Houghton, Michigan is the county seat and largest city in Houghton County, in the northwestern Upper Peninsula. Situated on the south shore of the Keweenaw Waterway, across Portage Lake from Hancock, the sister cities are connected by the Portage Lift Bridge.
The chief route through the city is US-41, which runs north to Hancock and Copper Harbor, and south and east to L'Anse and Marquette. M-26 runs downhill as it approaches the western business district of Houghton and the Portage Lake Lift Bridge from the west, entering and running through the center of Dakota Heights before reentering Houghton, and continuing to approach the bridge. As US-41 and M-26 merge in Houghton to cross the only bridge to the north, the city is considered the gateway to the Keweenaw Peninsula.
The open waters of Lake Superior moderate temperatures in the summer and winter, and the city's location on the peninsula, with Lake Superior on both sides, results in heavy snowfalls, which makes for great skiing, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing. At the same time, temperatures are warmer than most winter communities to the west, such as Minneapolis. Average temperatures in the summer are in the 70s and low 80s.
Houghton is home to Michigan Technological University, a public research university situated on 925 acres on a bluff overlooking Portage Lake. Founded in 1885, Michigan Tech offers more than a hundred and thirty degree programs through five colleges and schools.
Besides Hancock, the next closest incorporated city is Crystal Falls, about eighty miles away. However, the villages of South Range, Lake Linden, Calumet, Laurium, Copper City, and Ahmeek are within twenty miles of Houghton, and there are several unincorporated localities within ten miles: Hurontown, Dakota Heights, Ripley, Dodgeville, Franklin Mine, Pilgrim, Dollar Bay, Paavola, Schmidt Corner, Atlantic Mine, South Range, Baltic, Trimountain, Liminga, Point Mills, Osceola, Painesdale, Champion Mine, and Hubbell.
Houghton was a copper mining area long before the first European visited the region, as various indigenous groups and mined copper in and around the area for thousands of years.
French explorers visited the region in the 1700s, but they didn't settle it.
Houghton was founded in the mid-19th century to support the copper industry in what became known as Copper Country on the Keweenaw Peninsula.
However, the first recorded European-American settler was Ransom Shelden, who opened a store near Portage Lake. This may or may not have been the same store that was known as Shelden and Shafer Drugs in 1852. Shelden Avenue was named for him.
A post office was established in Houghton on May 22, 1852, with William W. Henderson as its first postmaster. In 1854, Houghton was platted by Ernest F. Pletschke, a surveyor from Wisconsin, who later served as a captain in command of the Appleton Light Infantry during the Civil War. He contracted typhoid and died in October of 1861. Houghton was incorporated as a village in 1867, taking its name from the county, which was itself named for Douglass Houghton, Michigan's first geologist.
By 1873, the dredging and extension of Portage Lake, the Portage Shipping Canal, and Lily Pond was completed, forming the Keweenaw Waterway, which isolated the northern part of the Keweenaw Peninsula into what has been called Copper Island.
This resulted in a significant increase in copper mining activities throughout Copper Country, and many Cornish and Finnish immigrants arrived to work in the copper mines, along with smaller numbers of French-Canadians.
To support the burgeoning copper industry, the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway was extended from Marquette in 1883. Houghton Station was constructed in 1890, and the Copper Range Railway locomotive roundhouse and repair shops were built in 1899.
The last nearby copper mines were closed in the late 1960s, but the Michigan College of Mines, created to teach metallurgy and mining engineering, became Michigan Technological University, which is the largest employer in the city today.
Houghton was incorporated as a city in 1970. With a current population under 8,000, the city is locally divided into three neighborhoods: East Houghton, Central Houghton, and West Houghton. East Houghton includes the Michigan Tech campus, a residential area, the Pearl Street Mall, the Chassell Sands, and East Houghton Park. Central Houghton is the heart of the city's commercial district, the waterfront, including several dockyards, and several older residences. West Houghton has seen more recent construction than the rest of the city, and includes larger, middle-class homes with large wooded lots between them, as well as several newer strip malls and retail stores. There are also some beach areas in this part of town.
The focus of this guide is on the city of Houghton, Michigan.
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Public meetings and city business is published on the official municipal website, including schedules, agendas, ordinances, and project information, as well as a calendar of events, the city's master plan, office hours, and contacts. Other resources include a guide to local lodging facilities, restaurants, businesses, recreational facilities, parks, and services. Economic and business resources include information about available grants, zoning maps and data, and tax information.
https://www.cityofhoughton.com/
Houghton County Sheriff's Office
Headquartered in Houghton, the county seat, the Sheriff's Office is county-wide law enforcement and policing agency. A list of sheriffs serving the Office since 1846 is provided, along with staff contacts, bulletins on various topics, and answers to frequently asked questions about policies and other concerns are included. An overview of the Sheriff's Office's graduated licensing program and responsible driving contract for teen drivers is included. Contacts are posted.
http://www.houghtonsheriff.com/
Set off in 1843, and organized in 1846, Houghton County is adjacent to Baraga, Iron, Keweenaw, and Ontonagon counties, and includes portions of the Keweenaw National Historic Park and the Ottawa National Forest. The City of Houghton is its largest city and county seat. County departments, commissions, and public safety and law departments are featured, along with its office locations and contacts, a history of the county, and demographics. Job openings and employment applications are available.
https://houghtoncounty.net/
Houghton-Portage Township Schools
The public school district is located in the City of Houghton, Michigan, and covers an area of more than 90 square miles. K-5th-grade students attend Houghton Elementary School, and Houghton Middle School and Houghton High School are located in the same building, serving the 6-8th-grade and 9-12th-grade populations. A profile of the district is presented on its site, along with a district calendar, school board meeting notices and minutes, and an overview of its athletics and alumni programs.
http://www.hpts.us/
Founded in 1885 as the first post-secondary institution in the Upper Peninsula, Michigan Technological University was originally known as the Michigan Mining School, the Michigan College of Mines, and the Michigan College of Mining and Technology, before taking its current name in 1964. Its graduate and undergraduate admissions policies, application requirements, and degrees offered are set forth, along with an overview of its academics, research, and alumni services.
https://www.mtu.edu/
State Wide Real Estate of Houghton
Headquartered in Downtown Houghton, Michigan SWOH has served the Copper Country since the 1960s. Its office location, office hours, and contacts are published on the site, which highlights featured properties, offering photographs, asking prices, and details about the property. Viewers may also search by town. The firm's brokers and sales assistants are introduced, client testimonials are published on the site, and a profile of the brokerage is included. A blog is also included.
https://www.statewideofhoughton.com/
Originally serving as the Houghton National Bank in 1887, the historic structure now includes three levels of guest accommodations, while maintaining the historic bank theme. The first level Vault Chamber rooms build around the bank's original super vault, including a two-ton vault door, while the second level features richly designed floor patterns and textures, with period photographs, and each room on the third level includes a unique view of downtown Houghton.
https://thevaulthotel.com/
Maintained by ZMC Hotels, the site offers a guide to Houghton, Michigan for tourists and visitors, offering a directory of local guest accommodations, restaurants, bakeries, and shopping venues. Area attractions highlighting the mining history of the community, golf courses, skiing areas, parks, and recreational opportunities, and other places to see are included, along with a downtown walking map, suggestions as to tours, and things to do in Houghton, depending on the season.
https://visithoughton.com/