Port Sanilac, Michigan
Port Sanilac is a village located in Sanilac County, Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 658.
History
This village was originally a lumberjack settlement on the shore of Lake Huron named "Bark Shanty Point." In the late 1840s and 1850s, the settlement gained its first sawmill, schoolhouse, and general store. In 1854, Bark Shanty Point's first post office opened. In 1857 the village was renamed to Port Sanilac, as it is located in Sanilac County and Sanilac Township, Michigan. Local legend attributes the name to a Wyandotte Indian Chief named Sanilac.
Local landmarks include the Port Sanilac lighthouse (burning kerosene from its opening in 1886 until its electrifcation in 1924) and a twenty-room Victorian mansion (now a museum) built in 1850 by a horse-and-buggy doctor, Dr. Joseph Loop.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.9 km² (0.7 mi²). 1.9 km² (0.7 mi²) of it is land and none of it is covered by water. It is located at 43°25′56″N 82°32′33″W / 43.43222°N 82.54250°W.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 658 people, 319 households, and 176 families residing in the village. The population density is 352.9/km² (908.8/mi²). There are 437 housing units at an average density of 234.3/km² (603.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the village is 96.66% White, 0.00% African American, 0.76% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.61% from other races, and 1.82% from two or more races. 2.13% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 319 households out of which 20.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% are married couples living together, 9.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 44.8% are non-families. 42.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 26.6% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.03 and the average family size is 2.77.
In the village the population is spread out with 19.9% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 20.1% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 28.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 46 years. For every 100 females there are 77.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 72.2 males.
The median income for a household in the village is $28,409, and the median income for a family is $38,250. Males have a median income of $30,795 versus $21,875 for females. The per capita income for the village is $18,153. 7.8% of the population and 4.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 15.3% of those under the age of 18 and 7.1% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Education
Carsonville-Port Sanilac Schools has a combined high school and middle school off M-46 between Port Sanilac and Carsonville, Michigan. Port Sanilac's last elementary school closed in the early 1980's and the building is now used as the Bark Shanty Community Center. Elementary students are bused to nearby Carsonville, Michigan for schooling.