Bad Axe, Michigan Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Bad Axe, Michigan
City
Looking west along M-142 toward M-53
Location within Huron County
Bad Axe, Michigan Location in Michigan
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Huron
Incorporated	1905 (city)
Area
• 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(s)	989
FIPS code	26-04740
GNIS feature ID	0620421

Bad Axe is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Huron County 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
Geography
- Climate
Demographics
- 2010 census
Education
Media
- Radio
  - FM
  - AM
- Newspapers
- Broadcast television
Infrastructure
- Transportation
Notable people
See also

History

The city was established in 1905. The city's unusual name 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. The first post office in Bad Axe was established in 1870.

Geography

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

Climate

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.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
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

2010 census

As of the census 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.

Education

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

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

Radio

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

FM

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

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

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

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

Transportation

M-19
M-53
M-142

Notable people

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

Bad Axe, Michigan facts for kids

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