Bad Axe, Michigan

City in Michigan, United States

Bad Axe, Michigan

City

Looking west along M-142 toward M-53

Location within Huron County

Bad Axe

Location within the state of Michigan

Coordinates: 43°48′10″N 82°59′59″W﻿ / ﻿43.80278°N 82.99972°W﻿ / 43.80278; -82.99972
Country| United States
State| Michigan
County| Huron
Incorporated| 1905 (city)
Government

• Mayor| Kathleen Particka
Area

[1]

• Total| 2.33 sq mi (6.03 km2)
• Land| 2.33 sq mi (6.03 km2)
• Water| 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation

| 758 ft (231 m)
Population

(2020)

• Total| 3,021
• Density| 1,297.68/sq mi (501.09/km2)
Time zone| UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)| UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code(s)|

48413

Area code| 989
FIPS code| 26-04740[2]
GNIS feature ID| 0620421[3]
Website| cityofbadaxe.com

Bad Axe is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Huron County[4] in the Thumb region of the Lower Peninsula. The population was 3,021 at the 2020 census, making it the largest community in Huron County and second largest in the Upper Thumb, after Caro.

## History

[edit]

The city was established in 1905.[5] The city's unusual name[6] dates to the time of its settlement. While surveying the first state road through the Huron County wilderness in 1861, Rudolph Papst and George Willis Pack made camp at the future site of the city and found a much-used and badly damaged axe. At Pack's suggestion, Papst used the name “Bad Axe Camp” in the minutes of the survey and on a sign he placed along the main trail.[7][8] The first post office in Bad Axe was established in 1870.[9]

## Geography

[edit]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 2.26 square miles (5.85 km2), all land.[10]

### Climate

[edit]

This climatic region has large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Bad Axe has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.[11]

## Demographics

[edit]

Historical population Census| Pop.| Note| %±

|
|
|

1880| 190| | —
1890| 842| | 343.2%
1900| 1,241| | 47.4%
1910| 1,559| | 25.6%
1920| 2,140| | 37.3%
1930| 2,332| | 9.0%
1940| 2,624| | 12.5%
1950| 2,973| | 13.3%
1960| 2,998| | 0.8%
1970| 2,999| | 0.0%
1980| 3,184| | 6.2%
1990| 3,484| | 9.4%
2000| 3,462| | −0.6%
2010| 3,129| | −9.6%
2020| 3,021| | −3.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[12]

### 2010 census

[edit]

As of the census[13] of 2010, there were 3,129 people, 1,358 households, and 760 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,384.5 inhabitants per square mile (534.6/km2). There were 1,546 housing units at an average density of 684.1 per square mile (264.1/km2). The city's racial makeup was 95.1% White, 0.8% African American, 0.9% Native American, 1.5% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.4% of the population.

There were 1,358 households, of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.8% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 44.0% were non-families. 38.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.81.

The median age in the city was 42.9 years. 21.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.2% were from 25 to 44; 26.6% were from 45 to 64; and 20.5% were 65 years of age or older. The city's gender makeup was 46.5% male and 53.5% female.

### 2000 census

[edit]

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 3,462 people, 1,418 households, and 877 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,617.3 inhabitants per square mile (624.4/km2). There were 1,545 housing units at an average density of 721.8 per square mile (278.7/km2). The city's racial makeup was 97.57% White, 0.26% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.58% Asian, 0.38% from other races, and 0.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.53% of the population.

There were 1,418 households, of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.3% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.1% 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 2.95.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.2% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.1 males.

The city's median household income was $32,125, and the median family income was $42,650. Males had a median income of $34,758 versus $20,288 for females. The city's per capita income was $17,465. About 9.3% of families and 14.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.1% of those under age 18 and 14.3% of those age 65 or over.

## Education

[edit]

Bad Axe is served by Bad Axe Public Schools, which consist of:[14]

* Bad Axe Elementary.
* Bad Axe Middle School
* Bad Axe High School

The district's George E. Greene Elementary School was shut down in 2011; Ascent High School, an alternative high school, is in its former building. The Bad Axe Elementary School is currently in the building which the district's Intermediate School occupied.

## Media

[edit]

### Radio

[edit]

Local radio stations licensed to serve Bad Axe are commercial broadcasters WLEW-AM and WLEW-FM.

#### FM

[edit]

* WCTP 88.5 FM, Gagetown, Gospel, Christian Gospel Radio
* WSMB 89.3 FM, Harbor Beach, Religious, Smile FM
* WIDL 92.1 FM, Cass City, Classic Rock The Thumb's Only Road for Pure Classic Rock
* WBGV 92.5 FM, Marlette, Country, The Thumb's Best Country
* WHNN 96.1 FM, Bay City, Adult Contemporary, The Best Variety of Yesterday and Today
* WTGV 97.7 FM, Sandusky, Adult Contemporary, Light and Easy Listening
* WKCQ 98.1 FM, Saginaw, Country, The Most Country
* WLEW 102.1 FM, Bad Axe, Classic Hits, Your Classic Hits Station
* WIOG 102.5 FM, Bay City, CHR/Top 40, The Hit Music Channel
* WQLB 103.3 FM, Tawas City, Classic Hits, Hits FM
* WCZE 103.7 FM, Harbor Beach, Christian Country, Positive Country
* WKJC 104.7 FM, Tawas City, Country Your Favorite Country Hits
* WTZM 106.1 FM, Tawas City, Religious, The Promise FM

#### AM

[edit]

* WMIC 660 AM, Sandusky (Daytime Only), Full Service/Country, The Thumb's Information Station
* WSGW 790 AM, Saginaw, News/Talk, Your Connection to the Saginaw Valley and the World
* CHOK 1070 AM, Sarnia, Full Service/AC, First in Local Information
* WJMK 1250 AM, Bridgeport, Oldies, MeTV FM
* WLEW 1340 AM, Bad Axe, Country, The Thumb's Hottest Country
* WKYO 1360 AM, Caro, Oldies, Your Greatest Hits
* WPHM 1380 AM, Port Huron, News/Talk/Sports, Where the Blue Water Area Comes to Talk
* WMAX 1440 AM, Bay City, Religious Talk, Ave Marie Radio
* WIOS 1480 AM, East Tawas, News/Talk, Where Northeast Michigan Comes to Talk

|

### Newspapers

[edit]

* Bad Axe and the northern thumb area are served by a daily newspaper, the Huron Daily Tribune and the Huron County View.
* Daily editions of the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News, as well as thrice-weekly editions of the Bay City Times and Saginaw News, are also available.

### Broadcast television

[edit]

Huron County lies inside the Flint/Tri-Cities Television Market. Only stations available on Comcast in the Bad Axe area are listed below.

* WNEM 5 (CBS/MyNetworkTV)
* WJRT 12 (ABC)
* WDCQ 19 (PBS)
* WEYI 25 (NBC)
* WBSF 46 (The CW)
* WAQP 49 (Religious)
* WSMH 66 (Fox)

## Infrastructure

[edit]

### Transportation

[edit]

* M-19
* M-53
* M-142

## Notable people

[edit]

* Allen James Babcock, Roman Catholic bishop; born in Bad Axe
* Lilian Jackson Braun, mystery writer; lived in Bad Axe
* David C. Clark, Florida state judge and legislator; born in Bad Axe
* George M. Clark, Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, lived in Bad Axe
* Helen Beulah Thompson Gaige, herpetologist; born in Bad Axe
* Brad Guigar, cartoonist; grew up in Bad Axe
* Bob Murawski, 2009 Academy Award-winning film editor (The Hurt Locker); high school valedictorian from Bad Axe
* William Potts, who added the yellow light to create the modern, three-lens traffic light; born in Bad Axe

Climate data for Bad Axe, Michigan (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1925–present)

Month  | Jan  | Feb  | Mar  | Apr  | May  | Jun  | Jul  | Aug  | Sep  | Oct  | Nov  | Dec  | Year
Record high °F (°C)  | 64
(18)  | 66
(19)  | 85
(29)  | 89
(32)  | 92
(33)  | 100
(38)  | 103
(39)  | 101
(38)  | 97
(36)  | 91
(33)  | 80
(27)  | 69
(21)  | 103
(39)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)  | 28.3
(−2.1)  | 30.2
(−1.0)  | 40.0
(4.4)  | 53.3
(11.8)  | 66.1
(18.9)  | 76.0
(24.4)  | 80.3
(26.8)  | 78.5
(25.8)  | 72.0
(22.2)  | 58.7
(14.8)  | 45.3
(7.4)  | 34.0
(1.1)  | 55.2
(12.9)
Daily mean °F (°C)  | 21.9
(−5.6)  | 22.9
(−5.1)  | 31.6
(−0.2)  | 43.2
(6.2)  | 55.3
(12.9)  | 65.4
(18.6)  | 69.9
(21.1)  | 68.5
(20.3)  | 61.5
(16.4)  | 50.0
(10.0)  | 38.4
(3.6)  | 28.5
(−1.9)  | 46.4
(8.0)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)  | 15.6
(−9.1)  | 15.6
(−9.1)  | 23.3
(−4.8)  | 33.1
(0.6)  | 44.6
(7.0)  | 54.8
(12.7)  | 59.5
(15.3)  | 58.5
(14.7)  | 51.0
(10.6)  | 41.3
(5.2)  | 31.4
(−0.3)  | 22.9
(−5.1)  | 37.6
(3.1)
Record low °F (°C)  | −23
(−31)  | −22
(−30)  | −15
(−26)  | 8
(−13)  | 22
(−6)  | 28
(−2)  | 35
(2)  | 34
(1)  | 26
(−3)  | 15
(−9)  | −7
(−22)  | −8
(−22)  | −23
(−31)
Average precipitation inches (mm)  | 1.96
(50)  | 1.88
(48)  | 1.83
(46)  | 3.19
(81)  | 3.34
(85)  | 3.17
(81)  | 3.67
(93)  | 3.36
(85)  | 3.16
(80)  | 2.90
(74)  | 2.36
(60)  | 2.07
(53)  | 32.89
(835)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 14.7  | 11.2  | 10.2  | 11.6  | 12.2  | 10.4  | 9.7  | 10.0  | 10.7  | 13.3  | 12.4  | 13.5  | 139.9
Source: NOAA[15][16]

## References

[edit]

### Notes

[edit]

1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
2. ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
3. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Bad Axe, Michigan
4. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
5. ^ "City of Bad Axe, Michigan". City of Bad Axe, Michigan. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
6. ^ Don Voorhees (4 October 2011). The Super Book of Useless Information: The Most Powerfully Unnecessary Things You Never Need to Know. Penguin Group US. p. 67\. ISBN 978-1-101-54513-3.
7. ^ Local History – How Bad Axe got its Name
8. ^ "Profile for Bad Axe, Michigan, MI". ePodunk. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
9. ^ Romig 1986, p. 38.
10. ^ "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2011-02-20. Retrieved 2012-11-25.
11. ^ Climate Summary for Bad Axe, Michigan
12. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
13. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-11-25.
14. ^ Bad Axe Public Schools > Home
15. ^ "NowData - NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
16. ^ "Station: Bad Axe, MI". U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved September 3, 2021.

### Sources

[edit]

* Romig, Walter (October 1, 1986) [1973]. Michigan Place Names: The History of the Founding and the Naming of More Than Five Thousand Past and Present Michigan Communities (Paperback). Great Lakes Books Series. Detroit, Michigan: Wayne State University Press. ISBN 081431838X.

## External links

[edit]

* Michigan portal

* Official City of Bad Axe Website
* Huron Daily Tribune
* Bad Axe Chamber of Commerce

Places adjacent to Bad Axe, Michigan

| Caseville | Port Austin | Port Hope

|
|

|  |
Pigeon, Sebewaing |

Bad Axe, Michigan

| Harbor Beach, Lake Huron
|  |
Saginaw, Caro | Sandusky, Detroit | Minden City, Port Huron

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County seat: Bad Axe

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