Big Bay, Michigan
Encyclopedia
Marquette County, Michigan
-National protected areas:* Hiawatha National Forest * Huron National Wildlife Refuge* Ottawa National Forest -University:Northern Michigan University is a four-year university, established in 1899, located in Marquette, Michigan, on Michigan's Upper Peninsula...
of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. It is a census-designated place
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP) for statistical purposes and does not have any legal status as an incorporated municipality. As of the 2000 census, the CDP population was 265. The community is located within Powell Township
Powell Township, Michigan
Powell Township is a civil township of Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 724 at the 2000 census.- Communities :...
near the shore of "Big Bay" on Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
.
Although the Big Bay community is served by the Marquette
Marquette, Michigan
Marquette is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Marquette County. The population was 21,355 at the 2010 census, making it the most populated city of the Upper Peninsula. Marquette is a major port on Lake Superior, primarily for shipping iron ore and is the home of Northern...
ZIP code 49855, the Big Bay post office with ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
49808, serves a much larger area to the west and south of the community and CDP, including portions of Powell Township as well as Ishpeming
Ishpeming Township, Michigan
Ishpeming Township is a civil township of Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,522 at the 2000 census.- Communities :...
, Champion
Champion Township, Michigan
Champion Township is a civil township of Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 297.-Geography:...
, Michigamme
Michigamme Township, Michigan
Michigamme Township is a civil township of Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 377 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated community of Michigamme is located within the township.-Geography:...
, and Ely
Ely Township, Michigan
Ely Township is a civil township of Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,010 at the 2000 census.- Communities :...
townships.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the CDP has a total area of 5.9 square miles (15.3 km²), of which, 3.8 square miles (9.8 km²) of it is land and 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²) of it (35.63%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 265 people, 129 households, and 86 families residing in the CDP. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 69.2 per square mile (26.7/km²). There were 300 housing units at an average density of 78.3 per square mile (30.2/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.23% White, 2.26% Native American, and 1.51% from two or more races.
There were 129 households out of which 15.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.7% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 3.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.6% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.05 and the average family size was 2.47.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 15.1% under the age of 18, 3.4% from 18 to 24, 20.4% from 25 to 44, 37.7% from 45 to 64, and 23.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 51 years. For every 100 females there were 105.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 114.3 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $34,750, and the median income for a family was $42,708. Males had a median income of $35,417 versus $24,375 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the CDP was $18,620. About 7.9% of families and 11.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.7% of those under the age of eighteen and 4.6% of those sixty five or over.
Culture
Big Bay's "claim to fame" is the filming of Anatomy of a MurderAnatomy of a Murder
Anatomy of a Murder is a 1959 American courtroom crime drama film. It was directed by Otto Preminger and adapted by Wendell Mayes from the best-selling novel of the same name written by Michigan Supreme Court Justice John D. Voelker under the pen name Robert Traver...
in 1959. Filming took place at The Thunder Bay Inn, the Big Bay Lighthouse Bed and Breakfast
Big Bay Point Lighthouse
The Big Bay Point Light is a lighthouse which stands on a tall bluff over a rocky point near Big Bay, Michigan, approximately miles northwest of Marquette on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Today it is the only operational lighthouse with a bed and breakfast...
, The Lumberjack Tavern (scene of the real 1952 crime on which the film is based), Perkins Park Campground, and various other locales.
Bay Cliff Health Camp
Bay Cliff Health Camp
Bay Cliff Health Camp is a non-profit wellness camp located in Big Bay, Michigan, that offers year-round programs that promote wellness for children and adults with physical disabilities. The focus of the main program offered, a two-month therapy camp, is working with children with various...
is located in Big Bay. It is a year round, non profit wellness camp for children and adults.