kids encyclopedia robot

Bad Axe, Michigan facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Bad Axe, Michigan
Looking west along M-142 toward M-53
Looking west along M-142 toward M-53
Location within Huron County
Location within Huron County
Bad Axe, Michigan is located in Michigan
Bad Axe, Michigan
Bad Axe, Michigan
Location in Michigan
Country United States
State Michigan
County Huron
Incorporated 1905 (city)
Area
 • Total 2.32 sq mi (6.02 km2)
 • Land 2.32 sq mi (6.02 km2)
 • Water 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
758 ft (231 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total 3,129
 • Estimate 
(2019)
2,914
 • Density 1,254.41/sq mi (484.40/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 3,129 at the 2010 census, making it the largest community in Huron County and second largest in the Upper Thumb, after Caro.

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 a total 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.

Climate data for Bad Axe, Michigan
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °F (°C) 29
(−2)
31
(−1)
40
(4)
54
(12)
67
(19)
77
(25)
82
(28)
80
(27)
72
(22)
60
(16)
46
(8)
33
(1)
56
(13)
Average low °F (°C) 15
(−9)
15
(−9)
23
(−5)
33
(1)
43
(6)
53
(12)
58
(14)
57
(14)
50
(10)
40
(4)
31
(−1)
20
(−7)
36
(2)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 1.8
(46)
1.8
(46)
2
(51)
2.6
(66)
2.9
(74)
3
(76)
2.8
(71)
2.9
(74)
3.1
(79)
2.5
(64)
2.5
(64)
2.1
(53)
29.9
(760)
Source: Weatherbase

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%
2019 (est.) 2,914 −6.9%
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 "Hatchets")

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.

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

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Bad Axe para niños

kids search engine
Bad Axe, Michigan Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.