All Topics  
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
 
 
  Topics Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan Topic Home

Sault Ste. Marie is a city in and the county seat
County seat

A county seat or parish seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there....
 of Chippewa County
Chippewa County, Michigan

Chippewa County is a Counties of the United States in the Upper peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the United States 2000 Census, the population was 38,543....
 in the U.S. state
U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 state of the United States that share sovereignty with the federal government of the United States . Because of this shared sovereignty, an United States is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of Domicile ....
 of Michigan
Michigan

Michigan is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Anishinaabe language term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, and the oldest city in the Midwest region of the United States. It is at the eastern edge of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on the Canadian
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
 border, separated from its twin -albeit larger- city of Sault Ste. Marie
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Sault Ste. Marie is a city on the St. Marys River in Ontario, Canada. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Greater Sudbury and Thunder Bay, with a population of 74,948....
, Ontario
Ontario

Ontario is a Provinces and territories of Canada located in the Central Canada part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area....
 by the St. Marys River
St. Marys River (Michigan-Ontario)

The St. Marys River , sometimes written as the St. Mary's River, drains Lake Superior, starting at the end of Whitefish Bay and flowing 120 km southeast into Lake Huron....
. The population was 16,542 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000

File:US-Census-2000Logo.svgThe Twenty-Second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the United States 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 Enumeration during the United States Census, 1990....
.

Sault Ste. Marie was formally founded as a mission in 1668 by Father Jacques Marquette
Jacques Marquette

Father Jacques Marquette SJ , sometimes known as Pere Marquette, was a French people missionary who founded Michigan's first European settlement, Sault Ste....
. A fur trading settlement soon grew up at this crossroads on both sides of the river.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan'
Start a new discussion about 'Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Sault Ste. Marie is a city in and the county seat
County seat

A county seat or parish seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there....
 of Chippewa County
Chippewa County, Michigan

Chippewa County is a Counties of the United States in the Upper peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the United States 2000 Census, the population was 38,543....
 in the U.S. state
U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 state of the United States that share sovereignty with the federal government of the United States . Because of this shared sovereignty, an United States is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of Domicile ....
 of Michigan
Michigan

Michigan is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Anishinaabe language term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, and the oldest city in the Midwest region of the United States. It is at the eastern edge of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on the Canadian
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
 border, separated from its twin -albeit larger- city of Sault Ste. Marie
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Sault Ste. Marie is a city on the St. Marys River in Ontario, Canada. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Greater Sudbury and Thunder Bay, with a population of 74,948....
, Ontario
Ontario

Ontario is a Provinces and territories of Canada located in the Central Canada part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area....
 by the St. Marys River
St. Marys River (Michigan-Ontario)

The St. Marys River , sometimes written as the St. Mary's River, drains Lake Superior, starting at the end of Whitefish Bay and flowing 120 km southeast into Lake Huron....
. The population was 16,542 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000

File:US-Census-2000Logo.svgThe Twenty-Second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the United States 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 Enumeration during the United States Census, 1990....
.

Sault Ste. Marie was formally founded as a mission in 1668 by Father Jacques Marquette
Jacques Marquette

Father Jacques Marquette SJ , sometimes known as Pere Marquette, was a French people missionary who founded Michigan's first European settlement, Sault Ste....
. A fur trading settlement soon grew up at this crossroads on both sides of the river. It was one of the oldest villages in present-day Ontario and center of the 3,000-mile Fur Trade Route extending west from Montreal to the Sault, then to the country north of Lake Superior.

The town was split into two in 1797 (when the Upper Peninsula was transferred from the province of Upper Canada
Upper Canada

The Province of Upper Canada was a British colony located in what is now the southern portion of the Province of Ontario in Canada. Upper Canada officially existed from 26 December 1791 to 10 February 1841 and generally comprised present-day Southern Ontario and, until 1797, the Upper Peninsula of what is now part of the U.S....
 to the United States).

Sault Sainte Marie is Old French
French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
 meaning "Rapids of St. Mary's", a reference to the rapids in the Saint Marys River, which joins Lake Superior
Lake Superior

Lake Superior is the largest of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by Ontario, Canada and Minnesota, United States, and to the south by the U.S....
 to Lake Huron
Lake Huron

Lake Huron, bounded on the west by the U.S. state of Michigan, and on the east by the Provinces and territories of Canada of Ontario, Canada, is one of the five Great Lakes of North America....
. (The spelling Sault-Sainte-Marie is more usual in French
French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
, but the name is written without hyphens in English
English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
). Either city, or the vicinity as a whole, can also be informally called the Sault or the Soo. More recently, there have been a few references to a Greater Sault Ste. Marie, encompassing both cities and their outlying satellite communities. As of 2006 this term is not in widespread use.

The two cities are joined by the International Bridge
Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge

The International Bridge, or, more properly, the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge, spans the St. Marys River between the United States and Canada connecting the twin cities of Sault Ste....
, which connects Interstate Highway 75
Interstate 75

Interstate 75 is a major north-south Interstate Highway in the midwest and southeastern United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida, Florida to Sault Ste....
 in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and Huron Street in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Shipping traffic in the Great Lakes
Great Lakes

The St. Lawrence River Great Lakes are a chain of fresh water lakes located in eastern North America, on the Canada ? United States border. Consisting of Lakes Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth....
 system bypasses the Saint Mary's Rapids via the American Soo Locks
Soo Locks

The Soo Locks allow ships to travel between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes. The locks pass an average of 10,000 ships per year. This is achieved in spite of the locks' being closed during the winter, from January through March, when ice shuts down shipping on the Great Lakes....
, the world's busiest canal in terms of tonnage that passes through it, while smaller recreational and tour boats use the Canadian Sault Ste. Marie Canal
Sault Ste. Marie Canal

The Sault Ste. Marie Canal is a National Historic Site of Canada in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Ontario. The canal is part of the Great Lakes Waterway from the Atlantic ocean to Lake Superior and includes a set of Lock to bypass the rapids on the St....
. The downtown of the city sits on an island with the locks to the north, and the Saulte Ste. Marie Power Canal to the south.

The city is the site of the Soo Locks
Soo Locks

The Soo Locks allow ships to travel between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes. The locks pass an average of 10,000 ships per year. This is achieved in spite of the locks' being closed during the winter, from January through March, when ice shuts down shipping on the Great Lakes....
, which lets ships travel between Lake Superior
Lake Superior

Lake Superior is the largest of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by Ontario, Canada and Minnesota, United States, and to the south by the U.S....
 and the lower Great Lakes
Great Lakes

The St. Lawrence River Great Lakes are a chain of fresh water lakes located in eastern North America, on the Canada ? United States border. Consisting of Lakes Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth....
. Although the locks are not as busy as in past years, a considerable amount of domestic and foreign commerce passes through them. People come from around the world to view close up the ships passing through the locks. The largest ships are long by wide. These are domestic carriers (called lakers
Lake freighter

Lake freighters, or Lakers, are cargo vessels that ply the Great Lakes. The most well-known is the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, the latest major vessel to be wrecked on the Lakes....
) that are too large to transit the Welland Canal
Welland Canal

The Welland Canal is a ship canal that runs 42 km from Port Colborne, Ontario on Lake Erie to Port Weller, Ontario on Lake Ontario. As part of the St....
 around Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls

The Niagara Falls are massive waterfalls on the Niagara River, straddling the Canada?United States border between the Provinces and territories of Canada of Ontario and the U.S....
 and thus are land-locked. Foreign ships (termed salties) are smaller.

History

For centuries Ojibwa
Ojibwa

The Ojibwa or Chippewa is the largest group of Native Americans in the United States-First Nations north of Mexico, including M?tis people ....
 (Chippewa) Native Americans had lived in the area, which they referred to as Baawitigong ("At the cascading rapids") after the Rapids of St. Marys River
St. Marys River (Michigan-Ontario)

The St. Marys River , sometimes written as the St. Mary's River, drains Lake Superior, starting at the end of Whitefish Bay and flowing 120 km southeast into Lake Huron....
. The Saulteaux
Saulteaux

The Saulteaux are a First Nation in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, Canada....
 branch of the Ojibwa were named after this region.

In 1668, French missionaries Claude Dablon
Claude Dablon

Claude Dablon was a Jesuit missionary, born in Dieppe, Seine-Maritime, France.At the age of twenty-one he entered the Society of Jesus, and after his course of studies and teaching in France, arrived in Canada in 1655....
 and Jacques Marquette
Jacques Marquette

Father Jacques Marquette SJ , sometimes known as Pere Marquette, was a French people missionary who founded Michigan's first European settlement, Sault Ste....
 founded a mission there. The Sault is the third oldest city west of the Appalachian Mountains
Appalachian Mountains

The Appalachian Mountains or , often called the Appalachians, are a vast mountain range in eastern North America. Definitions vary on the precise boundaries of the Appalachians....
 in what is now the United States, and the oldest city in present-day Michigan
Michigan

Michigan is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Anishinaabe language term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
.

In the 18th century, it became an important center of the fur trade, when it was a post for the North West Company
North West Company

The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal, Quebec from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what was to become Western Canada....
. The fur trader John Johnston
John Johnston (fur trader)

John Johnston , was a wealthy and successful British people fur trader for the North West Company at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan before the War of 1812, and a leader in the Michigan Territory....
, a Scots-Irish immigrant from Belfast, Ireland, was considered the first European settler in 1790. He married a high-ranking Ojibwa woman Ozhaguscodaywayquay
Ozhaguscodaywayquay

Ozhaguscodaywayquay , also called Neengay or Susan Johnston, was an important figure in the later Great Lakes fur trade. She was born into an Ojibwe family near La Pointe, Wisconsin in the mid-1770s....
, also called Susan Johnston, who was the daughter of a prominent chief. Their marriage created an alliance with the Ojibwa. They had eight children and raised them to speak French, English and Ojibwe. They were leaders in both the Ojibwe and Euro-American communities, and entertained a variety of trappers, explorers, traders, and government officials, especially through the years before the War of 1812
War of 1812

The War of 1812, between the United States of America and the British Empire , was fought from 1812 to 1815.There were several immediate stated causes for the U.S....
. With the fur trade, the settlement became a place of Ojibwa and Ottawa, Europeans of various ethnicities, and Métis. It was a two-tier society, with fur traders and their families, and upper class Ojibwa, at the top.

In the aftermath of the War of 1812
War of 1812

The War of 1812, between the United States of America and the British Empire , was fought from 1812 to 1815.There were several immediate stated causes for the U.S....
, society changed markedly over a generation or so. The US built Fort Brady near the settlement, which introduced new troops and settlers, generally Anglo-American. After completion of the Erie Canal
Erie Canal

The Erie Canal is a man-made waterway in New York state that runs about 365 miles from Albany on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes....
, the number of settlers migrating to Ohio and Michigan increased dramatically.

The falls proved a choke point for shipping. Early Lake Superior ships were portaged around the rapids, in a lengthy process much like moving a house, a process which could take weeks. Later, cargoes were unloaded and hauled around the rapids and loaded onto other waiting boats. The first American lock, the State Lock, was built in 1855 and was instrumental in improving shipping. Over the years, the lock was expanded and improved.

The American Soo Locks are the busiest canal in the world in terms of tonnage that passes through.

Meaning of the name

The city draws its name from the nearby rapids, originally named Les Saults de Sainte-Marie. Sault is an archaic French
French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
 word for "waterfall" or "rapids".

In modern French, the words chutes and rapides are now used to convey those two meanings. The word sault survives almost exclusively in geographic names dating from the 17th century. (See also Long Sault, Ontario
Ontario

Ontario is a Provinces and territories of Canada located in the Central Canada part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area....
 and Grand Falls/Grand-Sault, New Brunswick
Grand Falls, New Brunswick

Grand Falls is a Canada town in Victoria County, New Brunswick and Madawaska County, New Brunswick.Situated on the Saint John River , the town derives its name from a waterfall created by a series of rock ledges over which the river drops 23 metres....
, two other place names where sault carries this meaning.)

Another theory is that Sault is derived from an archaic French word for "jump" (current verb sauter). It could have referred to the area where ships would have to "jump" the St. Mary's rapids by being brought ashore and portaged around the rapids before being put back in the water.

Transportation

  • I 75
    I-75
    Interstate 75

    Interstate 75 is a major north-south Interstate Highway in the midwest and southeastern United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida, Florida to Sault Ste....
     ends at the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge
    Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge

    The International Bridge, or, more properly, the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge, spans the St. Marys River between the United States and Canada connecting the twin cities of Sault Ste....
     at the Canadian
    Canada

    Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
     border. On the Canadian side, drivers must use a series of city streets to reach Highway 17
    Highway 17 (Ontario)

    Highway 17 is the primary route of the Trans-Canada Highway through Ontario, Canada. It begins at the western limit of Highway 417 near Arnprior, Ontario, and continues west to the Manitoba border....
    , the local route of the Trans-Canada Highway
    Trans-Canada Highway

    The Trans-Canada Highway is a federal-provincial highway system that joins all ten Provinces of Canada of Canada. It is, after the Trans-Siberian Highway and Australia's Highway 1 , the world's longest national highway, with the main route spanning 7,821 km....
    .
  • Business Spur 75
    I-75 Business Spur Sault Ste. Marie
  • M 28
    M-28
    M-28 (Michigan highway)

    M-28 is an east?west Michigan Highway System that almost completely traverses the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the U.S. state of Michigan, from Wakefield, Michigan to near Sault Ste....
  • M 129
    M-129
    M-129 (Michigan highway)

    M-129 is a Michigan Highway System in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan of the U.S. state of Michigan. It runs from Cedarville, Michigan to Sault Ste....
  • Mackinac Trail
    Mackinac Trail

    Mackinac Trail was the old highway to Mackinaw City, MI. In the Lower Peninsula, it is named Mackinaw Trail. Other road names have been applied to several segments of this highway....


The city is the northern terminus of Interstate 75
Interstate 75

Interstate 75 is a major north-south Interstate Highway in the midwest and southeastern United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida, Florida to Sault Ste....
, which connects with the Mackinac Bridge
Mackinac Bridge

The Mackinac Bridge , is a suspension bridge spanning the Straits of Mackinac to connect the non-contiguous Upper Peninsula of Michigan and Lower Peninsula of Michigan peninsulas of the U.S....
 at St. Ignace
St. Ignace, Michigan

Saint Ignace, usually written as St. Ignace, is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city population was 2,678....
  to the south, and continues south to Miami
Miami, Florida

Miami is a global city in southeastern Florida, in the United States. Miami is the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, the most populous county in Florida....
, Florida
Florida

Florida is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the northeast....
. M-129
M-129 (Michigan highway)

M-129 is a Michigan Highway System in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan of the U.S. state of Michigan. It runs from Cedarville, Michigan to Sault Ste....
 also has its northern terminus in the city. M-129 was at one time a part of the Dixie Highway
Dixie Highway

The Dixie Highway was a United States automobile highway first planned in 1914, to connect the US Midwest with the Southern United States. It was part of the National Auto Trail system, and grew out of an earlier Miami, Florida to Montreal highway....
 system which was intended to connect the northern industrial states with the southern agricultural states. Until 1984 the city was the eastern terminus of the western segment of US 2
U.S. Route 2

U.S. Route 2 is an east-west U.S. Highway spanning 2,579 miles across the northern continental United States. U.S. 2 consists of two segments connected by roadways in southern Canada....
. County Highway H-63 Mackinac Trail
Mackinac Trail

Mackinac Trail was the old highway to Mackinaw City, MI. In the Lower Peninsula, it is named Mackinaw Trail. Other road names have been applied to several segments of this highway....
 also has its northern terminus in the city and extends south to St. Ignace and follows a route very similar to Interstate 75. The city is served by the Chippewa County International Airport
Chippewa County International Airport

Chippewa County International Airport is a U.S. public airport located 18 miles south of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. It is the former Kincheloe Air Force Base....
 in Kinross about south and the Soo Municipal Airport.

Sault Ste. Marie was the namesake of the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railway, now the Soo Line Railroad
Soo Line Railroad

The Soo Line Railroad is the primary United States railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway , controlled through the Soo Line Corporation, and one of seven U.S....
, the U.S. arm of the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway

The Canadian Pacific Railway , known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a Canada Class I railroad operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited....
. This railroad had a bridge parallel to the International Bridge, crossing the St. Marys River. The Soo Line had since, through a series of acquisitions and mergers of portions of the system, been split between Canadian Pacific and Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway

The Canadian National Railway is a Canada Class I railroad operated by the Canadian National Railway Company headquartered in Montreal, Quebec....
, with CN operating the rail lines and the bridge in the Sault Ste, Marie area formerly part of the Soo Line.

The Sugar Island Ferry provides automobile and passenger access between Sault Ste. Marie and Sugar Island. The short route that the ferry travels crosses the shipping channel. The Soo Locks allow lake freighters and ocean vessels to travel between Lakes Huron and Superior, which have in elevational difference, with Lake Superior being the higher of the two. Freighters typically do not dock in the Sault, however there is a mail boat, tugs, a tourist passenger ferry service, and Coast Guard station located along the shoreline on the lower side of the Soo Locks.

Geography and climate

The city is located at Latitude: 46.49 N, Longitude: 84.35 W.

According to the United States Census Bureau
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 (52.3 km²)—14.8 square miles (38.4 km²) of it is land and 5.4 square miles (13.9 km²) of it (26.63%) is water.

Sault Ste. Marie is among the snowiest places in Michigan, receiving an average of 128 inches of snow a year with a record year where fell. Sixty-two inches of snow fell in one five-day snowstorm, including in 24 hours, in December 1995. Sault Ste. Marie receives an average annual of precipitation measured as equivalent rainfall. Its immediate region is also the cloudiest in the UP, having over 200 cloudy days a year.

Temperatures in Sault Ste. Marie have varied between a record low of and a record high of . Monthly average temperatures range from a low of in January to a high of in July. In an average year, only one or two days reach while 180 days fall below .

Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Rec High °F 45 49 75 85 89 93 97 98 95 81 67 62
Norm High °F 21.5 24.5 33.6 48 63.2 70.7 75.7 74.1 64.8 52.8 38.9 27.2
Norm Low °F 4.9 6.6 16.1 28.8 39.3 46.5 52 52.4 44.8 36 25.9 13.1
Rec Low °F -36 -35 -24 -2 18 26 36 29 25 16 -10 -31
Precip (in) 2.64 1.6 2.41 2.57 2.5 3 3.14 3.47 3.71 3.32 3.4 2.91
Source: USTravelWeather.com


Demographics

As of the census
Census

A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population....
 of 2000, there were 16,542 people, 5,742 households, and 3,301 families living in the city. The population density
Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans....
 was 1,116.3 people per square mile (431.0/km²). There were 6,237 housing units at an average density of 420.9 per square mile (162.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 73.99% White, 6.51% African American, 13.72% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.47% from other races
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
, and 4.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.86% of the population.

There were 5,742 households out of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.9% were married couples
Marriage

Marriage is a social, spirituality, or law union of individuals. This union may also be called matrimony, while the ceremony that marks its beginning is usually called a wedding and the married status created is sometimes called wedlock....
 living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.5% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the city the population was spread out with 19.4% under the age of 18, 18.1% from 18 to 24, 31.9% from 25 to 44, 18.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 122.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 128.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,652, and that for a family was $40,333. Males had a median income of $29,656 versus $21,889 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income

Per capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone....
 for the city was $14,460. About 12.7% of families and 17.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.6% of those under age 18 and 12.5% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Tourism
Tourism

Tourism is travel for recreational or leisure purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from...
 is a major industry in what is usually referred to as the Soo. The locks and nearby Kewadin Casino, owned by the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians, are the major draws, as well as the forests, inland lakes and Lake Superior shoreline. The Soo is also a gateway to Lake Superior's scenic north shore through its twin city Sault Ste. Marie
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Sault Ste. Marie is a city on the St. Marys River in Ontario, Canada. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Greater Sudbury and Thunder Bay, with a population of 74,948....
, Ontario
Ontario

Ontario is a Provinces and territories of Canada located in the Central Canada part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area....
. The two cities are connected by the large Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge
Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge

The International Bridge, or, more properly, the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge, spans the St. Marys River between the United States and Canada connecting the twin cities of Sault Ste....
, a steel truss arch bridge
Truss arch bridge

A truss arch bridge combines the elements of the truss bridge and the arch bridge. The actual resolution of forces will depend upon the design. If no horizontal thrusting forces are generated this becomes an arch-shaped truss, essentially a bent beam — see moon bridge for an example....
 with suspended deck passing over the St. Marys River.

Education

Sault Ste. Marie is home to Lake Superior State University
Lake Superior State University

Lake Superior State University is a small public university in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan. It is colloquially referred to as Lake State, Lake Superior State and LSSU....
, founded in 1946 as an extension campus of Michigan Mining and Technological College (now Michigan Technological University
Michigan Technological University

Michigan Technological University is an United States public university with a range of degree offerings. The largest portion of Michigan Tech's campus is located on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the city of Houghton, Michigan....
). Several famous athletes have come from Sault Ste. Marie including former NHLer Cliff Barton
Cliff Barton

Cliff John Barton was an United States professional ice hockey Winger .Barton played three seasons in the National Hockey League for the Pittsburgh Pirates , Philadelphia Quakers and New York Rangers....
. Sault Ste. Marie was also the home of Jane Johnston Schoolcraft
Jane Johnston Schoolcraft

Jane Johnston Schoolcraft is the first known American Indian literary writer. She was Ojibwa and Irish-American and wrote her Ojibwa name as Bamewawagezhikaquay. It can also be written as O-bah-bahm-wawa-ge-zhe-go-qua , meaning "Woman of the Sound [that the stars make] Rushing Through the Sky." She lived most of her life in Sault...
, the early American Indian writer, and her husband Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, the Indian agent and ethnographer. Their houses still stand and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation....
.

Media


TV

For stations licensed to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Sault Ste. Marie is a city on the St. Marys River in Ontario, Canada. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Greater Sudbury and Thunder Bay, with a population of 74,948....
, see Media in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario#Television
Media in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

This is a list of media in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Ontario. For stations licensed to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan#Media, see that city's article....
.

All stations listed here are rebroadcasters of television stations based in Traverse City
Traverse City, Michigan

Traverse City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, Michigan, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County, Michigan....
 and Cadillac
Cadillac, Michigan

Cadillac is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is the county seat of Wexford County, Michigan. As of the United States Census, 2000, the city population was 10,000....
.

  • Channel 8: WGTQ
    WGTU

    WGTU, channel 29, is the American Broadcasting Company-affiliated television station for the northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan and eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan Peninsulas of Michigan that is licensed to Traverse City, Michigan....
    , ABC (rebroadcasts WGTU)
  • Channel 10: WWUP
    WWTV

    WWTV is the CBS-affiliated television station for the northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan and eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan Peninsulas of Michigan....
    , CBS
    CBS

    CBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American radio network and television network. The name is derived from the initials of Columbia Broadcasting System, its former legal name....
     (rebroadcasts WWTV); Fox
    Fox Broadcasting Company

    The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox and stylized as FOX, is an United States television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation....
     on digital subchannel 10.2 (rebroadcasts WFQX-TV
    WFQX-TV

    WFQX-TV, channel 33, is the Fox Broadcasting Company-affiliated television station for the northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan and eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan Peninsulas of Michigan....
    )
  • Channel 67: W67CS, 3ABN
    3ABN

    Three Angels Broadcasting Network, or 3ABN for short, is a nonprofit, 24-hour television network and radio networks which primarily focuses on Christian and health-oriented programming....
     (all programming via satellite)


NBC is served by WTOM channel 4 from Cheboygan
Cheboygan, Michigan

Cheboygan is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the United States Census, 2000, the city population was 5,295. It is the county seat of Cheboygan County, Michigan....
, which repeats WPBN.

The area has no local PBS service over-the-air; on Charter
Charter Communications

Charter Communications is an American company providing cable television, high-speed Internet, and telephone services to more than 5.7 million customers in 29 states....
's cable system, WNMU-TV from Marquette
Marquette, Michigan

Marquette is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Marquette County, Michigan. The population was 19,661 at the 2000 United States Census....
 offers PBS programming.

None of these stations are seen on cable in the Canadian Soo
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Sault Ste. Marie is a city on the St. Marys River in Ontario, Canada. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Greater Sudbury and Thunder Bay, with a population of 74,948....
, as Shaw cable
Shaw Communications

Shaw Communications is a Canada telecommunications company that provides telephone, internet and television services. Shaw is Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta....
 opted for Detroit
Detroit, Michigan

Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Wayne County, Michigan. Detroit is a major port city on the Detroit River, in the Midwestern United States of the United States....
 and Rochester
Rochester, New York

Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, New York State, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. The Rochester metropolitan area is the second largest economy in New York State, behind the New York City metropolitan area....
 channels, instead.

Radio

For stations licensed to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Sault Ste. Marie is a city on the St. Marys River in Ontario, Canada. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Greater Sudbury and Thunder Bay, with a population of 74,948....
, see Media in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario#Radio
Media in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

This is a list of media in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Ontario. For stations licensed to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan#Media, see that city's article....
.

  • 1230 AM - WSOO
    WSOO

    WSOO is a radio station in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The station airs a gold-based Soft Adult Contemporary format during daytime hours, featuring music from the 1960s through the 2000s, and features sports radio programming from ESPN Radio at night....
     (adult contemporary/news
    NeWS

    NeWS was a windowing system developed by Sun Microsystems in the mid 1980s. Originally known as "SunDew", its primary authors were James Gosling and David S....
    /sports)
  • 1400 AM - WKNW
    WKNW

    WKNW is a news radio/talk radio station broadcasting at 1400 kHz on the AM dial serving Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada....
     (talk
    Talk radio

    Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests....
    /sports)
  • 90.1 FM - WLSO
    WLSO

    WLSO is a radio station in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, United States, broadcasting at 90.1 on the FM radio dial. It is the college radio station of the city's Lake Superior State University....
    , Lake Superior State University
    Lake Superior State University

    Lake Superior State University is a small public university in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan. It is colloquially referred to as Lake State, Lake Superior State and LSSU....
     college radio
    Campus radio

    Campus radio is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively by students, or may include programmers from the wider community in which the station is based....
  • 91.5 FM - WJOH
    WJOH

    WJOH is a non-commercial Contemporary Christian FM radio station which is part of the Smile FM radio network. In July 2006, it began broadcasting from Raco just west of Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan....
      (Contemporary Christian) "Smile FM" (rebroadcasts WLGH
    WLGH

    WLGH is a non-commercial, contemporary Christian FM radio station located in Lansing, Michigan. The station, which broadcasts on 88.1 MHz FM, is owned by Superior Communications which is in turn owned by Jennifer and Edward Czelada....
     from Lansing
    Lansing, Michigan

    Lansing is the List of U.S. state capitals of the U.S. state of Michigan, and the state's sixth largest city. It is located about 80 miles west-northwest of Detroit, Michigan and is mostly in Ingham County, Michigan, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County, Michigan....
    )
  • 98.3 FM - WCMZ
    WCMU-FM

    WCMU-FM is a radio station in the United States, broadcasting at FM radio 89.5 in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. The station, owned by Central Michigan University, is a National Public Radio member station, airing a large amount of classical and jazz music along with a variety of other programming....
     (NPR
    National Public Radio

    National Public Radio is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national Radio syndication to 797 public radio List of NPR stations in the United States....
    ) (rebroadcasts WCMU-FM
    WCMU-FM

    WCMU-FM is a radio station in the United States, broadcasting at FM radio 89.5 in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. The station, owned by Central Michigan University, is a National Public Radio member station, airing a large amount of classical and jazz music along with a variety of other programming....
     from Mount Pleasant
    Mount Pleasant, Michigan

    Mount Pleasant is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Isabella County. As of the United States Census, 2000, the city population was 25,946....
    )
  • 99.5 FM - WYSS
    WYSS

    WYSS is an United States radio station, broadcasting at 99.5 FM radio in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The station broadcasts a Contemporary hit radio format as Yes FM....
     (contemporary hit radio
    Contemporary hit radio

    Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States and Canada that focuses on playing current and recent popular music as determined by the top 40 music charts....
    )
  • 101.3 FM - WSUE
    WSUE

    WSUE is a radio station in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, broadcasting at 101.3 FM radio. The station broadcasts an active rock format with the brand name Rock 101....
     (active rock
    Active rock

    Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across Canada and the United States. Active rock plays current rock artists with a mix of classic rock songs....
    )
  • 102.3 FM - WTHN (religious) (rebroadcasts WPHN-FM from Gaylord)
  • 103.3 FM - W277AG (religious) (rebroadcasts WHWL-FM from Marquette
    Marquette, Michigan

    Marquette is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Marquette County, Michigan. The population was 19,661 at the 2000 United States Census....
    )


Other stations serving the Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan market:

  • 93.9 FM - WNBY
    WNBY-FM

    WNBY-FM is an oldies music formatted radio station licensed to Newberry, Michigan, and serving the Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan market.WNBY has operated on different frequencies over the years, starting at 93.5 FM, then 93.7 FM, and finally to its current frequency at 93.9 FM in 2004....
     (oldies
    Oldies

    Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on a period 15 to 55 years before the present day.In the 1980s and 1990s, "oldies" meant the 15 years from the birth of rock n roll to the beginning of the singer-songwriter era of the early 1970s, or about 1955 to 1971....
    ) - Newberry
    Newberry, Michigan

    Newberry is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Luce County, Michigan. Located within McMillan Township, Luce County, Michigan at its very southern end, it shares some administrative responsibilities with the surrounding township....
    , Michigan
    Michigan

    Michigan is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Anishinaabe language term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
  • 97.9 FM - WIHC (classic rock
    Classic rock

    Classic rock was originally conceived as a radio station radio format which evolved from the album oriented rock format in the early-1980s. In the United States, this rock music format now features a large playlist of songs ranging from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, with some stations including a limited number of current releases....
    ) - Newberry, Michigan
  • 105.5 FM - WMKD (country
    Country music

    Country music is a blend of popular American music forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. It has roots in Traditional music, Celtic music, gospel music, and old-time music and evolved rapidly in the 1920s....
    ) - Pickford, Michigan
    Michigan

    Michigan is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Anishinaabe language term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....


Print

The city's main daily newspaper is the Sault Ste. Marie Evening News
Sault Ste. Marie Evening News

Sault Ste. Marie Evening News, commonly referred to as the Sault Evening News or The Evening News, is the main daily newspaper of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. It is owned by GateHouse Media....
, more commonly referred to as the Evening News.

Notable residents

  • John Johnston
    John Johnston (fur trader)

    John Johnston , was a wealthy and successful British people fur trader for the North West Company at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan before the War of 1812, and a leader in the Michigan Territory....
     (1762-1828), Scots-Irish immigrant from Belfast, Ireland in the 18th century, married Ozhaguscodaywayquay
    Ozhaguscodaywayquay

    Ozhaguscodaywayquay , also called Neengay or Susan Johnston, was an important figure in the later Great Lakes fur trade. She was born into an Ojibwe family near La Pointe, Wisconsin in the mid-1770s....
     (also known as Susan), the daughter of an Ojibwa chief; together they built a prosperous fur trading business. They were among the upper class in both the Euro-American and Ojibwa communities of the Sault Ste. Marie area.
  • Jane Johnston Schoolcraft
    Jane Johnston Schoolcraft

    Jane Johnston Schoolcraft is the first known American Indian literary writer. She was Ojibwa and Irish-American and wrote her Ojibwa name as Bamewawagezhikaquay. It can also be written as O-bah-bahm-wawa-ge-zhe-go-qua , meaning "Woman of the Sound [that the stars make] Rushing Through the Sky." She lived most of her life in Sault...
    , daughter of John and Susan Johnston, recognized as first Native American
    Native Americans in the United States

    Native Americans in the United States are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii....
     literary writer and poet, inducted in 2008 into Michigan Women's Hall of Fame
    Michigan Women's Hall of Fame

    The Michigan Women's Hall of Fame honors distinguished women, both historical and contemporary, who have been associated with the U.S. state of Michigan....
    .
  • Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, noted ethnographer and US Indian agent, named many counties and places in Michigan in his official capacity; husband of Jane Johnston Schoolcraft
    Jane Johnston Schoolcraft

    Jane Johnston Schoolcraft is the first known American Indian literary writer. She was Ojibwa and Irish-American and wrote her Ojibwa name as Bamewawagezhikaquay. It can also be written as O-bah-bahm-wawa-ge-zhe-go-qua , meaning "Woman of the Sound [that the stars make] Rushing Through the Sky." She lived most of her life in Sault...
    .
  • Chase S. Osborn, a resident of Sault Ste. Marie, and the only State Governor from Michigan's Upper Peninsula.


External links