Grand Marais, Minnesota
Grand Marais is a city in
Cook County,
Minnesota,
United States. The population was 1,353 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of
Cook County6. Grand Marais is French for Big Marsh, but there is no big marsh in the vicinity of Grand Marais. Instead, historians speculate that in the French dialect spoken by the early voyageurs the word
marais meant harbor or haven. If that is the case, then Grand Marais means Big Harbor. Similarly, the Ojibwe name for Grand Marais is Kitchi-Bitobig which means, double body of water, a reference to the two bays which form the large, welcoming Lake Superior harbor of Grand Marais.
Encyclopedia
Grand Marais is a city in
Cook County,
Minnesota,
United States. The population was 1,353 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of
Cook County6. Grand Marais is French for “Big Marsh,” but there is no big marsh in the vicinity of Grand Marais. Instead, historians speculate that in the French dialect spoken by the early voyageurs the word
marais meant harbor or haven. If that is the case, then Grand Marais means “Big Harbor.” Similarly, the Ojibwe name for Grand Marais is “Kitchi-Bitobig” which means, “double body of water,” a reference to the two bays which form the large, welcoming Lake Superior harbor of Grand Marais.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.9 km² , all land. Grand Marais is located on the northwestern shore of
Lake Superior in northeastern
Minnesota, and is well known as an entry point for the
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The Superior Hiking Trail passes near Grand Marais and
Judge C. R. Magney State Park is nearby.
Road access to Grand Marais is by
Minnesota Highway 61, which generally follows the shore of Lake Superior and is known as the North Shore Scenic Drive. The Gunflint Trail begins in Grand Marais and heads northeast away from the lake and into the
Boundary Waters region. Before heading out of town stop and take your picture in front of a giant Walleye at The Beaver House.
Demographics
As of the
census2 of 2000, there were 1,353 people, 645 households, and 341 families residing in the city. The
population density was 195.7/km² . There were 722 housing units at an average density of 104.4/km² . The racial makeup of the city was 94.97%
White, 2.81% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.15% Pacific Islander, 0.07% from
other races, and 1.85% from two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.74% of the population.
There were 645 households out of which 23.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.1% were non-families. 42.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.01 and the average family size was 2.73.
In the city the population was spread out with 18.8% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 26.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 83.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,493, and the median income for a family was $46,563. Males had a median income of $31,500 versus $23,393 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,863. About 7.4% of families and 10.0% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 11.9% of those under age 18 and 12.0% of those age 65 or over.
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