Horton Bay, Michigan

Census-designated place & unincorporated community in Michigan, United States

45°17′04″N 85°04′45″W / 45.28444°N 85.07917°W / 45.28444; -85.07917CountryUnited StatesStateMichiganCountyCharlevoixTownshipBaySettled1876Area

^[1]

• Total6.17 sq mi (15.98 km²) • Land4.82 sq mi (12.48 km²) • Water1.35 sq mi (3.50 km²)Elevation

^[2]

673 ft (205 m)Population

(2020)

• Total485 • Density100.62/sq mi (38.85/km²)Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)ZIP code(s)

49712 (Boyne City)
49720 (Charlevoix)

Area code231FIPS code26-39340GNIS feature ID1618908^[2]

Horton Bay is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Charlevoix County in the U.S. state of Michigan.^[2] The population of the CDP was 485 at the 2020 census. The community is located within Bay Township on northeastern shores of Lake Charlevoix.

History

The area was settled as early as 1876 by pioneer settled Samuel Horton in 1876 as a lumbering community.^[3] Located along Pine Lake (now known as Lake Charlevoix), the community was originally spelled as Horton's Bay when a post office opened on February 27, 1879 with Alonzo Stroud serving as the first postmaster. The name was shortened to Horton Bay on October 12, 1894. The post office operated until January 15, 1910.^[4]

Ernest Hemingway frequently visited Horton Bay to camp and fish, and the area is the setting for several of his famous The Nick Adams Stories. Hemingway was married here in 1921.^[3]

Horton Bay was designated as a Michigan State Historic Site on November 12, 1975. The district includes several properties that are also listed on the National Register of Historic Places: Horton Bay General Store, Horton Bay School, and Red Fox Inn (Horton Bay House).

The community of Horton Bay was listed as a newly-organized census-designated place for the 2010 census, meaning it now has officially defined boundaries and population statistics for the first time.^[5]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Horton Bay CDP has a total area of 6.17 square miles (15.98 km²), of which 4.82 square miles (12.48 km²) is land and 1.35 square miles (3.50 km²) (21.88%) is water.

Horton Bay is located along the northeastern coastline of Lake Charlevoix.

Major highways

C-56 (Boyne City–Charlevoix Road) is a county-designated highway that runs through the community near the shores of Lake Charlevoix.
C-71 (Horton Bay Road) is a county-designated highway that runs south into the community and ends at C-56.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
2010	512	—
2020	485	−5.3%
U.S. Decennial Census^[6]

Education

Horton Bay is served entirely by Boyne City Public Schools to the southeast in Boyne City.^[7]

Images

Road signage along Boyne City Road
Horton Bay General Store
State historic marker

References

^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Horton Bay, Michigan
^ ^a ^b MichMarkers.com (2022). "Horton Bay: Registered Site S0463". Retrieved August 2, 2022.
^ Romig, Walter (October 1, 1986) [1973]. Michigan Place Names: The History of the Founding and the Naming of More Than Five Thousand Past and Present Michigan Communities (Paperback). Great Lakes Books Series. Detroit, Michigan: Wayne State University Press. p. 181. ISBN 978-0-8143-1838-6.
^ "Michigan: 2010 Population and Housing Unit Counts 2010 Census of Population and Housing" (PDF). 2010 United States Census. United States Census Bureau. September 2012. p. III-4. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
^ Michigan Geographic Framework (November 15, 2013). "Charlevoix County School Districts" (PDF). Retrieved August 6, 2022.