Muskegon, Michigan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Muskegon, Michigan | |
| Nickname: "Lumbertown" "Port City" "Lumber Queen" "SkeeTown"" | |
 | |
| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| State | Michigan |
| County | Muskegon |
| Mayor | Steve Warmington |
| Area | |
| - City | 18.0 sq miles/46.7 km² |
| - Land | 14.4 sq miles/37.2 km² |
| - Water | 3.7 sq miles/9.5 km² |
| Elevation | 191.4 m |
| Population | |
| - City (2000) | 40,105 |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Website: http://www.muskegon-mi.gov/ | |
Muskegon is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 40,105. The city is the county seat of Muskegon County, Michigan6. The city is located at the southwest corner of Muskegon Township, but is politically independent. Muskegon is the greater populated of two principal cities of and included in the Muskegon-Norton Shores, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is further included in the larger Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland, Michigan Combined Statistical Area. Muskegon is the largest city on the eastern shores of Lake Michigan.
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[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 46.7 km² (18.0 mi²). 37.2 km² (14.4 mi²) of it is land and 9.5 km² (3.7 mi²) of it (20.37%) is water. The city is adjacent to two bodies of water: Lake Michigan to the west and Muskegon Lake to the north. The Muskegon River empties into Muskegon Lake at the city's north end.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 40,105 people, 14,569 households, and 8,537 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,079.1/km² (2,794.5/mi²). There were 15,999 housing units at an average density of 430.5/km² (1,114.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 60.61% White, 31.67% African American, 1.04% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 2.69% from other races, and 3.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any origins were 6.38% of the population.
There were 14,569 households out of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.2% were married couples living together, 20.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.4% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18, 11.6% from 18 to 24, 32.2% from 25 to 44, 18.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 109.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 110.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,929, and the median income for a family was $32,640. Males had a median income of $29,114 versus $22,197 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,283. About 16.8% of families and 20.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.6% of those under age 18 and 14.3% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Education
Muskegon Public Schools was founded in 1860 and serves students from preschool through 12th grade. Additionally, it runs the Muskegon Museum of Art and the Muskegon Training and Education Center. In addition to Muskegon Public Schools, the anchor district for the city, there are several other public K-12 schools choices available by commute using the "Schools of Choice" program. These include Mona Shores, Reeths-Puffer, North Muskegon, Fruitport, and Muskegon Heights.
On a side note, many of these schools are noted throughout the state for high school sports. Muskegon has been a perennial powerhouse in MHSAA football, winning multiple championships since the inception of the team, including another championship in 2006, beating another powerhouse De La Salle 32-30. Also in 2006, Muskegon Catholic Central added yet another championship trophy to their collection, beating Grass Lake 35-7 for their 7th State Championship. Mona Shores has recently been recognized as a hockey powerhouse, having a Final Four team nearly every year, as well as having an excellent golf team. Two-time Mr. Golf Brendan Gielow graduated from Mona Shores in 2006. Muskegon Heights is known for its excellent basketball team, having lost in the finals in 2004(?).
The City of Muskegon is also served by Muskegon Community College and Baker College.
Grand Valley State University's Muskegon Campus is home to the Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center MAREC and Annis Water Resources Institute inside the Lake Michigan Center located in downtown Muskegon.
Western Michigan University, Ferris State University, and Grand Valley State University all operate programs out of the Stevenson Center for Higher Education on the campus of Muskegon Community College. It is designed so that an undergrad at MCC may transfer to any of the above schools and complete a bachelors and/or masters degree without having to leave Muskegon.
[edit] Culture
Muskegon Summer Celebration (late June/early July), is a ten-day festival, held during the July 4th holiday every year, that brings national music acts of all backgrounds to the shore of Muskegon Lake at Heritage Landing. Also included is the Muskegon Art Fair, street fair, Village Craft Market, and the carnival rides.
The Muskegon Film Festival is held in February.
Each August, the Unity Christian Music Festival takes place at Heritage Landing. In May, Rock the Coast takes place at Michigan's Adventure. Both are organized by Alive on the Lakeshore.
In September, the Michigan Irish Music Festival brings renown Celtic musicians to Heritage Landing on the shore of Muskegon Lake. In addition to music, Irish food, beverages, merchandise and cultural exhibits contribute to the appeal of this event. The Michigan Feis (Irish Dance competition) is affiliated and is held at The LC Walker Arena nearby.
In early October, the International Buster Keaton Society visit Muskegon to host their annual convention. The event features public showings of Keaton films at the Frauenthal Theater.
Broadway at the Frauenthal (Fall through Spring), brings big-time Broadway musicals to Muskegon. Muskegon is also home to Muskegon Museum of Art and West Shore Symphony Orchestra. The Muskegon Community Concert Association provides concerts from September through May.
Muskegon County Museum and Hackley & Hume Historic Site: Mansions built by Muskegon’s lumber barons themselves are restored to their old glory and open to the public. The mansions are operated with the Muskegon County Museum, which details the grand, rich history of Muskegon County, from the Pottawatomi and Ottawa Native American tribes and lakeside fur traders to the Lumber Queen of the World to today. Also includes science and nature exhibits.
The Muskegon Museum of Art deservedly is touted as one of the finest art museums in the Midwest. Among the highlights of its permanent collection is "Tornado Over Kansas," by John Steuart Curry (one of three leading painters, along with Grant Wood and Thomas Hart Benton, identified as Regionalists and known for their canvases celebrating the rural Midwest.)
Michigan's Adventure, the largest amusement park in the state, is located in Muskegon County, a few miles north of the city of Muskegon. Michigan's Adventure features a midway with roller coasters, general rides, amusements, and a full water park.
Muskegon is also the home of the Great Lakes Naval Memorial and Museum, which features the USS Silversides, a World War II submarine; the USS LST 393 [1], a World War II amphibious landing ship; and the USCGC McLane, a Prohibition-era U.S. Coast Guard cutter.
In addition, Muskegon also berths the S.S. Milwaukee Clipper a former car ferry that traveled the same route as Lake Express does today. The boat is in the middle of a long process of being restored to its original form, but in the mean time is open for tours and hosts a museum aboard the vessel with information on both the Milwaukee Clipper, as well as the history of Maritime in Muskegon. Muskegon’s entire history surrounds around being a port for commerce or travel, and this is an image the city has embraced.
The Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame's exhibits, detailing the area's storied athletic past, are on display at the L.C. Walker Arena.
Camerata Singers, [2], a professional chamber choir, performs at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in downtown Muskegon and other locations in west Michigan.
[edit] Additional facts and figures
Once referred to as the "Lumber Queen of the World", Muskegon's rich collection of sawmills supplied the lumber to rebuild The Windy City after the Great Chicago Fire.
The city is often nicknamed "Port City", a reference made to the many large ships that visit the port.
[edit] Shopping
Currently, the City of Muskegon is experiencing an economic and commercial revitalization. Due to this, retail shopping is experiencing a major shift. Retail shopping in the city can be broken into six distinct corridors:
Lakeside: Home to the Cross Lake Ferry and currently the defacto center of tourist based retail shopping, Lakeside features wonderful attractions such as an art gallery, candy store, and glass making shop. It also features many quaint restaurants which give you a feel for the local color and flavor that makes Lakeside a distinct area of the city.
Laketon at Henry: Running along Henry Street from Norton Shores and ending at Laketon Avenue, this corridor features many consumer based shopping staples, such as Radio Shack, Dollar General, Big Lots, and Walgreens. Continuing further north, small businesses such as a trophy and award store, car dealerships, and many family owned restaurants and pubs can be found. These businesses are convenient for residents living on the south side of the City of Muskegon.
Downtown: Formerly the location of the Muskegon Mall, an experiment in 1970's city revitalization which saw the existing downtown infrastructure altered and covered by a glass-and-metal construct. The Muskegon Mall began to fail in the 1990's and officially shuttered in 2002. Today, a major redevelopment effort involving government, business, and citizen interests is in place to restore the downtown. At the moment, the downtown area features a limited retail shopping experience, but does have many restaurants and features two full-service hotels. During warm months, the downtown area also features a large and extremely popular farmers' market frequented by city locals and Muskegon visitors alike.
Apple Avenue: Apple Avenue shopping is a shared corridor between the City of Muskegon and Muskegon Township. On the city side, stores such as KMart, Dollar Family, and Blockbuster video provides retail options to residents on the east side of the city. Also featured are small businesses such as a furniture store and laundromat. There are also many popular dining options.
North Sherman: Sherman Boulevard, a street which divides the City of Muskegon from the cities of Norton Shores and Roosevelt Park, is another shared shopping corridor. It features banks, restaurants, a car dealership, and a mini-golf course. It also offers local pubs and restaurants.
Laketon This area features a hardware store, local pubs and restaurants, and some minor retail.
[edit] Media
Muskegon's leading newspaper is The Muskegon Chronicle. The Chronicle is a daily newspaper in Muskegon, Michigan owned by Booth newspapers. It started publication in the early to mid 1800s.
Muskegon is served by several local television channels. WMKG-LP 38 is a low-powered television station serving the area. This station features a homey mix of programming such as television bingo and Dial-A-Bargain. The Dial-A-Bargain show includes a hosting reading menus from various local eateries. Then viewers are allowed to call in and purchase certificates for that particular establishment at 50% off the regular price. Aside from WMKG-LP, the major affiliated TV stations in Muskegon originate mostly from the Grand Rapids, Michigan, Kalamazoo, Michigan, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin markets. These channels include WWMT-TV 3 (CBS), WTMJ-TV 4 (NBC), WITI-TV 6 (FOX), WOOD-TV 8 (NBC), WMVS-TV 10 (PBS), WZZM-TV 13 (ABC), WXMI-TV 17 (FOX), WOMS-TV 29 (UPN), WGVU-TV 35 (PBS), and WTLJ-TV 54 (TBN). Green Bay and Chicago affiliates are also common in the warmer months.
The Muskegon area is also served by several radio stations. WUVS-LP 103.7 is a popular urban (hip-hop/R&B) and gospel station with local programming as well as Sunday religious programming and local-based talk. Another local low-powered FM station is WMMT-LP 106.1, owned by the Muskegon Training and Education Center, which airs an Urban Oldies format dubbed "M-TEC 106 FM, Rock 'n' Soul."
Local radio talk shows include the Ramona Show on WKBZ-AM 1090. On this show the host interviews local small business people. A once-a-week, Friday afternoon show on the same station is called "Talking Muskegon". "Talking Muskegon" is hosted by local celebrity Jon Van Wyke. It features homey conversations about area nightlife, his work life and volunteer activities he is involved with around town. In addition, he talks about conditions backstage at Summer Celebration, his sailboat and the state of the professional hockey team the Muskegon Fury. Usually the show is co-hosted with two of his friends.
Other local FM stations include 90.3 WBLV-FM (classical), 91.7 WMCQ-FM (religious), WLAW-FM 92.5 ("outlaw" country), WGVS-FM 95.3 (public radio), WEFG-FM 97.5 (sports), WLCS-FM 98.3 (oldies), WVIB-FM 100.1 (urban contemporary), WMRR-FM 101.7 (classic rock), WSNX-FM 104.5 (top 40, studios in Grand Rapids), WMUS-FM 106.9 (country), and WSHZ-FM 107.9 (adult contemporary). Other local AM stations aside from WKBZ include WGVS-AM 850 (news/talk), WODJ-AM 1490 (sports), and WMHG-AM 1600 (adult standards). Other area stations can be received from Grand Haven (WGHN-FM 92.1, adult contemporary), Grand Rapids (WGRD-FM 97.9), Ludington, Holland, Zeeland (WJQK-FM 99.3, Christian pop), and Milwaukee.
Clear Channel Communications is the major radio-station owner in Muskegon, owning WKBZ-AM, WSHZ-FM, WMUS-FM, WMRR-FM and WMHG-AM, as well as WSNX (although WSNX is considered primarily a Grand Rapids station despite being licensed to Muskegon). Citadel Broadcasting owns WODJ-AM, WLAW-FM, WEFG-FM, WLCS-FM and WVIB-FM.
[edit] Sports
Muskegon has a long history of involvement in professional and nonprofessional sports.
| Logo | Club | Sport | League | Venue | Championships |
| Muskegon Fury | Ice Hockey | United Hockey League | L.C. Walker Arena | Colonial Cup: 1999, 2002, 2004, 2005 |
| Image:Thunderlogofg.jpg | Muskegon Thunder | Arena Football | Great Lakes Indoor Football League | L.C. Walker Arena |
Previous sports teams to play in Muskegon have included:
| Club | Sport | Played from | League | Stadium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan Mayhem | Basketball | 2004-2006 | CBA | L.C. Walker Arena |
| Muskegon Lumberjacks | Hockey | 1984-1992 | IHL | L.C. Walker Arena |
| Muskegon Mohawks | Hockey | 1965-1984 | IHL | L.C. Walker Arena |
| Muskegon Zephyrs | Hockey | 1960-1965 | IHL | L.C. Walker Arena |
| Muskegon Lassies | Baseball | 1946-1949 | AAGPBL | Marsh Field |
The Chronicle Seaway Run is run every year in late June. It features a 15k race, 5k race, 5k walk for fun, 15k wheelchair race.
[edit] Transportation
Public transportation is provided by the Muskegon Area Transit System (MATS - "The Shore Line") , which operates nine bus routes, three trolley routes, and a paratransit system [3].
MATS operates the Muskegon Trolley Company. Three routes cover north side, south side, and downtown; each trolley stops at 11 locations, including Hackley and Hume Historic Site, USS Silversides, Muskegon State Park. (Memorial Day-Labor Day, daily; no trips during special events).
Commercial air service is provided by Muskegon County Airport (MKG).
Muskegon is the Eastern port of the Lake Express High Speed Car Ferry that crosses Lake Michigan to Milwaukee, Wisconsin offering three roundtrips a day in the Summer, and two roundtrips in the Fall. There are many bike paths starting to be built around the area.
Several major highways serve the city, including:
[edit] Sister cities
- Image:Flag of Japan (bordered).svg Omuta, Japan
- Image:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Hartlepool, England, UK
[edit] Notable current/former residents
- Charles Hackley (1837-1905), Lumber Baron, Philanthropist (Hackey Hospital, Hackley Library, Hackley Adminsration Building, Hackley Avenue, Hackley Art Gallery, Hackley Park)
- After a gift of $12,000,000 to the community, the city of Muskegon considering changing its name to "Hackleyville"
- Edmund Cardinal Szoka, Cardinal, Governor of the Vatican, President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State
- Jim Bakker, TV Evangelist
- Joseph Beyrle, only soldier to have served in both the US Army and the Soviet Army in World War II
- Buster Keaton, actor; born in Kansas but spent the summers of his childhood in Muskegon with his family as a member of the Muskegon Actors' Colony
- Laurie Keller, children's book writer and illustrator best known for The Scrambled States of America and Grandpa Gazillion's Number Yard
- Bettye LaVette, soul singer
- David Leestma, astronaut
- Ike Kepford, WWII Navy flying ace
- Harry Morgan, actor
- Earl Morrall, football player with Miami Dolphins, Super Bowl winner
- John Frederick Nims, poet
- Bennie Oosterbaan, football player
- Iggy Pop, punk rock icon
- Captain Jonathan Walker, "The Man With Branded Hand", abolitionist
- Gwenneth Bean, internationally-renowned contralto
- Carly Jibson, Broadway actress known for playing the role of Tracy Turnblad in the musical Hairspray (musical)
- Kate Reinders, Broadway actress known for playing the role of Glinda in Wicked and Caroline in Good Vibrations
- Haddon Sundblom, Graphic Arts Designer best known for his images of Santa Claus for Coca-Cola.
- Frank Stanton, Former President of CBS
- David House, Former President of Nortel Networks and creater of the "Intel Inside" campaign during his 22 years at Intel
- Don Nelson, NBA Basketball Coach
- Richard Mell, Politician
- Wayne Static, lead singer for Static-X
[edit] External links
- Community
- City of Muskegon
- Muskegon Convention and Visitor's Bureau
- Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce
- Muskegon Community Portal
- Muskegon Public Schools
- Mona Shores Public Schools
- Public
- Muskegon County Museum
- Muskegon Museum of Art
- Great Lakes Naval Memorial and Museum
- Muskegon's Heritage
- Hackley Public Library
- S.S. Milwaukee Clipper
- Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame
- Transporation across lake
- Festivals
- Muskegon Summer Celebration
- Muskegon AirFair
- Michigan Irish Music Festival
- Annual Buster Keaton Convention and Film Festival
- Music and Theater
- Muskegon Community Concert Association
- Area Vibes: Weekly Music & Theater Schedules
- Frauenthal Theater
- Sports teams and events
- Muskegon Fury
- Michigan Mayhem - Defunct
- Muskegon Thunder
- Activities and Family
- Church and religious
- Faith Baptist Church of Muskegon
- Unity Christian Music Festival
- Resurrection Life Church
- St. Mary's Church - Downtown Muskegon
- Maranatha Bible and Missionary Conference Grounds
- Gospel Communications International
- Laketon Bethel Church
- Media
[edit] References
- Muskegon Public Schools. http://www.muskegon.k12.mi.us/. Retrieved July 1, 2005.de:Muskegon
fr:Muskegon (Michigan) no:Muskegon
