Ishpeming, Michigan

Ishpeming, Michigan
—  City  —
Location of Ishpeming, Michigan
Coordinates: 46°29′33″N 87°40′3″W
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Marquette
Area
• Total	9.3 sq mi (24.0 km2)
• Land	8.7 sq mi (22.5 km2)
• Water	0.6 sq mi (1.5 km2)
Elevation	1,407 ft (429 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	6,686
• Density	769.8/sq mi (297.2/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	49849, 49865
Area code(s)	906
FIPS code	26-41220
GNIS feature ID	0629103

Statue of "Old Ish" in downtown Ishpeming

Ishpeming ( /ˈɪʃpəmɪŋ/) is a city in Marquette County in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 6,686 at the 2000 census. This is down from a higher population in the 1950s and 1960s when the economically supportive iron ore mines had a much higher employment level. Ishpeming Township is located to the northwest of the city but is administratively autonomous.

Ishpeming is considered the birthplace of organized skiing in the United States and is the home to the National Ski Hall of Fame. The city was also prominently featured in the 2010 documentary Catfish.

The name Ishpeming comes from the Anishinaabe language ishpiming, meaning "on top" or "from above" or "upon high." Ishpeming, in the Ojibwa dialect of the Anishinaabe language, also means "Heaven". A statue of a Native American figure has stood in the small town square since 1884 and is referred to as "Old Ish".

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.2 square miles (24 km²), of which, 8.7 square miles (23 km²) of it is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²) of it (6.16%) is water. Ishpeming's elevation is 1,436 feet (438 m) above mean sea level, which is over 800 feet (240 m) higher than that of nearby Lake Superior. The highlands of Ishpeming and the surrounding area, including the city of Negaunee to its east, receive an unusually high yearly average of lake effect snow.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 6,686 people, 2,915 households, and 1,757 families residing in the city. The population density was 769.8 per square mile (297.1/km²). There were 3,210 housing units at an average density of 369.6 per square mile (142.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.29% White, 0.06% Black, 1.20% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.27% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.81% of the population. 25.5% were of Finnish, 14.4% Italian, 14.1% English, 12.4% French, 7.3% German, 5.7% Swedish and 5.1% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. 95.8% spoke English and 1.9% Finnish as their first language.

There were 2,915 households out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.7% were non-families. 34.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.2% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 89.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,347, and the median income for a family was $38,924. Males had a median income of $36,310 versus $21,104 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,946. About 8.0% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.5% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Ishpeming, which is part of the greater Marquette area, is served by Sawyer International Airport with trips to Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis.

Marquette has a bus system called the "MarqTran" that runs through Ishpeming and also to nearby places such as Sawyer International Airport & Negaunee. Until 1971, the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad ran its Peninsula 400 to Ishpemiing from Chicago. In its last days, the train consisted of one engine and one bi-level passenger car.

Highways

• US 41 passes through the northern portion of Ishpeming, running westerly and northerly toward Houghton, easterly toward Marquette and southeast to Escanaba.
• M-28 travels westerly toward Wakefield and east to Marquette.
• BUS M-28 serves the downtowns of both Negaunee and Ishpeming.

Emigration plaquette

Historical events

• The movie Anatomy of a Murder was filmed in Ishpeming and surrounding areas in 1959, based on the novel by Ishpeming native John D. Voelker under the pen name Robert Traver. Extensive 50th Anniversary Celebrations are ongoing throughout 2009.
• The Green Bay Packers played their first ever road game in Ishpeming on Oct. 19, 1919. The Packers won 33-0.
• At the end of the 19th century almost one third of the population of Åtvidaberg Municipality in Sweden emigrated to Ishpeming, as copper mines in the Åtvidaberg area closed down. In 1994 this was commemorated by a plaquette at the Mormorsgruvan mine of Åtvidaberg.
• The National Ski Association, the forerunner of the present-day United States Ski and Snowboard Association, was founded in Ishpeming on February 21, 1905. The founder and president was local banker and skier, Carl Tellefsen.

Notable people

• Clarence "Kelly" Johnson (born 1910), aviation engineer
• Glenn T. Seaborg (born 1912), Nobel prize winning chemist
• John D. Voelker author under the pen name Robert Traver, and Michigan state Supreme Court Justice.
• Tom Izzo Head Coach, Michigan State University Basketball. Head Coach, 1977 Ishpeming High School.
• Da Yoopers, band.

Points of interest

• Al Quaal Recreation Center
• Cliffs Shaft Mine Museum, commemorating the history of mining on the Marquette Iron Range
• Jasper Knob, a bald topped hill composed entirely of jaspilite; a geological formation of the Marquette Iron Range.
• The Mather Inn
• National Ski Hall of Fame
• Old Ish Statue
• Suicide Hill Ski Jump

Education

Ishpeming Public School District No. 1 consisting of:

• Ishpeming High School: The school nickname is the Hematites, after the iron ore mined in the city.
• Ishpeming Middle School (Formally C.L. Phelps)
• Birchview Elementary School

In the adjacent Ishpeming Township, the N.I.C.E. Community Schools consists of

• Westwood High School: Mascot - Patriots
• Aspen Ridge Middle School: Mascot - Patriots
• Aspen Ridge Elemetary School: Mascot - Patriots

Places of worship

• Bethany Lutheran Church
• Bethel Lutheran Church
• Bible Baptist Church
• Good News Assembly of God
• Grace Episcopal Church
• Hope Free Evangelical Lutheran Church
• St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church
• St. Joseph Catholic Church
• Trinity Lutheran Church
• United Evangelical Covenant Church
• Wesley United Methodist Church
• The Salvation Army
• Temple Beth Sholom (Reform synagogue)

Festivals and events

• Noquemanon Ski Marathon, January
• Ski jumping competition at Suicide Hill, February and March
• National Ski Hall of Fame membership induction ceremonies
• St. Rocco and St. Anthony Society of Ishpeming annual "Italian Fest", July

See also

• Iron Ore, the city's weekly newspaper from 1886 to 1951.

Other sources

• Boyum, Burt and Jamie LaFreniere The Ishpeming Ski Club: Over a Century of Skiing (US National Ski and Hall of Fame Museum, 2003)

External links

 Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). "Ishpeming". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

• City of Ishpeming
• Ishpeming Public Schools
• Information on Ishpeming
• Ishpeming High School Alumni
• Westwood High School Alumni