Alger County is a county in Michigan, United States, on the Upper Peninsula’s Lake Superior shoreline. It had a population of 8,842 at the 2020 census and covers 5,048 square miles (13,070 km2) — 915 square miles (2,370 km2) of it land, the rest Lake Superior water — centred near 47°10′N 86°29′W.
Munising is the county seat; its postal code is 49862. The county has one city, one village, one census-designated place, eight civil townships and a scatter of unincorporated communities. It runs on Eastern time and includes the FIPS code 26003.
Towns & Villages in Alger County
Alger County has one incorporated city (Munising), one incorporated village (Chatham) and one census-designated place (Grand Marais); everything else on the list below is an unincorporated community — a rail siding, lumber camp, or crossroads name that never formed its own municipal government. «CDP» = census-designated place; «Unincorp.» = unincorporated community.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Munising | City · seat | Munising | 1,986 | 49862 |
| Chatham | Village | Rock River | 193 | 49816 |
| Grand Marais | CDP | Burt | — | 49839 |
| Au Train | Unincorp. | Au Train | — | 49806 |
| Christmas | Unincorp. | Munising | — | 49862 |
| Coalwood | Unincorp. | Onota | — | — |
| Deerton | Unincorp. | Rock River | — | 49822 |
| Diffin | Unincorp. | Onota | — | — |
| Dixon | Unincorp. | Mathias | — | — |
| Dorsey | Unincorp. | Mathias | — | — |
| Doty | Unincorp. | Munising | — | — |
| Eben Junction | Unincorp. | Rock River | — | 49825 |
| Evelyn | Unincorp. | Mathias | — | — |
| Forest Lake | Unincorp. | Mathias | — | — |
| Green Haven | Unincorp. | Burt | — | — |
| Indian Town | Unincorp. | Munising | — | — |
| Juniper | Unincorp. | Limestone | — | — |
| Kentucky | Unincorp. | Au Train | — | — |
| Kiva | Unincorp. | Mathias | — | — |
| Ladoga | Unincorp. | Mathias | — | — |
| Limestone | Unincorp. | Limestone | — | — |
| Melstrand | Unincorp. | Burt | — | — |
| Munising Junction | Unincorp. | Munising | — | — |
| Myren | Unincorp. | Onota | — | — |
| Onota | Unincorp. | Onota | — | — |
| Rock River | Unincorp. | Rock River | — | — |
| Rumely | Unincorp. | Mathias | — | 49826 |
| Sand River | Unincorp. | Au Train | — | — |
| Shingleton | Unincorp. | Mathias | — | 49884 |
| Star | Unincorp. | Mathias | — | — |
| Stillman | Unincorp. | Onota | — | — |
| Sundell | Unincorp. | Grand Island | — | — |
| Traunik | Unincorp. | Rock River | — | — |
| Trenary | Unincorp. | Rock River | — | 49891 |
| Vail | Unincorp. | Munising | — | — |
| Van Meer | Unincorp. | Onota | — | — |
| Wetmore | Unincorp. | Munising | — | 49895 |
Townships
Alger County has eight civil townships. Verified 2020 township-level population figures were not available for this update, so the table below lists each township’s main settlements without a population column.
| Township | Main settlements |
|---|---|
| Au Train | Au Train, Sand River, Kentucky |
| Burt | Grand Marais, Green Haven, Melstrand |
| Grand Island | Sundell (Grand Island itself is largely National Park Service land) |
| Limestone | Limestone, Juniper |
| Mathias | Shingleton, Rumely, Star, Dixon, Dorsey, Evelyn, Forest Lake, Kiva, Ladoga |
| Munising | City of Munising (self-governing), Christmas, Wetmore, Doty, Indian Town, Munising Junction, Vail |
| Onota | Onota, Coalwood, Diffin, Myren, Stillman, Van Meer |
| Rock River | Chatham, Deerton, Eben Junction, Trenary, Traunik |
ZIP Codes
- 49862 — Munising (also serves Christmas)
- 49816 — Chatham
- 49839 — Grand Marais
- 49806 — Au Train
- 49822 — Deerton
- 49825 — Eben Junction
- 49826 — Rumely
- 49884 — Shingleton
- 49891 — Trenary
- 49895 — Wetmore
Smaller crossroads such as Dixon, Dorsey, Kiva, Ladoga, Limestone and Sundell have no post office of their own and share a ZIP code with the nearest listed town.
Geography
Alger County sits on the eastern half of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and Lake Superior water makes up 82% of its total area — only Michigan’s Chippewa County has more water within its borders. The Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore runs along roughly 40 miles of the county’s Superior shoreline, its sandstone cliffs, waterfalls and dunes drawing the county’s largest tourism traffic. Inland, the Hiawatha National Forest covers much of the southern townships, and the Rock, Au Train and Sand rivers drain north into the lake.
Alger County borders Marquette County to the west, Luce County to the east, Schoolcraft County to the southeast and Delta County to the south. Its entire northern edge is open water — Lake Superior, with the international border and Ontario, Canada, beyond it.
Demographics
Alger County’s 2020 population was 8,842, spread across roughly 915 square miles of land — a density of about 9.7 people per square mile, among the lowest in Michigan’s Lower and Upper Peninsulas alike. Munising (1,986) and the surrounding township are home to nearly a quarter of county residents; Chatham village (193) is the only other incorporated place. Median household income in the county runs below the Michigan median of $69,183, reflecting the seasonal, resource-based local economy.
Economy & Local Life
Tourism tied to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and Lake Superior kayaking, along with forestry, wood products and Hiawatha National Forest logging contracts, anchor the county’s economy. Munising Memorial Hospital and the Alger County Courthouse are the largest year-round employers in the county seat. The county’s short, intense summer season — boat tours, waterfall hikes, and the annual Pictured Rocks Hiking Trail traffic — draws far more visitors than the resident population, while winter brings snowmobile tourism on the North Country and Michigan snowmobile trail networks.
History
Alger County was set apart from Schoolcraft County and organized on March 17, 1885. It was named for Russell Alexander Alger, a Michigan lumber baron who served as the state’s governor, a U.S. senator, and U.S. Secretary of War under President William McKinley. Logging and, later, iron-ore shipping through Munising’s harbor drove the county’s early economy; Pictured Rocks was designated the first national lakeshore in the United States in 1966, shifting the local economy toward tourism over the following decades.
Getting There
M-28 runs east-west through the county, linking Munising to Marquette and Newberry; M-94 connects Munising south to Trenary and US-2. Nearest points of reference:
- Marquette — 45 miles west
- Sault Ste. Marie — 90 miles east
- Escanaba — 65 miles southwest
- Green Bay, Wisconsin — 190 miles south
The nearest commercial airport is Sawyer International Airport (MQT), about 55 miles west near Marquette.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Alger County, Michigan?
It is on the eastern Upper Peninsula, fronting Lake Superior, between Marquette and Sault Ste. Marie.
What is the population of Alger County?
8,842 at the 2020 census.
How big is Alger County?
5,048 square miles (13,070 km2) total, of which only 915 square miles (2,370 km2) is land — the rest is Lake Superior.
What is the county seat of Alger County?
Munising is the county seat.
How many towns are in Alger County?
One city (Munising), one village (Chatham), one census-designated place (Grand Marais) and about three dozen smaller unincorporated communities across eight townships.
What ZIP codes are in Alger County?
Ten, led by 49862 (Munising); see the ZIP Codes section above for the full list.
What is Alger County known for?
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore — sandstone cliffs, waterfalls and beaches along its Lake Superior shoreline.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Michigan.