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Marquette, Michigan is the largest city in the Upper Peninsula, and the county seat of Marquette County.

Situated in the north-central region of the UP, Marquette is bordered by Lake Superior. Marquette is a major port city, as well as the home of Northern Michigan University, which I attended in the early 1970s, by the way.

The chief routes through the city is US-41, which runs concurrently with M-28 as it passes through Marquette, and M553, which connects Marquette with the unincorporated communities of KI Sawyer and Gwinn, to the south. Other routes include CR-492 and CR-550. The cities of Negaunee and Ishpeming are the only incorporated cities or villages within twenty miles.

The largest employers in the city are Northern Michigan University, Marquette Area Public Schools, UP Health System-Marquette, Marquette Branch Prison, RTI Surgical, Charter Communications, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. The city also has some popular breweries, as well as an active port.

The city has several museums, galleries, and lighthouses, and hosts a number of festivals and other events throughout the year.

Marquette currently has a population of about 21,000. Its peak population was 23,288 in 1980.

Although French missionaries came through the area as early as the 17th century, and French fur trappers frequented the region in the early 19th century, European-American settlement didn't begin until 1844, when William Burt and Jacob Houghton discovered iron deposits near Teal Lake, west of Marquette. The Jackson Mining Company became the first organized mining company in the region in 1845.

The village itself began in the fall of 1849 with the formation of the Marquette Iron Company by Robert J. Graveraet, Edward Clark, and Amos Rogers Harlow. Originally, the settlement was called New Worcester. A post office was established on September 14, 1849, with Mr. Harlow as the first postmaster. However, on August 21, 1850, the name of the post office was changed to Marquette, in honor of Jacques Marquette, the French Jesuit missionary who had explored the region. The post office was closed on August 16, 1852, after the Marquette Iron Company failed.

The Cleveland Iron Mining Company reopened the mines previously operated by the Marquette Iron Company, and flourished.

Peter White, who had come with Graveraet at the age of eighteen, opened a post office that he named Carp River on October 13, 1851. After Harlow's post office closed, White renamed his Marquette, and the village was incorporated in 1859, becoming a city in 1871.

Although its early economy was based largely on iron ore and its role as a major shipping port, Marquette also became a popular summer town in the late 19th century, as steamships brought passengers to the city's hotels and resorts.

The focus of this category is on the city of Marquette, Michigan. Appropriate topics include websites representing the city, county, or any other government offices situated in the city, as well as local businesses, industries, schools, colleges, places of worship, organizations, attractions, events, sporting facilities, and recreational opportunities.

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