| Alpena, Michigan | |
| Official Name: | City of Alpena |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Nickname: | "Sanctuary of the Great Lakes" |
| Pushpin Map: | Michigan |
| Pushpin Label Position: | left |
| Pushpin Label: | Alpena |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location within the state of Michigan |
| Mapsize: | 250 |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Alpena |
| Government Type: | Mayor–council |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Cindy Johnson |
| Leader Title1: | Mayor pro tem |
| Leader Name1: | Michael Nowak |
| Leader Title2: | Manager |
| Leader Name2: | Rachel Smolinski |
| Established Title: | Settled |
| Established Date: | 1835 |
| Established Title2: | Founded |
| Established Date2: | 1840 |
| Established Title3: | Incorporated |
| Established Date3: | 1871 |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 22.94 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 8.86 |
| Area Land Km2: | 21.17 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 8.17 |
| Area Water Km2: | 1.77 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.68 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 10197 |
| Population Density Km2: | 481.78 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 1247.80 |
| Timezone: | EST |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Coordinates: | 45.0617°N -83.4328°W |
| Elevation M: | 180 |
| Elevation Ft: | 591 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code(s) |
| Postal Code: | 49707 |
| Area Code: | 989 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 26-01740[2] |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 0620017[3] |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Population Demonym: | "Alpenan(s)" |
Alpena () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Alpena County, and is the only city within the county.[4] The population was 10,197 at the 2020 census, making it the third most populated city in the Northern Michigan region, after Traverse City and Cadillac. The city is surrounded by Alpena Township, but the two are administered autonomously. It is the core city of the Alpena micropolitan statistical area, which encompasses all of Alpena County and had a total population of 28,907 at the 2020 census.[5]
Alpena is located at the head of Thunder Bay, a bay of Lake Huron. Offshore of Alpena is the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, which protects an estimated 116 historically significant shipwrecks.[6] Alpena is the third-largest American city on Lake Huron, behind Bay City and Port Huron.
The Alpena area is home to the Ojibwe, Ottawa, and Potawatomi people. These people groups inhabit the area surrounding the Great Lakes, including Michigan. The Thunder Bay Band of Chippewa and Ottawa merged with the Mackinac Bands of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians in the mid-1800s under Chief Way-ge-maw-waw-be.
Alpena County was originally set off from Michilimackinac County as Anamickee County founded in 1840, which in 1843 was changed to Alpena, a pseudo-Native American word — a neologism coined by Henry Schoolcraft, meaning something like "a good partridge country."[7] [8] This was part of a much larger effort to rename a great many of the Michigan counties at the time.[9]
The first European settler at modern-day Alpena was W.F. Cullings, a fisherman in 1835. In 1856, George W. Fletcher and three others from Detroit platted a village by the name of Fremont, after John C. Frémont. The community was briefly renamed Thunder Bay in 1857 before being renamed again to Alpena in 1871.[10] The city of Alpena was officially incorporated by Michigan State Legislature on March 29, 1871.[11]
Most of the city was lost in the Great Michigan Fire of 1871.[12] Less than one year later, on July 12, 1872, Alpena was hit by another fire, the largest in its history, which destroyed of homes and businesses[13] for a total amount of 65 buildings.[14] The blaze started in a barn and lasted for two hours, killing at least four people and causing at least in damages.[15] [16] [17] Alpena was again hit by a disastrous fire on July 11, 1888. In the early 1910s a failed attempt was led by the Alpena Motor Car Company to turn the city into "Automobile City" and compete with Detroit.
The city has a number of notable buildings, including the Art deco Alpena County Courthouse, the I.O.O.F. Centennial Building, and Temple Beth El, one of the oldest synagogues in the United States.
There are seven recognized historical markers in the city:[18]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.23sqmi, of which, 8.54sqmi of it is land and 0.69sqmi (7.48%) is water.[19] The city is on the shore of Lake Huron's Thunder Bay, with Alpena Township surrounding it on land.
Alpena has a humid continental climate (Dfb) with warm summers along with cool nights, moderated by nearby Lake Huron and cold, snowy winters with annual snowfall averaging 84 inches (210 cm).[20]
As of the census[21] of 2010, there were 10,483 people, 4,734 households, and 2,565 families residing in the city. The population density was 1227.5PD/sqmi. There were 5,278 housing units at an average density of 618/sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 96.8% White, 0.5% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.1% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.0% of the population.
There were 4,734 households, of which 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.3% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 45.8% were non-families. 39.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.84.
The median age in the city was 42.5 years. 20.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.7% were from 25 to 44; 27.9% were from 45 to 64; and 19.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.7% male and 52.3% female.
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 11,304 people, 4,874 households, and 2,865 families residing in the city. The population density was 1348.9sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 5,200 housing units at an average density of 620.5sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the city was 97.66% White, 0.42% African American, 0.43% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.09% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.59% of the population.
There were 4,874 households, out of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.1% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.2% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.9% 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 2.93.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.0% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,353, and the median income for a family was $40,056. Males had a median income of $34,534 versus $21,951 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,476. About 10.4% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.5% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.
While tourism is an important component of the area's economy, both Alpena and Rogers City have an industrial base. In particular, Alpena is home to Lafarge-Holcim cement plant and to Besser Company (maker of a concrete block making machinery), as well as a drywall board manufacturing facility owned by Decorative Panels International. Rogers City is the location of the world's largest limestone quarry (see Michigan Limestone and Chemical Company), which is used in steel making in the Great Lakes and Rust Belt regions.
MidMichigan Health, a federally-designated rural regional medical referral center, is the largest employer in the city of Alpena.[22]
Until it largely closed in 2022, Alpena's primary shopping center was the Alpena Mall, the only enclosed shopping mall in the northeastern Lower Peninsula. In full operation, the former mall featured approximately 20 stores, with JCPenney and Gordon Food Service as the anchor stores.[23] Other retailers operate in this part of town and on M-32 west of town and south on US-23.
Alpena was also home to the Alpena Thunder hockey team, which was disbanded in 2011.
Alpena is served by a number of institutions that enhance the artistic and cultural character of the city, reflecting its rich heritage in Great Lakes shipping and industry. Alpena is the gateway to the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, one of Michigan's 13 underwater preserves. The cold, fresh waters of the Great Lakes serve a valuable role in preserving the numerous shipwrecks in Lake Huron, documenting a history of tragedy that spans over 300 years. The Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center in Alpena is the interpretive and administrative center of the sanctuary, located on the banks of the Thunder Bay River.[24] [25]
The local history of the Alpena area is documented by the Besser Museum, founded with an endowment from industrialist Jesse Besser. The Besser Museum is located on an 8acres campus in northern Alpena, and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. Permanent attractions at the Besser Museum include a planetarium and the Katherine V., a wooden fishing tug that spent its entire life on Lake Huron. The Besser Museum also features rotating collections of art, science, and local history. The museum is the publisher of The Town that Wouldn't Die: A Photographic History of Alpena, Michigan from Its Beginnings Through 1940.
The Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library serves Alpena County. Its special collections include the Northeast Michigan Oral History Archive, the comprehensive Great Lakes Maritime Collection, and a full collection of Alpena newspapers dating back to 1871.
Arts organizations in the Alpena area include the Alpena Symphony Orchestra; the Alpena Civic Theatre; and the Thunder Bay Theatre, Northeast Michigan's year-round professional theatre located in the historic 1904 Spens Block on North Second Ave. Cinema in Alpena is supported by the newly opened Sanctuary Cinema, located in a former JCPenney store in Downtown Alpena, and the Maltz Opera House, under renovation to its 1920s-era appearance.
Alpena County Regional Airport (IATA: APN, ICAO: KAPN, FAA LID: APN) is the northeast lower peninsula of Michigan's main commercial airport and handles daily Delta Connection flights to Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul via Detroit, and to Pellston operated by SkyWest Airlines. It is a public-use airport located in Wilson Township, Michigan six miles (10 km) west of the central business district of Alpena. The Michigan Air National Guard's Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center co-utilizes the airfield.
Alpena is situated along the Lake State Railway, formerly the Detroit and Mackinac Railway (D&M).[32] Earlier railroads that served Alpena were built and owned by the Alger Smith and Co. logging company: (1) the Detroit, Bay City and Alpena Railroad, which entered Alpena from the south around 1886, and (2) the Alpena and Northern Railroad.[33]
Alpena, along with the rest of Alpena County and portions of Presque Isle County, is served by Alpena Public Schools. Alpena Public Schools was established as the first county-wide school district in the state of Michigan in 1963. The district has one high school, a junior high, an alternative/adult high school, and six elementary schools. The elementary schools are Besser, Ella White, Hinks, Lincoln, Sanborn, and Wilson Elementary Schools. Geographically, it is the largest school district in the Lower Peninsula, encompassing more than 620sqmi.
There are two private schools in Alpena. All Saints Catholic School is affiliated with the four Roman Catholic parishes in the city (St. Anne's, St. Bernard's, St. John the Baptist and St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception) and provides preschool to 8th grade education. Immanuel Lutheran School is supported by the Immanuel Lutheran Church and has preschool to 8th grade classes.
Alpena is also home to Alpena Community College. ACC is a two-year associates program that has partnerships with Spring Arbor University and several other Michigan institutions.
Alpena is home to several radio stations.
| Call Sign | Frequency | Format | City Broadcast From | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WPHN | 90.5 | Religious | Gaylord | |
| WCML | 91.7 | Public | Alpena | |
| WFDX | 92.5 | Off the Air | Atlanta | |
| WKJZ | 94.9 | Classic Hits | Hillman | |
| WRGZ | 96.7 | Classic Rock | Rogers City | |
| WATZ | 99.3 | Country | Alpena | |
| WHAK | 99.9 | Classic Hits | Rogers City | |
| WWTH | 100.7 | Classic Rock | Oscoda | |
| WMJZ | 101.5 | Classic Hits | Gaylord | |
| WKJC | 104.7 | Country | Tawas City | |
| WGFM | 105.1/103.7 | Rock | Cheboygan | |
| WZTK | 105.7 | Oldies | Alpena | |
| WWMK | 106.3/98.1 | Classic AC | Cheboygan | |
| WHSB | 107.7 | Top 40 | Alpena |
Alpena is the third smallest (208) Nielsen Designated Market Area (DMA) in the United States.[38]
Television stations located within the Alpena DMA:
Cable only television:
Northeast Michigan is also served by selected major network affiliates from the Northern Michigan DMA, as well as CBC Television programming from CBMT-DT in Montreal. Cable television service is provided within Alpena and many outlying communities by Charter Communications.