Hancock, Michigan

Hancock, Michigan
City of Hancock
View from Houghton looking across the Keweenaw Waterway
View from Houghton looking across the Keweenaw Waterway
Location within Houghton County
Location within Houghton County
Hancock is located in Michigan
Hancock
Hancock
Location within the state of Michigan
Hancock is located in the United States
Hancock
Hancock
Location within the United States
Coordinates: 47°7′36″N 88°35′5″W / 47.12667°N 88.58472°W / 47.12667; -88.58472
Country United States
State Michigan
CountyHoughton
Founded1859
Incorporated1863 (village)
1903 (city)
Named forJohn Hancock
Government
 • TypeCouncil–manager
 • MayorPaul LaBine
 • ManagerMary Babcock
Area
 • Total2.78 sq mi (7.20 km2)
 • Land2.78 sq mi (7.20 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation696 ft (212 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total4,501
 • Density1,619.65/sq mi (625.25/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST (UTC-5))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT (UTC-4))
ZIP code(s)
49930
Area code906
FIPS code26-36300[3]
GNIS feature ID0627710[2]
WebsiteOfficial website

Hancock is a city in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population of Hancock was 4,501 at the 2020 census. The city is located within Houghton County, and is situated upon the Keweenaw Waterway, a channel of Lake Superior that cuts across the Keweenaw Peninsula. Hancock is located across the Keweenaw Waterway from the city of Houghton, and is connected to that city by the Portage Lake Lift Bridge. The city is located within Michigan's Copper Country region.

Hancock is considered a "cultural capital" for Finnish Americans.[4] The city is home to the Finnish American Heritage Center, and was home to Finlandia University from 1896 to 2023.[5][6] Some street name signs in Hancock are bilingual, reading in both English and Finnish.

The Weather Channel has consistently ranked Hancock as the third-snowiest city in the U.S.[7][8]

  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  2. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Hancock, Michigan
  3. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  4. ^ Cayton, Andrew R.L.; Sisson, Richard; Zacher, Chris, eds. (2007). The American Midwest: An Interpretive Encyclopedia. Ohio State University by Indiana University Press. p. 98. ISBN 978-0-253-34886-9.
  5. ^ "Finnish American Heritage Center (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
  6. ^ "'Deeply saddened': Community reacts to Finlandia's closure". mininggazette.com. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
  7. ^ "6 Snowiest Cities in America". The Weather Channel. Retrieved 2019-04-20.
  8. ^ "The Weather Channel Proves Hancock, Michigan, to be The "Third Snowiest City In America"" (PDF). City of Hancock. 2010. Retrieved 20 April 2019.