Mackinac Island, Michigan

This article is about the city of Mackinac Island. For the island of the same name, see Mackinac Island.

Mackinac Island, Michigan
City
City of Mackinac Island
From left to right, top to bottom: Downtown Mackinac Island along M-185; Arch Rock; the famous Grand Hotel porch; Fort Mackinac; downtown Mackinac Island with the Mackinac Bridge in the background.
Flag of Mackinac Island, Michigan
Flag
Location within Mackinac County
Location within Mackinac County
Mackinac Island is located in Michigan
Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island
Location within the state of Michigan
Mackinac Island is located in the United States
Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island
Location within the United States
Coordinates: 45°50′57″N 84°37′08″W / 45.84917°N 84.61889°W / 45.84917; -84.61889
Country United States
State Michigan
CountyMackinac
Settled1671; 353 years ago (1671)[1]
EstablishedFebruary 2, 1817; 207 years ago (1817-02-02) (borough)[2]
IncorporatedMarch 25, 1847; 177 years ago (1847-03-25) (village)[3]
March 20, 1900; 124 years ago (1900-03-20) (city)[4]
Government
 • TypeMayor–council
 • MayorMargaret M. Doud
 • ClerkDanielle Wightman
Area
[5]
 • Total
18.84 sq mi (48.80 km2)
 • Land4.35 sq mi (11.27 km2)
 • Water14.49 sq mi (37.53 km2)  76.91%
Elevation
594 ft (181 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
583
 • Density134.02/sq mi (51.75/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code(s)
49757
Area code906
FIPS code26-50280[6]
GNIS feature ID1620659[7]
WebsiteOfficial website

Mackinac Island (/ˈmækənɔː/ MAK-ə-naw, locally /ˈmækənə/ MAK-ə-nə) is a city in Mackinac County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 583.

Established as an important fur trading center in the eighteenth century, with a predominately French-speaking population of French Canadians and Métis, after the War of 1812 the city gained more Anglo-American residents. The US put restrictions on Canadians for fur trading. From 1818 until 1882, the city served as the county seat of the former Michilimackinac County, which was later organized as Mackinac County, with St. Ignace designated as the county seat. The city includes all of Mackinac Island and also nearby Round Island which is unpopulated, federally owned and part of the Hiawatha National Forest.[8] The state park and the national forest make up most of the city.

A unique local ordinance passed in 1895 prohibits the use of any motor vehicles on the island. The only exceptions to this are city emergency vehicles (ambulance, police cars and fire trucks), city service vehicles and snowmobiles in the winter. Today the most common means of travel is by foot, bicycle, horse or horse-drawn carriage. Roller skates and roller blades are also allowed, except in the downtown area. Mackinac Island is home to the Grand Hotel, built during the late nineteenth century when the island started to be a summer destination. When the 1980 movie Somewhere in Time was filmed here, the city made an exception to allow the production company to use motorized vehicles on the island.

  1. ^ "Survey of Historic Sites and Buildings". National Park Service. National Park Service. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  2. ^ "200 Years of History, City of Mackinac Island Celebrates Bicentennial". Heritage Broadcasting Company of Michigan, Inc. 9&10 News. July 7, 2017. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  3. ^ Michigan Legislature (1899). "Local Act 437: An Act to Vacate the Township of Holmes and Village of Mackinac, in Mackinac County, State of Michigan, and to Incorporate the City of Mackinac Island in Said Mackinac County". Local Acts of the Legislature of the State of Michigan Passed at the Regular Session of 1899 with an Appendix. Lansing, MI: Robert Smith Printing Company. pp. 377–438. OCLC 679994901 – via Library of Michigan.
  4. ^ Michigan Legislature (1899). "Local Act 437: An Act to Vacate the Township of Holmes and Village of Mackinac, in Mackinac County, State of Michigan, and to Incorporate the City of Mackinac Island in Said Mackinac County". Local Acts of the Legislature of the State of Michigan Passed at the Regular Session of 1899 with an Appendix. Lansing, MI: Robert Smith Printing Company. pp. 377–438. OCLC 679994901 – via Library of Michigan.
  5. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  6. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  7. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  8. ^ www.cityofmi.org