COUNTY PROFILE - BARAGA, Michigan

 
LOCATION SERVICES
 
Bureau of Industrial Development
Michigan Technological University
1400 Townsend Drive
Houghton, Michigan 49931-1295
 
Contact:  Philip Musser, Manager
Phone:    906/487-2560
FAX:      906/487-2858
 
County Seat:  L'Anse
 
POPULATION
 
1970 Census                     7789
1980 Census                     8484
1990 Census                     7954
Median Age (as of 1990)         36.7 years
 
 
LABOR FORCE
(1992 average)
 
Total Labor Force             3375
Employed                      2925
Total Unemployment             450
Unemployment Rate             13.3%
3-Year Average                12.2%
 
 
PRINCIPAL ECONOMIC BASE EMPLOYERS
 
Firm                                Employees         Product/Service
 
Keweenaw Bay Indian Community
Celotex, L'Anse                           200  Fiberboard
Pettibone, Baraga                         165  Lift trucks & logging equip.
Connor Forest Industries, L'Anse           45  Sawmill
Baraga Products, Baraga                    20  Industrial machinery
Van Straten & Sons, Baraga                 20  Fabricated plate work
Boda, Pelkie                               15  Metal fabrication
Leo Erickson & Son                         15  Sawmill
Northern Tool and Engineering              15  Fabricated plate work
Selkey Mfg., Baraga                        15  Fabricated plate work
U.P. Plastics, Baraga                      15  Plastics
L'Anse Mfg., L'Anse                        10  Casting machine shop
Johnson & Berry Mfg.                        6  Metal fabrication
 
 
EARNING LEVELS
                                          Average Hourly Rate
Classification                           Minimum       Maximum
 
Assembler - Light                          $5.90         $7.80
Clerk, General Office                      $6.14         $7.42
Electrical Technician                      $4.40         $9.01
Forklift Operator                          $7.63         $8.75
General Laborer                            $5.68         $8.55
Inspector                                  $8.25         $9.26
Machine Operator                           $7.21         $8.29
Machinist                                  $7.97        $11.01
Secretary                                  $6.11         $8.05
Welder                                     $7.25        $10.07
 
Source:  Based on Bell Telephone Co. community survey, adjusted for
         inflation to 1991 using Consumer Price Index.
 
 
DISTANCE TO:
                   Miles    Kilometers
Chicago             390         627
Detroit             520         836
Lansing             460         740
Milwaukee           280         450
Minneapolis         345         555
 
 
TRANSPORTATION
 
Main Highways:  M-28, US-41, US-141
Bus Lines:      Greyhound; Baraga Public Transit
Truck Lines:    5
Rail Lines:     Wisconsin Central
Ports:          Baraga
Airports:       Houghton County Memorial
Airlines:       Northwest Air Link
 
 
CLIMATE
As reported by weather station at Alberta.
 
January Average Minimum:    2 F./-17 C.    Average Maximum:   20 F./ -7 C.
July Average Minimum:      54 F./ 12 C.    Average Maximum:   78 F./ 26 C.
Growing Season:        91 days
Days below 0 F or -18 C:   43      Average Annual Rainfall:   34 in./ 86 cm.
Days above 90 F or 32 C:    4      Average Annual Snowfall:  151 in./384 cm.
 
 
INDUSTRIAL SITES
(As of January 1993)
 
Community                  Sites    Acres    Hectares    Industrial Parks
 
Baraga                        1         0           0              2
Baraga Twp.                   2         0           0              0
L Anse                        1         0           0              0
L Anse Twp.                   2         0           0              0
     COUNTY TOTAL             6         0           0              2
 
Zero acres indicates less than half an acre or no information available.
 
 
CONSTRUCTION PERMITS
 
                   Residential   Industrial      Office      Mercantile
                  Units  Value  Units  Value  Units  Value  Units  Value
 
1991:               17    $0.56
3-Year Average:     24    $0.79    1    $0.05    2    $0.15    3    $0.18
 
Values are reported in millions of dollars. A 3-year average value of 1 may
indicate no construction activity in one or more of the last three years.
 
 
NEW INCORPORATIONS
 
Incorporations in 1992:     13          State Median:   68
Incorporation Rate:        163          State Median:  183
 
Incorporation Rate = incorporations per 100,000 population.
 
 
PROPERTY TAX BASE
(As of 1992)
 
Agricultural    Residential   Industrial    Commercial    Other
     5%             56%          10%            8%         21%
 
County Total State Equalized Value:              $90,929,503.00
County Average Tax Millage Rate (in 1991):                54.47
 
 
UTILITIES
                   Electric           Gas                Telephone*
 
Baraga             Local              Michigan Power     Baraga Tel.
L'Anse             Local              Michigan Power     GTE
 
* D=digital switching; EA=equal access to interexchange carriers;
  see Source List note.
 
 
WATER
                                 Gallons           Liters         Pressure
                 Source      Capacity   Use    Capacity   Use   (lbs./sq.in.)
 
Baraga           Lake            10       6        38      23     70-80
L'Anse           Lake                    10                38     25-100
 
Capacity and maximum use in hundreds of thousands of gallons/liters per day.
 
 
SEWER
                                            Gallons            Liters
                     Type               Capacity   Load    Capacity   Load
 
Baraga               Lagoons                  5       1         18       5
L'Anse               Mech. Trtmnt.           20       5         76      19
 
Capacity and present load in hundreds of thousands of gallons/liters per day.
 
 
MUNICIPAL SERVICES
                                   1990               Master   Public Library
Community        Phone Number   Population    Zoning   Plan      (Volumes)
 
Baraga           906-353-6237        1231       no     no
L'Anse           906-524-6116        2151       yes    no      14,628
 
 
                 ------- Fire Department -------    Police
Community        Class.    FT Paid    PT/Volunt.  (Full-Time)  Solid Waste
 
Baraga            7                        20            2     Independent
L'Anse            7                        40            4     Independent
 
 
County Sheriff Officers:     5      Licensed Landfills in County:    1
 
Other communities in Baraga County (1990 population for incorporated
communities in parenthesis):
 
Alberta, Arnheim, Arvon Twp. (422), Assinins, Aura, Baraga Twp. (2832),
Covington Twp. (651), Herman, Keweenaw Bay, L'Anse Twp. (3818), Michigamme,
Pelkie, Pequaming, Skanee, Spurr Twp. (231), Three Lakes, Watton
 
 
EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES (1992-1993)
                                                  K-12    Instruc.     High
Community        School District                Students    Staff     Schools
 
Baraga           Baraga Area                        583        29         1
L'Anse           L'Anse Area                        863        38         1
 
 
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
(As of Fall 1991)
 
Name and Location                                               Enrollment
 
Michigan Technological University, Houghton (35 mi.)                  6921
Northern Michigan University, Marquette (60 mi.)                      8652
Suomi College, Hancock (35 mi.)                                        527
 
 
MEDICAL FACILITIES
 
Hospitals in County:           1     Total Beds:     67
Nearest Large Medical Center:  Marquette
Extended Care Facilities:      2     Total Beds:    126
Physicians (MDs and DOs) in County:      6
 
 
HOUSING AND CHURCHES
(Housing as of 1990)
 
Owner occupied:     2265 (73.9%)     Median Home Value:   $37,900.00
Renter occupied:     800 (26.1%)     Median Contract Rent:   $181.00
Churches:      Catholic:    2    Protestant:   14
Synagogues:    0   Nearest synagogue is in Houghton (28 miles)
 
 
RECREATION, ATTRACTIONS, AND EVENTS
 
Craig Lake State Park; Baraga State Park; recreational harbor facilities at
L'Anse on Lake Superior; L'Anse Big Bay Snowmobile Trail, 60 miles long;
Lac View Snowmobile Trail, 58 miles long. Shrine of the Snowshoe Priest,
L'Anse. Fish Frolic (Feb.); Fiddlers' Jamboree, Aura (July); County Fair
(August); Huron Mountain Metric Bicycle Race, Skanee (Oct.).
 
 
COMMERCIAL SERVICES
(As of 1989)
 
General Building Contractors                    3
Metalworking Machinery                          1
Commercial Printing                             0
Advertising                                     0
Personnel Supply Services                       0
Computer and Data Processing Services           0
Legal Services                                  3
Accounting, Auditing and Bookkeeping            0
Retail Establishments                          56
Wholesale Establishments                        7
 
Hotel/Motel Rooms (as of 1986):                82
Television Channels:    1 plus cable
Radio Stations:         5
Newspapers:     Daily Mining Gazette, L'Anse Sentinel, Mining Journal
 
 
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
(As of 1993)                                                       Offices
                                            Main Office           in County
 
Commercial National Bank of L'Anse          L'Anse                     2
Houghton National Bank                      Houghton                   1
Superior National Bank and Trust Company    Hancock                    1
 
EMPLOYMENT AND EARNINGS BY INDUSTRY
                                                               Earnings
                                   Employment                ($ millions)
                                1985        1990            1985          1990
 
Total Employment                 2701        3276
Total Income                                               $76.97       $101.61
 
Earnings by Place of Work                                  $38.95        $57.06
 
  Components by Type:
  Wage and Salary                2066        2584          $30.50        $45.57
  Proprietors                     635         692           $5.78         $7.12
    Farm                           79          68           $0.46         $0.52
    Nonfarm                       556         624           $5.32         $6.60
 
  Components by Industry:
  Farm                             98          83           $0.55         $0.61
  Nonfarm                        2603        3193          $38.40        $56.45
    Private                      1976        2499          $26.31        $39.53
      Agric./For./Fish.            17          50           $0.46         $0.46
      Mining                                                $0.09
      Construction                142         141           $2.67         $2.69
      Manufacturing               519         650           $9.90        $15.99
        Non-Durable Goods         ---         ---           $5.32         $0.57
        Durable Goods             ---         ---           $4.58        $15.42
      Transp. & Utilities          94         140           $2.15         $4.38
      Wholesale Trade              10                       $0.16
      Retail Trade                475         548           $3.69         $4.54
      Fin./Ins./Real Est.         145         139           $0.85         $1.41
      Services                    567         820           $6.34         $9.93
    Government                    627         694          $12.10        $16.92
      Federal                      25          32           $0.51         $0.69
      Military, Civilian           19          18           $0.10         $0.12
      State and Local             583         644          $11.49        $16.11
 
Earnings by Place of Residence                             $41.01        $56.78
 
Zero values indicate confidential information or fewer than 10 employees
or less than $50,000.
 
Per Capita Income:      1985:     $9,616.00      1990:    $12,765.00