Census-designated place & unincorporated community in Michigan, United States
| White Pine, Michigan | |
|---|---|
| Census-designated place (CDP) & unincorporated community | |
 Entry sign to White Pine, Michigan. | |
 Location within Ontonagon County | |
  White PineLocation within the state of MichiganShow map of Michigan White PineWhite Pine (the United States)Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates: 46°45′14″N 89°35′03″W / 46.75389°N 89.58417°W / 46.75389; -89.58417 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Michigan |
| County | Ontonagon |
| Township | Carp Lake |
| Area | |
| • Total | 5.00 sq mi (12.96 km) |
| • Land | 5.00 sq mi (12.96 km) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km) |
| Elevation | 899 ft (274 m) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 339 |
| • Density | 67.77/sq mi (26.17/km) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code(s) | 49971 |
| Area code | 906 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1622143 |
White Pine is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Ontonagon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The CDP had a population of 474 at the 2010 census. White Pine is located within Carp Lake Township.
Much of White Pine was developed in the 1950s as a company town for miners at the White Pine mine. Mining companies in Michigan often built and leased housing to workers so that miners could live adjacent to mine operations. This allowed mining companies to attract workers with families, which were believed to improve retention rates by ensuring miners were socially and financially invested in the town created by the mining company.
White Pine was developed as a typical post war suburb. Many dwellings were single-story ranch homes, although a trailer park and apartment complex were also built. The community never developed fully as the Copper Range Company envisioned. The automobile transformed how workers commuted where previous mine sites had workers walking from nearby housing to the mine, many workers by the 1950s preferred driving up to 90 miles a day to remain in their current homes rather than move to the company town.
History
It was a station on the Chicago, Minneapolis and St. Paul Railway. Thomas H. Wilcox, a mining engineer, found mass copper in the Mineral River and formed the White Pine Copper Company to mine it. The settlement was given a post office as "White Pine Mine" in June 1915.
The community of White Pine 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.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, White Pine has a total area of 5.00 square miles (12.95 km), all land.
White Pine is located within Carp Lake Township east of the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. The Copper Range Company operated the White Pine mine in White Pine from 1955 to 1995.
White Pine is served by the 49971 ZIP Code, which is the highest numeric ZIP Code in the state of Michigan.
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 339 | — | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
References
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: White Pine, Michigan
- "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
- "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
- ^ Lankton, Larry D. (2010). Hollowed Ground : copper mining and community building on Lake Superior, 1840s-1990s. Detroit, Mich.: Wayne State University Press. pp. 251–303. ISBN 9780814334904.
- Romig, Walter (1986) . Michigan Place Names. Detroit, Michigan: Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-1838-X.
- "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-7. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
- "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. 28 Michigan. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
- ZIPCodesToGo.com (2018). "Zip Codes for the State of Michigan". Retrieved April 4, 2020.
- "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
External links
- Mine Site Visit: Copper Range Company White Pine Mine. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Solid Waste, observations from EPA site visit May 5 and 6, 1992
- Copper mining in Michigan
| Municipalities and communities of Ontonagon County, Michigan, United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| County seat: Ontonagon | ||
| Village |  | |
| Civil townships | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Ghost town | ||
| Indian reservation | ||