Whitehall, MI, United States

Whitehall is a city in Muskegon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,884 at the 2000 census. The city is located in the southwest corner of Whitehall Township. Montague, Michigan is its neighbor.

White Lake Area Chamber of Commerce    http://whitelake.org

Lake Michigan near White Lake Channel

HISTORY:

 It is located on White Lake (actually the mouth of the White River on Lake Michigan). Whitehall's recorded history began around 1859 when Charles Mears, a noted lumber baron to the area, platted the village along with Giles B. Slocum, naming it Mears. The population continued to grow due to its strategic location for floating and distributing lumber. In 1862, it was renamed Whitehall and incorporated as the Village of Whitehall in 1867. It later was incorporated as a city in 1942. 

CULTURE & RECREATION:

Whitehall is home to the Howmet Playhouse. The 400-seat theater was built in 1916 to be a performance venue for the White Lake area. In 1973 the theater was in danger of demolition and was acquired and renovated by nearby Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp with the help of a local fund drive and the participation of Whitehall’s largest employer, Howmet/ALCOA. Blue Lake had been putting out productions until they built their own on-site facility in 2006. The theater was then transferred to the city, which puts on a season of theater running through the summer. Community fund raising efforts to improve the playhouse and keep it running are ongoing.

Howmet Playhouse  http://www.howmetplayhouse.org

Festivals

• White Lake Area Arts & Crafts Festival : Features more than 150 talented and creative artists, live entertainment and food.
• White Lake Maritime Festival : Festival that features sailing regatta, beer tent, live bands, shrimp boil, and other arts and crafts fair.
• Celebrate White Lake : Family festival with an antique boat show, historical displays and tours.
• Cruz'in : Classic Cars on display starting at downtown Whitehall going through Montague, MI
• Fall Fest : festival that includes beer tent, live bands, farmer's market, hay rides, and arts & crafts festival.

Arts & Crafts Festival Downtown Whitehall June 2010

Fall Festival 2010

WHITEHALL SCHOOLS:

Whitehall Schools have a dedicated staff who is continually working to develop students who are actively aware of the needs of the world and their responsibility to help meet those needs. Their methods include a careful challenge for each student to make right relationships, a curriculum to prepare students to be problem-solvers, and an atmosphere where each student can be a significant contributor to the educational process. Whitehall Schools has many things to offer students, with curriculum, programs, activities and classes. The most important asset however, is the pride in the school community. It is truly like no other in the state of Michigan.

DEMOGRAPHICS:

Population in July 2009: 2,790. Population change since 2000: -3.3%
 

Males: 1,282	(46.0%)
Females: 1,508	(54.0%)

Median resident age:	40.0 years
Michigan median age:	35.5 years

Zip codes: 49461.

Estimated median household income in 2009: $37,904 (it was $37,641 in 2000)

Estimated per capita income in 2009: $19,062

Whitehall city income, earnings, and wages data

Estimated median house or condo value in 2009: $114,610 (it was $89,400 in 2000)

Mean prices in 2009: All housing units: $128,720; Detached houses: $130,150; In 2-unit structures: $58,546; In 3-to-4-unit structures: $254,483; Mobile homes: $65,000

Clock Downtown Whitehall on Colby St

Pitkin Drug Store

FUN FACTS ON THE WHITE RIVER LIGHTHOUSE:

The White River Light is a lighthouse on Lake Michigan near the city of Whitehall, Michigan. It sits on a thin peninsula of land separating Lake Michigan from White Lake. The building was built in 1875.

Some of the buildings in existence for the lightstation consisted of the tower and attached dwelling, the South Pier-head Beacon light, oil house, woodshed or strage building and Privy.

The lighthouse is open to the public as a museum with regular hours posted from Memorial Weekend through August 31. The lighthouse is also open through September and October with reduced hours. The museum has a number of artifacts from the passenger and freight shipping on the lakes in addition to information on the light itself.

White River Lighthouse  http://www.whiteriverlightstation.org