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Escanaba, Michigan

8 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Escanaba City. It lies in ZIP code area 49829. It lies near Sand Island. The Survey maps it on the Escanaba quadrangle. 12,450 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 600 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Escanaba within Delta County

On record in Escanaba

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 6 records

Population over time

2 figures

Escanaba fell from 12,616 to 12,450 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
201012,616
202012,450-166 (-1%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

6 surveys from 8 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

62 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 62 fires within 5 miles of Escanaba between 1992 and 2020, burning about 65 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 3 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning16
Missing data/not specified/undetermined14
Railroad operations and maintenance10
Equipment and vehicle use9
Misuse of fire by a minor6
Arson/incendiarism3
Recreation and ceremony2
Natural1
Fireworks1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
9 August 2008Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMichigan Department of Natural ResourcesK ROAD
8 August 2001Fireworksunder an acreMichigan Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
31 August 2012Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreMichigan Department of Natural ResourcesWEST ESKY
9 July 2019Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresMichigan Department of Natural ResourcesESCANABA DPS 19-4032 - 2019
7 July 2019Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresMichigan Department of Natural ResourcesFORSYTH TOWNSHIP FD 0001959 - 2019
6 July 2019Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresMichigan Department of Natural ResourcesESCANABA DPS 19-3940 - 2019
3 July 2005Natural1.5 acresMichigan Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
11 July 2009Arson/incendiarism2.1 acresMichigan Department of Natural ResourcesGUN CLUB

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Delta County

Mines and quarries near this place

3 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 3 workings within 5 miles of Escanaba: 3 past producers. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Fire Clay (Refractory), Stone, Crushed/Broken. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Dolomite QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Algonquin Delta Clay PitFire Clay (Refractory)Past Producer
Soo Hill Clay Pit ShaleFire Clay (Refractory)Past Producer

Every working recorded in Delta County

Storms near this place

42 since 1993

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Escanaba in 42 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 14 thunderstorm wind, 10 hail, 8 heavy rain, 5 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
May 2025LightningEscanaba$100,000Escanaba Public Safety investigator confirmed a lightning strike started a fire causing severe damage at the Bonifas Arts Center and Theater. The theater suffered heavy fire and water damage, with an estimated 6 to 9 months of closure. The arts center was closed for approximately two months.
July 2021LightningEscanaba$100,000The Delta County Sherriff's Department reported two structures fires and a tree fire in Escanaba as a result of lightning strikes. It took over three and a half hours for firefighters to extinguish the first fire which occurred in the attic of a house at 514 South 12th Street. A man and his dog were rescued from one of the apartments at this residence. Fire fighter fatigue was reported to be a major difficulty at this fire due to the heat and humidity, and one firefighter sustained a minor injury while fighting the blaze. Escanaba Public Safety was assisted on the scene by Delta County Central Dispatch, the Escanaba Township and Ford River Township fire departments, Gladstone Public Safety Volunteer Fire Fighters, MSP 84, the Delta County Sheriff's Department, Rampart EMS, DTE, Escanaba City Electric and the Red Cross. ||While responding to the fire on South 12th Street, firefighters had to extinguish a tree fire and a second structure fire at an abandoned residence on 1612 North 20th Street.
June 1998Thunderstorm WindEscanaba$75,000Strong winds uprooted several trees in and northwest of Escanaba, damaging roofs and windows.
June 1998Tornado (F1)Escanaba$25,000A tornado touched down at the intersection of County Road 414 and 533 northwest of Escanaba. The storm damaged the siding and roof of a house under construction. Fiberglass insulation was blown in a random manner and a cover to a hot tub was blown against the side of a tree. Approximately one half mile east, was a storage shed that had collasped and a pole barn with a door blown in. The parent storm travelled northeast with evidence of another tornado touchdown near M-35 near Brampton, 12 miles north of Escanaba.
July 2013Thunderstorm WindEscanaba$20,000Escanaba Public Safety reported widespread trees and power lines downed in Delta County, including the towns of Escanaba, Gladstone and Rapid River.
May 2021Thunderstorm WindNorth Escanaba$10,000Part of a roof blew off a building in Escanaba and debris was blocking a road. The time of the report was estimated from radar.
May 2021Thunderstorm WindEscanaba$6,000The Delta County Sheriff reported a tree down on a truck in Escanaba. Time of the report was estimated from radar.
August 2007Thunderstorm WindEscanaba$4,000Trees down across the city...amount and sizes unknown. Widespread power outages.
May 2021Thunderstorm WindEscanaba$3,000The UPPCO map showed widespread power outages across the western half of Delta County due to strong thunderstorm winds. More than 2000 customers were without power, most concentrated in Escanaba. The time of the report was estimated from radar.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindEscanaba$1,000Facebook photos were relayed by a local meteorologist of large tree limbs down in the Escanaba area.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindEscanaba$1,000Law enforcement reported multiple small trees down in north Escanaba. Time of report was estimated from radar.
March 2007Thunderstorm WindEscanaba$1,000Many tree branches and a small tree downed. Dime-sized hail was also reported.
August 2021Heavy RainEscanaba-Report described flooding between 3rd and 5th Ave on Lincoln (M35/US41) as insane with flooding up to the car doors. Radar estimates were between 1 and 1.25 inches in a little over an hour.
June 2017Heavy RainEscanaba-There was a video posted on social media of street flooding over poor drainage areas on Ludington Street in Escanaba from nearly one and half inches of rainfall.
May 2017HailEscanaba-A spotter in Escanaba observed heavy rain and pea to nickel sized hail.
September 2014Heavy RainEscanaba-Over three inches of rain was reported in Escanaba over a 12 hour period with much of the rain falling over a couple hours in the early afternoon of the 4th. The heavy rain caused minor street flooding in Escanaba. An observer near Cornell also measured nearly two inches of rain in 45 minutes while Stonington received nearly two inches in two hours.
August 2014Heavy RainEscanaba-The Delta County Central Dispatch reported water over multiple roads throughout the city of Escanaba. The Escanaba AWOS station measured over 1.3 inches of rainfall in 40 minutes.
September 2012Heavy RainEscanaba-Radar estimated that one to two inches of rain fell in Escanaba in a 30-45 minute time period. Several inches of water were reported on the roads in downtown Escanaba. Reports of water on roadways were also received via Twitter.
June 2012Heavy RainEscanaba-Intense thunderstorms dropped one to two inches of rainfall over many locations in Delta County on the afternoon of the 18th. The heavy rainfall caused standing water of one to two feet deep on U.S Highway 41 in Escanaba.
August 2008Thunderstorm WindEscanaba-A six-inch diameter tree limb and several three-inch diameter branches were knocked down.
July 2007HailEscanaba-Dime to nickel-sized hail.
July 2007Flash FloodEscanaba-Flooding reported under the M-35 viaduct. Storm sewers could not keep up with heavy rainfall throughout Escanaba and Gladstone.
July 2007Flash FloodEscanaba-Water above the curb along Main Street in Escanaba.
July 2007Flash FloodEscanaba-A few roads closed in Gladstone due to flash flooding with nearly two inches of rain reported in less than two hours.
June 2006Heavy RainEscanaba-Brief heavy rain caused ponding of water near the 1200 block of Ludington Street.
August 2005Thunderstorm WindEscanaba-Several six to eight-inch diameter trees down around 16th Avenue and 16th Street.
August 2005Thunderstorm WindEscanaba-Several three-inch diameter tree limbs down.
October 2005Heavy RainEscanaba-Two to three inches of rain clogged storm sewers and flooded portions of Ludington Street with 2-3 feet of water. Several cars became stranded in water. Damage estimates were not available.
May 2002HailEscanaba-Three quarter inch diameter hail was reported.
May 2002HailEscanaba-One and a quarter inch hail was reported.
October 2002Thunderstorm WindEscanaba-A large tree branch was broken off.
August 2002HailEscanaba-Golf ball sized hail was reported.
August 2002Flash FloodEscanaba-Heavy rain flooded the intersection of US-2, M-35 and US-41 with a foot of water.
September 2000Thunderstorm WindEscanaba-Trees up-rooted.
July 2007HailEscanaba-no account filed
May 2006Flash FloodEscanaba-no account filed
June 1998Funnel CloudEscanaba-no account filed
June 1998Funnel CloudEscanaba-no account filed
July 1997HailEscanaba-no account filed
July 1996HailEscanaba-no account filed
July 1996HailEscanaba-no account filed
August 1993HailEscanaba-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Delta County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Wells2.3 miles9
Larch3.1 miles9
North Escabana (historical)3.6 miles9
Soo Hill4.2 miles9
Lake Bluff4.7 miles9
Stonington4.9 miles8
Groos5.0 miles9
Pine Ridge5.8 miles8

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on EscanabaAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q1022872The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1619865. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.