Montague, Michigan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Montague, Michigan
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Location within Muskegon County and the state of Michigan
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| Country | United States |
| State | Michigan |
| County | Muskegon |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.14 sq mi (8.14 km2) |
| • Land | 2.63 sq mi (6.81 km2) |
| • Water | 0.52 sq mi (1.33 km2) |
| Elevation | 636 ft (194 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 2,417 |
| • Density | 920.06/sq mi (355.17/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code |
49437
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| Area code(s) | 231 |
| FIPS code | 26-55100 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1620880 |
Montague is a city in Muskegon County, Michigan, United States. In 2020, about 2,417 people lived there. The city is separate from Montague Township, which surrounds it on three sides.
Contents
History of Montague
Montague was founded by Noah Ferry. He named the city after his father, William Montague Ferry. His father also founded the cities of Grand Haven and Ferrysburg. These cities are in a nearby county called Ottawa County.
Ferry Church, built in 1874, is named for Noah Henry Ferry. He was Noah Ferry's son. Noah Henry Ferry died in 1863 while fighting in the Battle of Gettysburg.
Ferry Street was once the main street in Montague. It was named after Noah Ferry because the city's post office was there. The post office opened in 1867. Noah Ferry helped bring the post office to the city. Today, Dowling Street is the main road. It connects Montague to other towns and to U.S. Highway 31. The city hall and a new post office (built in 2005) are still on Ferry Street.
Montague is famous for having the "World's Largest Working Weathervane". A local company, Whitehall Metal Studios, helped build it. On top of the weathervane is a ship called the Ella Ellenwood. This ship used to carry lumber from Montague across White Lake to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The ship sank in a storm in 1901. A year later, its wooden nameplate floated back to Montague's shore. Many people felt like the ship was coming home. Because of this, the ship is often linked to the city.
Geography of Montague
Montague is in the northwest part of Muskegon County. Montague Township is to its west, north, and northeast. The city of Whitehall is to its southeast. White Lake separates Montague and Whitehall. White Lake is connected to Lake Michigan. Montague is about 16 miles (26 km) north of Muskegon, which is the main city of the county.
The city of Montague covers about 3.14 square miles (8.14 km2). Of this area, 2.63 square miles (6.81 km2) is land. The remaining 0.52 square miles (1.33 km2), or 16.4%, is water.
The ZIP code for Montague is 49437. This ZIP code covers Montague city, Montague Township, and White River Township. It also includes small parts of Whitehall Township and Blue Lake Township. Some parts of Claybanks Township and Grant Township in Oceana County also use this ZIP code.
Montague is at the southern end of the Hart-Montague Trail. This is a paved path for biking and other activities. Many visitors come to the trail during warm weather. They enjoy Montague, Hart, and the small towns along the way.
Climate in Montague
Montague has a humid continental climate. This means it has big changes in temperature throughout the year. Summers are warm to hot and often humid. Winters are cold, sometimes very cold.
| Climate data for Montague 4 NW, Michigan (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 59 (15) |
65 (18) |
80 (27) |
84 (29) |
94 (34) |
98 (37) |
96 (36) |
97 (36) |
96 (36) |
85 (29) |
74 (23) |
64 (18) |
98 (37) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 48.2 (9.0) |
49.1 (9.5) |
62.8 (17.1) |
73.5 (23.1) |
81.9 (27.7) |
87.0 (30.6) |
87.4 (30.8) |
86.3 (30.2) |
84.2 (29.0) |
74.6 (23.7) |
61.5 (16.4) |
50.7 (10.4) |
89.3 (31.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 30.2 (−1.0) |
32.4 (0.2) |
42.1 (5.6) |
55.2 (12.9) |
66.6 (19.2) |
75.3 (24.1) |
79.3 (26.3) |
77.9 (25.5) |
71.6 (22.0) |
58.5 (14.7) |
45.4 (7.4) |
34.9 (1.6) |
55.8 (13.2) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 24.4 (−4.2) |
25.6 (−3.6) |
33.6 (0.9) |
44.7 (7.1) |
55.1 (12.8) |
64.4 (18.0) |
68.7 (20.4) |
67.6 (19.8) |
61.2 (16.2) |
50.0 (10.0) |
38.9 (3.8) |
29.7 (−1.3) |
47.0 (8.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 18.6 (−7.4) |
18.8 (−7.3) |
25.0 (−3.9) |
34.2 (1.2) |
43.6 (6.4) |
53.4 (11.9) |
58.0 (14.4) |
57.2 (14.0) |
50.7 (10.4) |
41.4 (5.2) |
32.3 (0.2) |
24.5 (−4.2) |
38.1 (3.4) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −3.6 (−19.8) |
−1.9 (−18.8) |
5.0 (−15.0) |
17.7 (−7.9) |
28.0 (−2.2) |
36.7 (2.6) |
43.9 (6.6) |
43.3 (6.3) |
33.5 (0.8) |
24.4 (−4.2) |
18.2 (−7.7) |
6.6 (−14.1) |
−7.7 (−22.1) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −21 (−29) |
−27 (−33) |
−17 (−27) |
−8 (−22) |
18 (−8) |
23 (−5) |
32 (0) |
32 (0) |
24 (−4) |
14 (−10) |
−14 (−26) |
−15 (−26) |
−27 (−33) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 2.60 (66) |
1.37 (35) |
2.28 (58) |
3.84 (98) |
3.35 (85) |
3.32 (84) |
2.98 (76) |
3.29 (84) |
3.18 (81) |
4.06 (103) |
3.15 (80) |
1.77 (45) |
35.19 (894) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 26.0 (66) |
13.8 (35) |
6.7 (17) |
1.7 (4.3) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
4.7 (12) |
15.9 (40) |
68.9 (175) |
| Average extreme snow depth inches (cm) | 12.8 (33) |
12.0 (30) |
7.1 (18) |
0.9 (2.3) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
2.5 (6.4) |
7.9 (20) |
15.3 (39) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 9.6 | 7.0 | 8.2 | 10.1 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.0 | 8.2 | 9.2 | 10.9 | 10.1 | 8.7 | 110.2 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 10.8 | 6.2 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 2.4 | 7.3 | 30.4 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
Population and People
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 1,297 | — | |
| 1890 | 1,623 | 25.1% | |
| 1900 | 998 | −38.5% | |
| 1910 | 942 | −5.6% | |
| 1920 | 845 | −10.3% | |
| 1930 | 887 | 5.0% | |
| 1940 | 1,099 | 23.9% | |
| 1950 | 1,530 | 39.2% | |
| 1960 | 2,366 | 54.6% | |
| 1970 | 2,396 | 1.3% | |
| 1980 | 2,332 | −2.7% | |
| 1990 | 2,276 | −2.4% | |
| 2000 | 2,407 | 5.8% | |
| 2010 | 2,361 | −1.9% | |
| 2020 | 2,417 | 2.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
What the 2010 Census Showed
In 2010, there were 2,361 people living in Montague. These people lived in 1,006 homes. About 643 of these were families. The city had about 922 people per square mile (355 per km2).
Most people in Montague were White (96.0%). A small number were African American (0.6%), Native American (1.0%), or Asian (0.3%). About 3.4% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.
About 31.9% of homes had children under 18 living there. About 46.9% were married couples. About 14.5% of homes had someone aged 65 or older living alone. The average home had 2.35 people. The average family had 2.93 people.
The average age in the city was 39.9 years. About 25.2% of residents were under 18. About 16.1% were 65 or older. The city had more females (54.0%) than males (46.0%).
Education in Montague
Montague Area Public Schools (MAPS) is the local school district. Three of its five schools are in Montague city:
- Montague High School
- Nellie B. Chisholm (NBC) Middle School
- R.R. Oehrli (RRO) Elementary School
The other two schools, Oceana High School and Rothbury Elementary, are in Rothbury. The district serves students from both Muskegon and Oceana counties. This happened when Rothbury Public Schools joined Montague Public Schools in the 1950s. This merger created "Montague Area Public Schools" to save money and be more efficient.
The district serves students in Montague city, and Montague and White River townships. It also serves parts of Whitehall and Blue Lake townships. In Oceana County, it serves students in Rothbury village and Otto Township. Some students from New Era also attend.
Montague Area Public Schools is part of the "Muskegon County School of Choice" program. This means students from anywhere in Muskegon County can choose to attend. The district has grown a little from this program. However, it has limited space for many new students.
Montague city is also home to Saint James Catholic School. This small private school teaches grades K-5. It has about 100 students. It serves students from Montague Area Public School District and Whitehall District Schools. The school shares bus services with both districts.
Main Roads
Bus. US 31 is a special loop road. It goes through the downtown areas of both Montague and Whitehall.
B-15
B-86
Famous People from Montague
- Ira Flagstead – a baseball player (outfielder)
- Nancy Fleming – won the Miss America title in 1961
- Joseph D. Leitch – a major general in the U.S. Army
See also
In Spanish: Montague (Míchigan) para niños
