Harbor Beach, Michigan

Harbor Beach, Michigan
—  City  —
Location of Harbor Beach, Michigan
Coordinates: 43°50′41″N 82°39′05″W
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Huron
Government
• Mayor	Gary Booms
Area
• Total	1.9 sq mi (4.8 km2)
• Land	1.8 sq mi (4.6 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation	600 ft (183 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	1,837
• Density	1,036.3/sq mi (400.1/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	48441
Area code(s)	989
FIPS code	26-36460
GNIS feature ID	0627752

Harbor Beach is a city in Huron County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,837 at the 2000 census, with an estimated population of 1,587 in 2009.

Geography

• According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.9 square miles (4.9 km²), of which, 1.8 square miles (4.7 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) of it (4.32%) is water.
• The world's largest man-made fresh water harbor offers a harbor of refuge to ships traveling between Port Huron and Pointe Aux Barques.
• It is considered to be part of the Thumb of Michigan, which in turn is a subregion of the Flint/Tri-Cities region.
• The two main state highways are (M-25) and (M-142).

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,837 people, 774 households, and 503 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,036.3 per square mile (400.7/km²). There were 928 housing units at an average density of 523.5 per square mile (202.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.35% White, 0.11% African American, 0.49% Native American, 1.36% Asian, 0.38% from other races, and 1.31% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.93% of the population.

There were 774 households out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.9% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.5% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 22.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,469, and the median income for a family was $35,263. Males had a median income of $29,938 versus $18,864 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,917. About 11.2% of families and 15.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.8% of those under age 18 and 12.2% of those age 65 or over.

History

The earliest settlers to this area arrived in 1837 and established a sawmill for processing lumber. The settlement eventually was named Barnettsville in 1855, as the settlement continued to grow, the town was renamed Sand Beach. In 1899, the village of Sand Beach changed its name to Harbor Beach, because of the impression that the area has nothing but sand. In 1910, it was officially incorporated into a city.

Located on western shore of Lake Huron in the Thumb of Michigan, Harbor Beach is known as having the world's largest man-made fresh water harbor and boasts a fishing pier that is handicap accessible. The municipal marina provides transient services and shuttle services into the downtown area which has retained its old town charm.

The Murphy Museum and the Grice House Museum feature history of the area. Wagener County Park, just south on M-25, and North Park Campgrounds, across from the marina, offer complete camping facilities and groomed hiking and cross country ski trails.

The association known as HBRA was founded in 1896 as a summertime vacation spot in Harbor Beach. The resort is located roughly three hours north of Detroit, MI and is currently still operated, and frequented, by the 5th and 6th generation descendents of the original founding families.

Notable people

• Frank Murphy - an historically important Detroit mayor, Recorder's Court Judge, Michigan governor, United States Attorney General, and United States Supreme Court Associate Justice. He was a resident of Harbor Beach and followed in his father's footsteps, practicing law there. His office is the Frank Murphy Memorial Museum in the downtown, as is his home. He is also memorialized there with an official Michigan Historical Marker and a plaque from the State Bar of Michigan for "Michigan Legal Milestones", namely, his dissenting opinion in Korematsu v. United States, protesting the decision to uphold exclusion orders imposed upon persons of Japanese descent during World War II. The plaque was dedicated and placed in front of the Frank Murphy home in Harbor Beach on August 16, 1996. His remains are interred at Our Lady of Lake Huron Cemetery.

Government

The government of Harbor Beach is organized under the City Charter of 1965 and operates under a Mayor/Council form of government. The City Council consists of the Mayor, who is elected every two years, and four Council members, who are elected for four-year terms.

• Mayor Gary Booms
• Mayor Pro-Tem Al Kleinknecht
• Councilmember Bob Swartz
• Councilmember Matt Woodke
• Councilmember Sam Capling

• Harbor Beach has a sister city in Canada:

- Kincardine, Ontario, Canada

Attractions

Harbor Beach Light from Bathing Beach Park

• The Harbor Beach Light is located at the end of the north breakwater entrance to the harbor of refuge, created by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, protecting the harbor of Harbor Beach, Michigan.

• The Harbor Beach Community House is located at the main intersection in Harbor Beach. On the west face of the building is a mural that depicts local historical scenes and figures, including representations of agriculture, Frank Murphy, shipwrecks, locomotives, and much more.

• The Grice House Museum offers a glimpse at life in the past, while preserving history for future generations.

• Frank Murphy Memorial Museum and home. The birthplace of Frank Murphy and law office of Murphy's father.

• Detroit Edison's Harbor Beach Power Plant is located north of town on M-25 on Lake Huron; this coal-fired plant generates 121 MW of electricity.

Education

• Harbor Beach Elementary School
• Harbor Beach Middle School
• Harbor Beach Community High School
• Our Lady Of Lake Huron School
• Zion Lutheran School

Media

• The Huron County Press is a weekly paper that serves Harbor Beach and other areas of Huron County.
• The Huron Daily Tribune is a daily newspaper that covers Harbor Beach and all of Huron County.

Registered Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places Places
Historic Place	Added	Number	Address	Historic Significance	Area of Significance	Period of Significance	Owner:	Historic Function	Historic Sub-function	Current Function
Grice House Museum	1982	82000534	865 N. Huron Ave., Harbor Beach	Architecture, Engineering	Politics, Government, Architecture, Industry	1875–1899	Local Gov't	Domestic	Single Dwelling	Museum
Harbor Beach Lighthouse	1983	83000850	Breakwater Entrance, Harbor Beach	Event, Architecture, Engineering	Architecture, Maritime History, Engineering, Transportation	1875–1899	Federal	Transportation	Water-Related	Water-Related
Frank Murphy Birthplace	1971	71000394	142 S. Huron St., Harbor Beach	Frank Murphy	Social History, Politics, Government	1875–1899	Private , Local Government	Commerce, Trade, Domestic	Professional, Single Dwelling	Museum
Navigation Structures at Harbor Beach Harbor	1997	97000972	N. Lakeshore Dr., Harbor Beach	Architecture, Engineering, Event	Industry, Engineering	1875–1899, 1900–1924, 1925–1949	Federal	Transportation	Water-Related	Water-Related

See also

• Shipwrecks of the 1913 Great Lakes storm

External links

• Harbor Beach Chamber of Commerce.
• City of Harbor Beach website.
• Michigan DNR on Harbor Beach Harbor
• Huron County Press
• Huron Daily Tribune
• Visit Michigan's Thumb
• Harbor Beach webcam, calendar and events
• Zion Lutheran School
• Our Lady of Lake Huron School