an Ojibwe term meaning "spirit of the woods".

History

In 1751, a Jesuit mission was established in Manistee. Missionaries visited Manistee in the early 19th century, and a Jesuit mission house is known to have been located on the northwest shore of Manistee Lake in 1826. In 1832, a group of traders from Massachusetts built a log house up the Manistee River. However, they were soon driven off by the Odawa nation. The first white settlement and sawmill was built there in 1841. In 1830 the village of Manistee was one of about 15 Odawa (Ottawa) villages along the shore of Lake Michigan. Much of the Manistee River Valley, including Manistee itself, was designated as an Odawa Reservation from 1836 to 1848. The first permanent Euro-American settlement was made on April 16, 1841, when John Stronach and his son, Adam Stronach, arrived at the mouth of the Manistee River in a schooner loaded with fifteen men and equipment, and established a sawmill. In 1846, the town was named "Manistee"; it was made part of Ottawa County, whose county offices were 100 mi away at Grand Haven. After a series of new counties were organized, by 1855 Manistee was part of a large Manistee County that also included modern-day Wexford and Missaukee counties. Thomas Jefferson Ramsdell, Manistee's first lawyer, moved there in 1860 and remained there until his death. Ramsdell owned the first hardware store in the city, and was responsible for the construction of a bridge across the Manistee River. On October 8, 1871, the town was practically destroyed by fire; on the same day that the Peshtigo Fire, the Great Chicago Fire, and fires in Port Huron and Holland occurred, the Great Michigan Fire burned Manistee. Manistee was incorporated as a city in 1882.

21st century

In 2000, Manistee made national headlines after a local jury convicted a woman for expressing to her mother near a Hispanic family in a restaurant her wish that immigrants would learn English; the judge described it as "insulting conduct" consisting of "fighting words", an offense that was punishable under a local ordinance. Allegations appeared of improper procedure and irregularities in the court records. Two years later (November 1, 2002) and after the defendant spent four nights in jail, the conviction was overturned by the state Court of Appeals.

Geography

Manistee is in southwestern Manistee County in northern Michigan, bordered to the west by Lake Michigan and to the east by Manistee Lake. The Manistee River connects the two lakes, cutting through the middle of the city. According to the United States Census Bureau, Manistee has a total area of 4.53 sqmi, of which 3.28 sqmi are land and 1.25 sqmi, or 27.6%, are water. Neighboring and nearby communities include Parkdale to the northeast, Eastlake to the east, and Filer City, Oak Hill, and Stronach to the southeast. The townships that border Manistee are Filer to the south, Stronach to the southeast, and Manistee to the east and northeast. U.S. Route 31 passes through the center of Manistee as Cypress Street. The highway leads northeast 60 mi to Traverse City and south 25 mi to the outskirts of Ludington. M-55 intersects US 31 in Parkdale, just east of Manistee, and leads east 47 mi to Cadillac. At the mouth of the Manistee River are the Manistee Pierhead lights (north and south piers) that were built in 1873, and replaced in 1927.

Climate

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 6,226 people, 2,816 households, and 1,614 families residing in the city. The population as of 2013 is 6117. The population density was 1892.4 PD/sqmi. There were 3,599 housing units at an average density of 1093.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 91.5% White, 0.5% African American, 3.8% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.4% of the population. There were 2,816 households, of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.1% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.7% were non-families. 36.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.82. The median age in the city was 43.6 years. 21.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.9% were from 25 to 44; 30.1% were from 45 to 64; and 18% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 6,586 people, 2,912 households, and 1,729 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,023.7 PD/sqmi. There were 3,426 housing units at an average density of 1,052.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 94.9% White, 0.3% African American, 1.4% Native American, 0.5% Asian, nil% Pacific Islander, 1.0% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.2% of the population. There were 2,912 households, out of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.6% were non-families. 35.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.88. In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 24.0% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,351, and the median income for a family was $41,816. Males had a median income of $35,347 versus $20,102 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,810. About 6.9% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.2% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.

Industry

In its heyday, Manistee was home to a booming logging industry. In the late 19th century, Manistee was one of the leading shingle manufacturing cities in the world, with over 30 shingle mills on the Manistee river at one time. During the lumber boom of the 1880s, Manistee was the headquarters of its own railroad, the Manistee and North-Eastern, and had more millionaires per capita than anywhere else in the United States. Manistee is also associated with the salt industry. Manistee is now the home of three factories on Lake Manistee; Packaging Corporation of America, Morton Salt, and Martin Marietta. For this reason, Manistee is known as the "Salt City". The town is also a local favorite for tourism and fishing.

Media

Manistee is home to a radio station, WMTE-FM (101.5), and was previously home to the now-defunct WMTE (1340 AM). The Ludington Daily News, Manistee News Advocate and Traverse City Record-Eagle cover the Manistee area and distribute daily newspapers in the city. Formerly distributing newspapers in Manistee included the Bear Lake Beacon, the Copemish Courier, the Manistee Advocate, the Manistee Daily Advocate (which became the Manistee News Advocate), the Manistee Daily News, the Manistee Democrat, and the Onekama Lake Breeze. Manistee is home to 10 West Studios which produces full-length motion pictures. Notable movies include: What If..., starring Kevin Sorbo and John Ratzenberger filmed in Manistee, Jerusalem Countdown featuring Randy Travis, Stacy Keach and Lee Majors, Mickey Matson and the Copperhead Conspiracy starring Christopher Lloyd and Ernie Hudson, and God Bless the Broken Road starring Jordin Sparks and Lindsay Pulsipher

Area activities

Local events and attractions

Manistee has museums, an opera house, and recurring events. These include:

Retail

Manistee has a historic downtown with many original buildings from the Victorian era. The entire Downtown District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There are a good variety of retail stores in Manistee, many of which are locally owned and operated.

Government and infrastructure

The Michigan Department of Corrections Oaks Correctional Facility is in Manistee Township, near Manistee.

Recreation

Sports

The Manistee Saints are a semi-professional baseball team that have called Manistee home since 1934. Their home games are at Rietz Park in Manistee. Formerly, the Manistee Colts and the Manistee Champs played in the Michigan State League, a minor league baseball league. There are many golf courses located around the city of Manistee. There are also two ski resorts near the city of Manistee. There are many disc golf courses, mountain biking trails, and hiking trails all over Manistee County and in the city of Manistee.

Schools

Currently operating

Elementary Secondary All grades

Temporary closed for maintenance

Elementary

Formerly operating

Elementary Secondary Unknown

Transportation

Notable people