Charlevoix is a city in the
U.S. stateA U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of
MichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. As of the
2000 censusThe Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
, the city population was 2,994. It is the
county seatA county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of
Charlevoix County-Airports:*Beaver Island is served by two airlines:**Welke Airport**Beaver Island Airport-Ferry service:*Beaver Island Boat Company maintains a regular auto ferry from Charlevoix:*The Ironton Ferry at Ironton, Michigan crosses the south arm of Lake Charlevoix...
.
Charlevoix TownshipCharlevoix Township is a civil township of Charlevoix County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,697 at the 2000 census. However, during the summer months this population expands rapidly as Charlevoix is the location of many summer homes of people in the Detroit and Chicago...
is a separate municipal entity that completely surrounds the city and has 1,697 year round population. Typical of
Northern MichiganNorthern Michigan, also known as Northern Lower Michigan , is a region of the U.S. state of Michigan...
towns, Charlevoix has a significant seasonal tourist population in the summer.
Water
The city is situated between
Lake MichiganLake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
and the western end of
Lake CharlevoixLake Charlevoix is a lake in Charlevoix County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the third largest lake in the state with a surface area of over 17,200 acres and 56 miles of shoreline...
, which drains into Lake Michigan through the short Round Lake/Pine River complex in the heart of downtown Charlevoix. The
Charlevoix South Pier Light StationThe Charlevoix South Pier Light Station is located on Lake Michigan at the entrance to Lake Charlevoix in Charlevoix County in the U.S. state of Michigan at the end of the south pier/breakwater of the channel leading to Round Lake in the city of Charlevoix....
marks the opening of the channel onto Lake Michigan. Charlevoix's Round Lake has been called the best natural harbor on Lake Michigan. The only way to get from Lake Michigan to
East JordanEast Jordan is a city in Charlevoix County, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,507 at the 2000 census.The city is at the end of the south arm of Lake Charlevoix, at the mouth of the Jordan River. M-66 connects with US 31 at Charlevoix about 12 miles to the northwest and with US...
,
Boyne CityBoyne City is a city in Charlevoix County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,503 at the 2000 census.Boyne City is at the southeast end of the east arm of Lake Charlevoix, where the Boyne River enters the lake...
and other sites on Lake Charlevoix by boat is via Charlevoix. As a result, much commercial, industrial, and recreational boat traffic passes through Charlevoix.
U.S. Coast Guard Station
The city of Charlevoix has a U.S. Coast Guard station located in its vicinity. Station Charlevoix has served in the waters of Lake Charlevoix and Lake Michigan for over one hundred years. The station originated in 1898 on the south break wall of the Pine River Channel, leading into Lake Michigan. It was officially commissioned as a United States Lifesaving Service Station July 5, 1900. During the early 1960s, the station was relocated to its present day location along the Pine River Channel's Lake Charlevoix end. The area of response for Station Charlevoix runs from
Cross VillageCross Village Township is a civil township of Emmet County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 294.-Communities:...
down to
LelandLeland is an unincorporated community in the U.S. state of Michigan. It was the county seat of Leelanau County from 1883 to 2008, when a new government center was completed in Suttons Bay Township, closer to the county's geographic center....
, extending into Lake Michigan through
Beaver IslandBeaver Island is the largest island in Lake Michigan and part of the Beaver Island archipelago. Once home to a unique American monarchy, the island is now a popular tourist and vacation destination....
and the North and South Fox Islands, and covers numerous inland lakes and waterways. Spring through late fall the 41' UTB and the 25' RB-S are in operation and during the winter months, the 14' ice skiff is put into operation. There is also a U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla based at the Station. There are some USCG Auxiliary surface facilities occasionally moored at Station Charlevoix.
Major highways
is a major highway running through the heart of the city. It continues southerly toward
Traverse CityTraverse City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan region. The population was 14,674 at the 2010 census, with 143,372 in the Traverse...
and
MuskegonMuskegon is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 38,401. The city is the county seat of Muskegon County...
and northerly toward
PetoskeyPetoskey is a city and coastal resort community in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 6,080. It is the county seat of Emmet County....
to a terminus near
Mackinaw CityMackinaw City is a village in Emmet and Cheboygan counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2000 census the population was 859. The name "Mackinaw City" is a bit of a misnomer as it is actually a village...
. terminates at US 31 in Charlevoix and continues southerly through
East JordanEast Jordan is a city in Charlevoix County, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,507 at the 2000 census.The city is at the end of the south arm of Lake Charlevoix, at the mouth of the Jordan River. M-66 connects with US 31 at Charlevoix about 12 miles to the northwest and with US...
and
KalkaskaKalkaska is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 2,226. It is the county seat of Kalkaska County.-Geography:...
en route to the southern part of the state. begins at US 31 just northeast of the city and continues east-southeasterly toward
Boyne CityBoyne City is a city in Charlevoix County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,503 at the 2000 census.Boyne City is at the southeast end of the east arm of Lake Charlevoix, where the Boyne River enters the lake...
. ends at US 31 immediately west of the M-66 junction on the south side of the city. This route continues southerly toward
EllsworthEllsworth is a village in Antrim County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 483 at the 2000 census. The village is primarily a bedroom community with its primary industry being gravel and other aggregates. Agriculture and forestry are also important industries...
and
Central LakeCentral Lake is a village in Antrim County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 990 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Central Lake Township.-Geography:...
.
Rail
Regular intercity passenger train service ended on September 1, 1962 after the
Chesapeake and Ohio RailwayThe Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis P...
(C&O) discontinued
Traverse City, MichiganTraverse City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan region. The population was 14,674 at the 2010 census, with 143,372 in the Traverse...
- Charlevoix -
Petoskey, MichiganPetoskey is a city and coastal resort community in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 6,080. It is the county seat of Emmet County....
service. Freight rail service ended between Charlevoix and Williamsburg, Michigan in 1982 after
Chessie SystemChessie System, Inc. was a holding company that owned the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway , the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad , the Western Maryland Railway , and several smaller carriers. It was incorporated in Virginia on February 26, 1973, and it acquired the C&O on June 15...
abandoned the track. The state of Michigan purchased the track between Charlevoix and
Petoskey, MichiganPetoskey is a city and coastal resort community in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 6,080. It is the county seat of Emmet County....
from the
Chessie SystemChessie System, Inc. was a holding company that owned the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway , the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad , the Western Maryland Railway , and several smaller carriers. It was incorporated in Virginia on February 26, 1973, and it acquired the C&O on June 15...
Railroads and contracted
Michigan Northern RailwayThe Michigan Northern Railway was a railroad operating in the northwestern Lower Peninsula of Michigan. The main line stretched from a southern hub at Grand Rapids to a northern terminus at Mackinaw City...
to operate it. This section of track was removed in the 1990s because of a series of washouts and no rail freight customers in Charlevoix. Sections of this rail line now serve as a bicycle trail. The Charlevoix railroad depot now serves as a museum for the Charlevoix Historical Society.
Air
- Charlevoix Municipal Airport
Charlevoix Municipal Airport is a public airport located one mile southwest of the central business district of Charlevoix, a city in Charlevoix County, Michigan, United States. It is owned by the City of Charlevoix and served by one airline....
is a public airportAn airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
. In addition to private planes, the airport commonly offers flights to Detroit Metropolitan Airport, Beaver IslandBeaver Island is the largest island in Lake Michigan and part of the Beaver Island archipelago. Once home to a unique American monarchy, the island is now a popular tourist and vacation destination....
(via Island Airways) and the Cherry Capital AirportCherry Capital Airport is a public-use airport located two nautical miles south of the central business district of Traverse City, in Grand Traverse County, Michigan, United States...
in Traverse City.
- Scheduled airlines also serve Pellston Regional Airport
Pellston Regional Airport , also known as Pellston Regional Airport of Emmet County, is a public airport located one mile northwest of the central business district of Pellston, a village in Emmet County, Michigan, United States....
, Traverse City Cherry Capital AirportCherry Capital Airport is a public-use airport located two nautical miles south of the central business district of Traverse City, in Grand Traverse County, Michigan, United States...
and Alpena County Regional Airport-Top Destinations:- External links :* , official site* from USGS The National Map...
in the Lower peninsula.
History
Charlevoix is named after
Pierre François Xavier de CharlevoixPierre François Xavier de Charlevoix was a French Jesuit traveller and historian distinguished as the first historian of New France....
, a French explorer who travelled the
Great LakesThe Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
and was said to have stayed the night on Fisherman's Island one night during a harsh storm. It was during this time that
Native AmericansNative Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
were thought to have lived in the Pine River valley.
Soon after its formation in the 1850s, Charlevoix entered into a short lived conflict with Jesse Strang, leader and namesake of the
Strangite MormonsThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is a denomination of the Latter Day Saint movement with around three hundred members as of 1998...
, and then king of
Beaver IslandBeaver Island is the largest island in Lake Michigan and part of the Beaver Island archipelago. Once home to a unique American monarchy, the island is now a popular tourist and vacation destination....
. Relations between Charlevoix residents and the Strangites were often tense. In 1853, a gunfight broke out between the two groups as the townspeople refused to hand over a man who was called for jury duty on the island, an event known locally as The Battle of Pine River. When Strang was assassinated on June 20, 1856, many believed residents from Charlevoix to be responsible.
Charlevoix was permanently settled in the post-Civil War era. In the 1880s, Several professors from the
University of ChicagoThe University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
formed the Chicago Club Summer Home association. It wasn't long before the city became known as a resort destination. With three summer associations (the
Belvedere ClubThe Belvedere Club, located just south of Charlevoix, Michigan is an elite summer home association nestled between Round Lake and Lake Charlevoix. Members are generally wealthy and come from the Midwest and South. Many prominent and socially elite families have been resorting to the club for...
, Sequanota Club, and the Chicago Club, listed in order of estimated wealth, power, and exclusivity with the Belevedere being the most influential), a number of extravagant summer hotels, including The Inn and The Beach, and with rail service at two train depots on the
Pere Marquette RailwayThe Pere Marquette Railway was a railroad that operated in the Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada. The railroad had trackage in the states of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and the Canadian province of Ontario. Its primary connections included Buffalo; Toledo; and Chicago.The company was...
line, (one depot for the
Belvedere ClubThe Belvedere Club, located just south of Charlevoix, Michigan is an elite summer home association nestled between Round Lake and Lake Charlevoix. Members are generally wealthy and come from the Midwest and South. Many prominent and socially elite families have been resorting to the club for...
on the south side of Round Lake and one on the north side near the Chicago Club), Charlevoix became known as one of the nation's finest summer communities.
Charlevoix was once a popular destination for many passenger liners, including the
Manitou, Alabama, North American, South American, Milwaukee ClipperThe S/S Milwaukee Clipper, also known as S/S Clipper , and formerly as the S/S Juniata, is a mothballed passenger ship and automobile ferry that sailed under two configurations and on two sides of the Great Lakes. The Clipper is the oldest US passenger steamship on the Great Lakes...
, Illinois, and others.
During Prohibition, Charlevoix became a popular place for gang members from the Chicago area. The Colonial Club, a restaurant and gambling joint on the city's north side became known as a popular place for the Midwest's most powerful and influential. John Koch, the club's owner, kept automobile license number "2", only second to the governor - a telling sign of his influence.
The converted lumber barge
Keuka served as a blind pig and
speakeasyA speakeasy, also called a blind pig or blind tiger, is an establishment that illegally sells alcoholic beverages. Such establishments came into prominence in the United States during the period known as Prohibition...
and sailed nightly between Boyne City and Charlevoix, hosting its guests in relative comfort. A murder aboard the ship and the pressure of US Treasury Department surveillance, however, forced the owner to
scuttleScuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull.This can be achieved in several ways—valves or hatches can be opened to the sea, or holes may be ripped into the hull with brute force or with explosives...
the vessel in
Lake CharlevoixLake Charlevoix is a lake in Charlevoix County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the third largest lake in the state with a surface area of over 17,200 acres and 56 miles of shoreline...
.
November 18, 1958, Charlevoix City Hall served as a makeshift morgue for the bodies of crewmen of the
SS Carl D. BradleyThe was a self-unloading Great Lakes freighter that sank in a storm on November 18, 1958. Of the 35 crew members, 33 died in the sinking and 23 were from the port town of Rogers City, Michigan. Her sinking was likely caused by structural failure from the brittle steel used in her...
after the
lake freighterLake freighters, or Lakers, are bulk carrier vessels that ply the Great Lakes. The best known was the , the most recent and largest major vessel to be wrecked on the Lakes. These vessels are traditionally called boats, although classified as ships. In the mid-20th century, 300 lakers worked the...
foundered in Lake Michigan during a severe storm. The USCGC
Sundew, stationed at Charlevoix, was one of the first vessels to arrive at the search area and played a pivotal role in that night's rescue of the two surviving crewmen.
January 7, 1971 An unarmed USAF B-52C-45-BO, 54-2666, of the 9th BW, Westover AFB, Massachusetts, crashed into Lake Michigan near Charlevoix during a practice bomb run, exploding on impact. Only a small amount of wreckage, two life vests, and some spilled fuel was found in Little Traverse Bay. The bomber went down six nautical miles from the Bay Shore Air Force Radar Site and close to the
Big Rock Point-External links:* on Consumer's Energy website...
Nuclear Plant. Nine crew KWF.
The City of Charlevoix suffered economically from the 1950s to the 1980s as the manufacturing base largely evaporated, the train lines to the city ceased operating, and the larger tourist hotels fell out of business, leaving many empty buildings. The city has recovered from this slump via many redevelopment projects that have improved the downtown area. The 1980s also brought many
condominiumA condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...
developments in the area.
Charlevoix was home to Michigan's first
nuclear power plantA nuclear power plant is a thermal power station in which the heat source is one or more nuclear reactors. As in a conventional thermal power station the heat is used to generate steam which drives a steam turbine connected to a generator which produces electricity.Nuclear power plants are usually...
,
Big Rock Point-External links:* on Consumer's Energy website...
, which operated from 1962 to 1997.
Another major employer in the Charlevoix area has been the
MedusaIn Greek mythology Medusa , " guardian, protectress") was a Gorgon, a chthonic monster, and a daughter of Phorcys and Ceto. The author Hyginus, interposes a generation and gives Medusa another chthonic pair as parents. Gazing directly upon her would turn onlookers to stone...
cement plant, located south of town off of US 31 near
Fisherman's Island State ParkFisherman's Island State Park is a state park just south of Charlevoix, Michigan, with five miles of the Lake Michigan shoreline. Steadily decreasing water levels have meant that the tiny island from which the park took its name has connected to the shore by a narrow strip of sand thus becoming a...
. In the late 1990s the cement plant was bought out by
CemexCEMEX is the world's largest building materials supplier and third largest cement producer. Founded in Mexico in 1906, the company is based in Monterrey, Mexico...
, a transnational company from Mexico. In 2000 Cemex sold the plant to St Marys Cement Group. The cement plant is a frequent port of call for the oldest freighter on the great lakes,
St. Marys Challenger.
After the 1996 murder of
JonBenét RamseyJonBenét Patricia Ramsey was an American child beauty pageant contestant who was murdered in her home in Boulder, Colorado, in 1996. The six-year-old's body was found in the basement of the family home nearly eight hours after she was reported missing. She had been struck on the head and strangled...
, who spent her summers in Charlevoix and had won a pageant in the town, Charlevoix became a regular haven for tabloid photographers, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Ramsey family.
John RamseyJohn Bennett Ramsey is the father of homicide victim JonBenét Ramsey. He was the first to discover JonBenét's body in the wine cellar of the Ramseys' 15-room home in Boulder, Colorado, on December 25, 1996, just hours after her murder....
, JonBenet's father and husband of the late
Patsy RamseyPatricia Ann "Patsy" Ramsey was the mother of JonBenét Ramsey, a 6-year-old American beauty pageant contestant who was murdered on December 25, 1996.-Background:...
, still resides in Charlevoix.
The infamous murderer
Richard LoebNathan Freudenthal Leopold, Jr. and Richard Albert Loeb , more commonly known as "Leopold and Loeb", were two wealthy University of Michigan alumni and University of Chicago students who murdered 14-year-old Robert "Bobby" Franks in 1924 and were sentenced to life imprisonment.The duo were...
's family owned a summer estate in Charlevoix in the 1920s.
For a list of historical landmarks, see
Charlevoix County-Airports:*Beaver Island is served by two airlines:**Welke Airport**Beaver Island Airport-Ferry service:*Beaver Island Boat Company maintains a regular auto ferry from Charlevoix:*The Ironton Ferry at Ironton, Michigan crosses the south arm of Lake Charlevoix...
.
Special events
- Petunia Planting- Petunia planting began in 1982 when "Keep Charlevoix Beautiful" organization member Dale Boss had a vision to line the streets of the city with thousands of petunias from the north side of the city limit all the way to the south and "Opporation Petunia" began. Now, every Thursday before memorial day hundreds of residents gather to plant over 60,000 petunias on up and down Main street.
- Venetian-The Venetian festival began in 1931 with a very simple boat show in Charlevoix's Round Lake and has now grown into a week long festival bringing in tens of thousands of people and costs $200,000. Venetian now includes two night of some of the best fireworks in Northern Michigan, big name concerts, a parade, athletic events, a carnival, a boat parade, and many more family friendly and adult activities.
- Apple Fest- The 30th annual Apple festival was celebrated in October 2008. The Apple festival celebrates one of Northern Michigan's most prominent fruits, the apple. It gives local farmers the chance to sell their harvest right in the downtown Charlevoix area. The festival also includes pony rides, face painting, a craft show and many more activities to draw in tourism.
- Car Raffle- Charlevoix has an annual car raffle, sponsored by Charlevoix Chamber of Commerce, to generate funds for capital improvements and operations.
- Art and Craft Show- The art and craft show is held one weekend in July each summer in downtown Charlevoix. 150 artists and craftsmen come from all over the united states to sell their work.
Tourism
Charlevoix bills itself as "Charlevoix the Beautiful" on its promotional literature and on municipal signs around the city. This moniker was also the name of a book by prominent local "stone house" architect
Earl YoungEarl Verdelle Young is a former American athlete, winner of gold medal in 4x400 m relay at the 1960 Summer Olympics....
.
Nearby
Northern MichiganNorthern Michigan, also known as Northern Lower Michigan , is a region of the U.S. state of Michigan...
tourist destinations are:
- Beaver Island
Beaver Island is the largest island in Lake Michigan and part of the Beaver Island archipelago. Once home to a unique American monarchy, the island is now a popular tourist and vacation destination....
- Lake Charlevoix
Lake Charlevoix is a lake in Charlevoix County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the third largest lake in the state with a surface area of over 17,200 acres and 56 miles of shoreline...
- Petoskey, Michigan
Petoskey is a city and coastal resort community in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 6,080. It is the county seat of Emmet County....
- Harbor Springs, Michigan
Harbor Springs is a city and resort community in Emmet County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,567 at the 2000 census.Harbor Springs is in a sheltered bay on the north shore of the Little Traverse Bay on Lake Michigan. The Little Traverse Lighthouse is a historic lighthouse on...
- Horton Bay, Michigan, childhood stomping grounds of Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
- Traverse City, Michigan
Traverse City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan region. The population was 14,674 at the 2010 census, with 143,372 in the Traverse...
- the Ironton Ferry
Ironton Ferry is a four-car cable ferry that crosses a narrow point on the South Arm of Lake Charlevoix in the U.S. State of Michigan in the town Ironton. The Ferry connects Ironton, a small village about 5 miles from Charlevoix, Michigan, to Boyne City, Michigan. Ironton was a Pig Iron Factory...
- Sleeping Bear Dunes National Seashore
Common annual festivals in Charlevoix are:
- Venetian festival
- Apple Festival
- Waterfront art fair
Media and Culture
Charlevoix is primarily served by four newspapers: the
Charlevoix Courier, the
Petoskey News Review, the
Traverse City Record-EagleThe Traverse City Record-Eagle is a daily morning newspaper based in Traverse City, Michigan. It calls itself "Northern Michigan's Newspaper".The newspaper formerly was owned by Dow Jones & Company, also publishers of the Wall Street Journal...
, and the
Detroit Free PressThe Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The Sunday edition is entitled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes informally referred to as the "Freep"...
. Most television and radio stations are based in Traverse City and serve all of the
Northern MichiganNorthern Michigan, also known as Northern Lower Michigan , is a region of the U.S. state of Michigan...
region including Charlevoix.
Charlevoix has one movie tri-plex theater embedded within its downtown and no big box shopping outlets except for
KmartKmart, sometimes styled as "K-Mart," is a chain of discount department stores. The chain acquired Sears in 2005, forming a new corporation under the name Sears Holdings Corporation. The company was founded in 1962 and is the third largest discount store chain in the world, behind Wal-Mart and...
, having outlawed them after refusing
Wal-MartWal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
's proposed store on the edge of the city.
There is a community pool on the north side of town and a bowling alley on the south side near the
Charlevoix Municipal AirportCharlevoix Municipal Airport is a public airport located one mile southwest of the central business district of Charlevoix, a city in Charlevoix County, Michigan, United States. It is owned by the City of Charlevoix and served by one airline....
. Typical of small towns, high school athletic events are an integral part of Charlevoix's culture. During the winter, the town's basketball team draws much of the locals' attention.
Recently, a skate park was built on the south side of town with the help of donations. The Charlevoix Community Skatepark opened in 2006. The park is supervised and helmets are required. Skateboards, Inline Skates and BMX bikes are allowed.
Several notable golf courses are built around Charlevoix: Belvedere Golf Club, Charlevoix Country Club, Dunmaglas, Antrim Dells, and the nine-hole Charlevoix Municipal Golf Course, which was once eighteen holes as part of the Chicago Club.
Skiing in the area is common winter sport in Northern Michigan, with the closest resort being
Boyne MountainBoyne Mountain Resort is a ski resort with a collection of accommodations in Northern Michigan located near Boyne City. The center piece is an upscale resort called The Mountain Grand Lodge and Spa. The Boyne Mountain Resort was originally developed by Everett Kircher, and is now owned and operated...
near Boyne City.
Charlevoix used to be a "one stoplight town" until it received a second stoplight in the 1980s at the intersection of M-66 and US 31.
Notable Charlevoixians
- Robert Boss
Robert L. Boss is an American football offensive lineman/defensive lineman for the Arena Football League's Chicago Rush. In the 2006 season, he played for the af2's Green Bay Blizzard...
professional football player
- Jeff Drenth, Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
cross-country running champion, three time member of United States world cross-country team, and competitor at the 1984 Summer OlympicsThe 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
Trials in the 10,000 metres event.
- Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
spent his boyhood summers in the area, setting many of his Nick Adams Stories on or near Lake CharlevoixLake Charlevoix is a lake in Charlevoix County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the third largest lake in the state with a surface area of over 17,200 acres and 56 miles of shoreline...
.
- Roger Knutson, author of Flattened Fauna: A Field Guide to Common Animals of Roads, Streets, and Highways (1984) Ten Speed Press ISBN 0898151864.
- Albert Loeb, lawyer and Vice President of Sears and Roebuck who built the Castle Farm test farm complex in Charlevoix.
- Richard Albert Loeb, son of Albert, of Leopold and Loeb
Nathan Freudenthal Leopold, Jr. and Richard Albert Loeb , more commonly known as "Leopold and Loeb", were two wealthy University of Michigan alumni and University of Chicago students who murdered 14-year-old Robert "Bobby" Franks in 1924 and were sentenced to life imprisonment.The duo were...
murder trial fame.
- JonBenét Ramsey
JonBenét Patricia Ramsey was an American child beauty pageant contestant who was murdered in her home in Boulder, Colorado, in 1996. The six-year-old's body was found in the basement of the family home nearly eight hours after she was reported missing. She had been struck on the head and strangled...
summered here with her family until her death in 1996, and her family moved here after her murder.
- Charles Ransom, philanthropist
- Willard J. Smith
Willard John Smith served as the thirteenth Commandant of the United States Coast Guard from 1966 to 1970....
thirteenth Commandant of the United States Coast Guard.
- Glendon Swarthout
Glendon Fred Swarthout was an American writer.-Life:Glendon Swarthout was the only child of Fred and Lila Swarthout, a banker and a homemaker. Swarthout is a Dutch name from the area around Groningen, in the Netherlands, and his mother’s maiden name was Chubb, from English farmers of Yorkshire...
American author and novelist.
- Earl Young
Earl A. Young was an American architect, realtor and insurance agent. Over a span of 52 years, he designed and built 31 structures in Charlevoix, Michigan but was never a registered architect. He worked mostly in stone, using limestone, fieldstone, and boulders he found throughout Northern Michigan...
, builder of distinctive stone houses
- Bob Carey
Robert Winfield Carey was an American football end in the National Football League. He was a first round pick by the Los Angeles Rams in the 1952 NFL Draft from Michigan State University. He played with the Rams from 1952 to 1956...
, Athlete, former NFL First Round Draft Choice 1952; First Team All American in football 1951, All-American Shot Putter 1951, and three year basketball starter at Michigan State University 1950-1952.
Geography
- According to the United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 2.2 square miles (5.7 km²), of which, 2 square miles (5.2 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (4.65%) is water.
- Charlevoix is part of Northern Michigan
Northern Michigan, also known as Northern Lower Michigan , is a region of the U.S. state of Michigan...
.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,994 people, 1,375 households, and 812 families residing in the city. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,465.8 per square mile (566.7/km²). There were 2,096 housing units at an average density of 1,026.2 per square mile (396.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.92% White, 0.27% African American, 2.84% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.43% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.24% of the population.
There were 1,375 households out of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.9% were non-families. 35.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.76.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.6% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,284, and the median income for a family was $42,853. Males had a median income of $31,544 versus $24,375 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $21,319. About 3.7% of families and 9.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.
Current issues
Charlevoix, like many Michigan resort towns, is suffering from a real estate slump as a result of decreased revenue in Detroit auto manufacturers.
Charlevoix has recently begun to contend with the prospect of
urban sprawlUrban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a multifaceted concept, which includes the spreading outwards of a city and its suburbs to its outskirts to low-density and auto-dependent development on rural land, high segregation of uses Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a...
. Following the construction of a K-mart plaza development in the 1990s, many businesses and the post office moved to this area. There was significant controversy in the 1990s over the decision to extend water pipes into rural farmland south of Charlevoix in order to build a new Charlevoix High School. In the early 2000s, Charlevoix, led by
Green PartyThe Green Party of the United States is a nationally recognized political party which officially formed in 1991. It is a voluntary association of state green parties. Prior to national formation, many state affiliates had already formed and were recognized by other state parties...
Drain Commissioner JoAnne Beemon, successfully fought off a bid by Walmart to open a store along this new water pipeline on the south edge of town.
From 2006–2008, Charlevoix has offered to host the LaSalle-Griffon Project, a project that seeks to the ruins of a shipwreck that may be
Le GriffonLe Griffon was a 17th century sailing ship built by René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle in his quest to find the Northwest Passage to China and Japan....
.
External links