COUNTY PROFILE - GOGEBIC, 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:  Bessemer
 
POPULATION
 
1970 Census                    20676
1980 Census                    19686
1990 Census                    18052
Median Age (as of 1990)         40.2 years
 
 
LABOR FORCE
(1992 average)
 
Total Labor Force             7500
Employed                      6725
Total Unemployment             750
Unemployment Rate             10.1%
3-Year Average                 9.1%
 
 
PRINCIPAL ECONOMIC BASE EMPLOYERS
 
Firm                                Employees         Product/Service
 
Gogebic Community College, Ironwood       500  Community college
Grandview Hospital                        172  Health care
Bessemer Plywood, Bessemer                110  Veneer and plywood
Norco of Michigan                         110  Windows
Blackjack Ski                             100  Ski hill
Fox Point Sportswear, Ironwood            100  Textiles
Indian Head Ski, Wakefield                100  Resort
Bid Powderhorn                             93  Resort
Steiger Lumber, Bessemer                   60  Sawmill
Connor Forest Industry, Wakefield          50  Lumber, millwork
Globe Concrete & Supply, Ironwood          25  Concrete products
Jacquant Fabrics                           20  Textiles
Everson Tool and Machine, Ironwood         10  Machine shop
Corullo Forest Products, Wakefield          5  Sawmill
 
 
EARNING LEVELS
                                          Average Hourly Rate
Classification                           Minimum       Maximum
 
Assembler - Light                          $5.80         $7.65
Clerk, General Office                      $6.02         $7.28
Electrical Technician                      $4.30         $8.83
Forklift Operator                          $7.48         $8.59
General Laborer                            $5.57         $8.38
Inspector                                  $8.10         $9.07
Machine Operator                           $7.07         $8.13
Machinist                                  $7.83        $10.80
Secretary                                  $5.99         $7.89
Welder                                     $7.11         $9.88
 
Source:  Based on Bell Telephone Co. community survey, adjusted for
         inflation to 1991 using Consumer Price Index.
 
 
DISTANCE TO:
                   Miles    Kilometers
Chicago             400         643
Detroit             590         949
Duluth              100         160
Lansing             530         852
Minneapolis         250         402
Toronto             600         965
 
 
TRANSPORTATION
 
Main Highways:  M-28, M-64, US-2, US-45
Bus Lines:      Greyhound; White Pine Transit
Truck Lines:    4
Rail Lines:     Wisconsin Central
Ports:          None
Airports:       Gogebic County, Ironwood
Airlines:       Great Lakes Aviation
 
 
CLIMATE
As reported by weather station at Ironwood.
 
January Average Minimum:    1 F./-17 C.    Average Maximum:   20 F./ -7 C.
July Average Minimum:      55 F./ 13 C.    Average Maximum:   79 F./ 26 C.
Growing Season:       111 days
Days below 0 F or -18 C:   43      Average Annual Rainfall:   35 in./ 89 cm.
Days above 90 F or 32 C:    4      Average Annual Snowfall:  156 in./396 cm.
 
 
INDUSTRIAL SITES
(As of January 1993)
 
Community                  Sites    Acres    Hectares    Industrial Parks
 
Bessemer                      4       131          53              1
Bessemer Twp.                 2       120          49              0
Erwin Twp.                    2         0           0              0
Ironwood                     26       244          99              1
Ironwood Twp.                 1         0           0              0
Marenisco Twp.                1         0           0              0
Wakefield                     1         0           0              0
     COUNTY TOTAL            37       495         200              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:               47    $1.72    1    $0.02                  3    $0.78
3-Year Average:     51    $2.68    0    $0.01    1    $0.03    4    $1.72
 
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:     36          State Median:   68
Incorporation Rate:        199          State Median:  183
 
Incorporation Rate = incorporations per 100,000 population.
 
 
PROPERTY TAX BASE
(As of 1992)
 
Agricultural    Residential   Industrial    Commercial    Other
     1%             54%           2%           12%         31%
 
County Total State Equalized Value:             $192,461,822.00
County Average Tax Millage Rate (in 1991):                55.93
 
 
UTILITIES
                   Electric           Gas                Telephone*
 
Bessemer           Northern States    Northern States    Michigan Bell
Ironwood           Northern States    Northern States    Michigan Bell, D,EA
Ironwood Twp.      Northern States    Northern States    Michigan Bell, D,EA
Wakefield          Local              Northern States    Michigan Bell
 
* 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.)
 
Bessemer         Wells                    3                 9     50-80
Ironwood         Wells           28      14       106      53     64-90
Ironwood Twp.    Ironwood                 0                 1     150
Wakefield        Wells                   34               129     60-70
 
Capacity and maximum use in hundreds of thousands of gallons/liters per day.
 
 
SEWER
                                            Gallons            Liters
                     Type               Capacity   Load    Capacity   Load
 
Bessemer             Prim. & Sec.             8       4         30      13
Ironwood             Act. Sl. & Pri.        150      87        568     329
Ironwood Twp.        Act. Sludge              4       1         13       3
Wakefield            Lagoons                 40       2        151       7
 
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)
 
Bessemer         906-661-0333        2272       yes    no      9,852
Ironwood         906-932-5050        6849       yes    no      30,721
Ironwood Twp.                        2303       yes    yes     30,721
Wakefield        906-229-5131        2318       yes    no      20,573
 
 
                 ------- Fire Department -------    Police
Community        Class.    FT Paid    PT/Volunt.  (Full-Time)  Solid Waste
 
Bessemer          7                        25                  Municipal
Ironwood          6                        15           16     Municipal
Ironwood Twp.     8/9                      46
Wakefield         7                        20                  Municipal
 
 
County Sheriff Officers:    12      Licensed Landfills in County:    0
 
Other communities in Gogebic County (1990 population for incorporated
communities in parenthesis):
 
Alanson, Bessemer Twp. (1374), Erwin Twp. (477), Marenisco Twp. (959), North
Ironwood, Ramsay, Thomaston, Wakefield Twp. (452), Watersmeet Twp. (1048)
 
 
EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES (1992-1993)
                                                  K-12    Instruc.     High
Community        School District                Students    Staff     Schools
 
Bessemer         Bessemer City                      551        30         1
Ironwood         Ironwood Area                     1499        70         1
Wakefield        Wakefield Twp                      498        28         1
 
 
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
(As of Fall 1991)
 
Name and Location                                               Enrollment
 
Gogebic Community College, Ironwood                                   1318
Michigan Technological University, Houghton (100 mi.)                 6921
Northern Michigan University, Marquette (135 mi.)                     8652
Suomi College, Hancock (100 mi.)                                       527
 
 
MEDICAL FACILITIES
 
Hospitals in County:           1     Total Beds:     72
Nearest Large Medical Center:  Ashland, WI (35 miles)
Extended Care Facilities:      3     Total Beds:    221
Physicians (MDs and DOs) in County:     24
 
 
HOUSING AND CHURCHES
(Housing as of 1990)
 
Owner occupied:     5822 (78.2%)     Median Home Value:   $23,300.00
Renter occupied:    1627 (21.8%)     Median Contract Rent:   $187.00
Churches:      Catholic:    7    Protestant:   26
Synagogues:    0   Nearest synagogue is in Houghton (109 miles)
 
 
RECREATION, ATTRACTIONS, AND EVENTS
 
Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park; Lake Gogebic State Park; Copper
Peak. Blackjack Ski Resort (downhill and cross-country); Indianhead
Mountain Resort and Mt. Zion (downhill and cross-country); 130 miles of
snowmobile trails; Black River Harbor Drive (Bessemer to Lake Superior);
recreational harbor facilities at Black River on Lake Superior. Gogebic
Community College, Ironwood. County Fair (August).
 
 
COMMERCIAL SERVICES
(As of 1989)
 
General Building Contractors                    3
Metalworking Machinery                          1
Commercial Printing                             2
Advertising                                     3
Personnel Supply Services                       1
Computer and Data Processing Services           1
Legal Services                                  8
Accounting, Auditing and Bookkeeping            6
Retail Establishments                         148
Wholesale Establishments                       21
 
Hotel/Motel Rooms (as of 1986):              1070
Television Channels:    1 plus cable
Radio Stations:         3
Newspapers:     Ironwood Daily Globe; Wakefield News
 
 
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
(As of 1993)                                                       Offices
                                            Main Office           in County
 
First of America Bank-Upper Peninsula,      Marquette                  3
MFC First National Bank                     Ironwood                   2
The First National Bank in Ontonagon        Ontonagon                  1
The First National Bank of Wakefield        Wakefield                  1
 
EMPLOYMENT AND EARNINGS BY INDUSTRY
                                                               Earnings
                                   Employment                ($ millions)
                                1985        1990            1985          1990
 
Total Employment                 6377        7337
Total Income                                              $178.46       $234.07
 
Earnings by Place of Work                                  $79.96       $112.50
 
  Components by Type:
  Wage and Salary                5066        5839          $61.63        $86.18
  Proprietors                    1311        1498          $13.32        $18.68
    Farm                           89          78           $0.19         $0.37
    Nonfarm                      1222        1420          $13.13        $18.31
 
  Components by Industry:
  Farm                            102          89           $0.28         $0.46
  Nonfarm                        6275        7248          $79.69       $112.05
    Private                      4867        5606          $54.59        $77.10
      Agric./For./Fish.            70          58           $0.77         $0.53
      Mining                                                $0.37         $0.18
      Construction                214         244           $5.11         $5.59
      Manufacturing               580         994           $8.65        $19.61
        Non-Durable Goods         ---         ---           $0.94         $3.08
        Durable Goods             ---         ---           $7.71        $16.54
      Transp. & Utilities         185         252           $4.16         $5.90
      Wholesale Trade             130         126           $2.42         $2.87
      Retail Trade               1550        1567          $13.05        $14.95
      Fin./Ins./Real Est.         390         481           $3.84         $5.69
      Services                   1747        1883          $16.23        $21.79
    Government                   1408        1642          $25.10        $34.94
      Federal                     164         188           $4.09         $5.05
      Military, Civilian           43          40           $0.22         $0.26
      State and Local            1201        1414          $20.79        $29.64
 
Earnings by Place of Residence                             $80.60       $113.15
 
Zero values indicate confidential information or fewer than 10 employees
or less than $50,000.
 
Per Capita Income:      1985:     $9,445.00      1990:    $12,986.00
 
 

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