Houghton, Michigan
19 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1915 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Houghton City. It lies in ZIP code area 49931. The Survey maps it on the Chassell quadrangle. 8,386 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 643 feet above sea level.
Research this city
On record in Houghton
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 8 records
College Club House and Gymnasiumlisted 1980
Douglass Houselisted 1982
Houghton County Courthouselisted 1975
John J. Michels Houselisted 1991
Saint Ignatius Loyola Churchlisted 1987
Shelden Avenue Historic Districtlisted 1987
Ransom B. Shelden Houselisted 1980
Shelden-Dee Blocklisted 1982
Population over time
2 figuresHoughton grew from 7,708 to 8,386 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.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 7,708 | |
| 2020 | 8,386 | +678 (+9%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
10 surveys from 19 printed sheetsMatched 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.
- 1915 USGS Houghton quadrangle1:62500, 4 printings
- 1946 USGS Chassell quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1948 USGS Chassell quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1954 USGS Houghton quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1958 USGS Hancock quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1960 USGS Hancock quadrangle1:250000
- 1961 USGS Hancock quadrangle1:250000
- 1966 USGS Hancock quadrangle1:250000
- 1978 USGS Chassell quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Hancock quadrangle1:100000, 3 printings
Fires near this place
15 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 15 fires within 5 miles of Houghton between 1992 and 2019, burning about 432 acres in total. None started naturally. None was 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 |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 9 |
| Debris and open burning | 3 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 1 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 September 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Michigan Department of Natural Resources | DOLLAR BAY VFD 0000012 - 2019 |
| 12 September 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.3 acres | Michigan Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 22 July 2002 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 3.0 acres | Michigan Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 11 July 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Michigan Department of Natural Resources | HANCOCK FD 0000025 - 2018 |
| 6 June 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 400 acres | Michigan Department of Natural Resources | RICE LAKE |
| 14 June 2019 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1.0 acres | Michigan Department of Natural Resources | QUINCY-FRANKLIN-HANCOCK VFD 2019006 - 2019 |
| 7 May 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Michigan Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 7 May 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Michigan Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 64 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 64 workings within 5 miles of Houghton: 40 past producers, 17 prospects, 7 producers. 7 still produce. What was taken out: Copper, Stone, Crushed/Broken, Copper, Silver, Silver. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sturgeon Clay Pit | Fire Clay (Refractory) | Past Producer | ||
| Gedvillas Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Isle Royale Amygdaloid | Copper, Silver | Past Producer | 1852, 1968 | |
| Isle Royale Mine | Copper, Silver | Past Producer | 1853, 1885 | |
| Pewabic Amygdaloid | Copper, Silver | Past Producer | 1857, 1931 | |
| Superior Sand and Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Wash Plant | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Isle Royale | Copper, Silver | Past Producer | 1852, 1853 | |
| Quincy | Copper, Silver | Past Producer | 1856 | |
| Quincy Mine | Copper, Silver | Past Producer | 1856, 1925 |
Storms near this place
16 since 1995Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Houghton in 16 storm reports between 1995 and 2025: 11 thunderstorm wind, 5 hail. 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Houghton | $3,000 | There were reports over the police scanner of trees down in Houghton. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Houghton | $1,000 | Multiple downed trees have been observed by law enforcement in the City of Houghton. The public has been observed cleaning up the debris. |
| July 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Houghton | $500 | A video was relayed via social media of an eight-inch diameter tree downed in Houghton. |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Houghton | $500 | A tree was reported down across Highway M-26. Time of the report was estimated from radar. |
| July 2020 | Hail | Houghton | - | There was a public report of one-inch diameter hail in Houghton. |
| June 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Houghton | - | Eight-inch diameter tree blown down. |
| April 2004 | Hail | Houghton | - | Nickle sized hail was reported. |
| June 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Houghton | - | A 14 inch diameter tree was blown down. |
| August 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Houghton | - | Numerous trees and power lines were blown down, a metal roof was peeled off a warehouse, an empty semi-trailer was overturned, and a camper trailer was tipped over. |
| June 2001 | Hail | Houghton | - | Golf-ball sized hail. |
| June 2001 | Hail | Houghton | - | Dime sized hail. |
| August 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Houghton | - | A large tree blown down, partially blocking the highway. |
| August 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Houghton | - | 61 mph gust measured at KCMX ASOS. |
| July 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Houghton | - | Many trees down along M-38 and M-64 in Ontonagon and Houghton Counties. |
| September 2007 | Hail | Houghton | - | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Houghton | - | no account filed |
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 | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hancock | 0.7 miles | 22 | |
| Hurontown | 0.8 miles | 19 | |
| Ripley | 0.9 miles | 22 | |
| Franklin Mine | 1.3 miles | 22 | |
| Pewabic | 1.3 miles | 22 | |
| Dodgeville | 2.0 miles | 19 | |
| Lewer Pewabic | 2.1 miles | 22 | |
| Paavola | 2.4 miles | 22 |
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 Houghton | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q12429 | The 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 628661. 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.









