The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.81. 39.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 2,538 households, of which 24.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.7% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 48.0% were non-families. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.9% of the population. The racial makeup of the city was 91.7% White, 0.7% African American, 4.7% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. There were 3,359 housing units at an average density of 659.9 per square mile (254.8/km 2). The population density was 1,113.9 inhabitants per square mile (430.1/km 2). It also owns and operates a gaming casino in Petoskey.Īs of the census of 2010, there were 5,670 people, 2,538 households, and 1,319 families residing in the city. With members descended from the numerous bands in northern Michigan, the Little Traverse Bay Band is a federally recognized tribe that has its headquarters at nearby Harbor Springs, Michigan. This city was the northern terminus of the Chicago and West Michigan Railway. Petoskey is noted for a high concentration of ancient fossil coral, now named Petoskey stones, designated as the state stone of Michigan. One hunter was reputed to have personally killed 'a million birds' and earned $60,000, the equivalent of $1 million today. A state historical marker memorializes these events, including the last great nesting of the passenger pigeons at Crooked Lake in 1878. In the late 19th century, Petoskey was in the region of Northern Michigan where 50,000 passenger pigeon birds were killed daily in massive hunts, leading to their complete extinction in the early 20th century. Petoskey viewed from the harbor, circa 1900s

Rose's influence on the city was also commemorated by the naming of the H. He served as first president of the village and officiated at early commemorative public events. Rose also developed the first general store, extensive lime quarries ( Michigan Limestone Company, aka Petoskey Lime Company ), building the Arlington Hotel, and lumbering enterprises, and harbor improvements in 1893. When the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad was about to be extended into the Bay View area, Rose purchased much land in that area, as well as trolley cars, to enable transport between Petoskey and Bay View.

Īfter the partnership split, Rose relocated to Petoskey and in 1873 built the first dock in the town. Rose, along with Archibald Buttars, established a general merchandise business in Petoskey. Rose also earned income as part of a business partnership that extended the railroad from Walton Junction to Traverse City. Originally based at Northport, in the 1850s Rose and Fox (or Fox & Rose) expanded their business interests to Charlevoix and Petoskey. Pioneer commercial interests Īmos Fox and Hirem Obed Rose were pioneer entrepreneurs who had made money during both the California Gold Rush and at Northport selling lumber and goods to passing ships. Andrew Porter, a Presbyterian missionary, arrived at the village of Bear River (as it was then called) in 1852. A Mormon offshoot had been based at Beaver Island, the Jesuit missionaries had been based at L'arbor Croche and Michilimackinac, with a Catholic presence in Harbor Springs, then known as 'Little Traverse'. Early Presbyterian missions īy the 1850s, several religious groups had established missions near the Little Traverse Bay. Petosega's father was Antoine Carre, a French Canadian fur trader and his mother was Odawa. After the 1836 Treaty of Washington, Odawa Chief Ignatius Petosega (1787–1885) took the opportunity to purchase lands near the Bear River. The name Petoskey is said to mean 'where the light shines through the clouds' in the language of the Odawa. The Little Traverse Bay area was long inhabited by indigenous peoples, including the Odawa people. Petoskey became the county seat of Emmet County in 1902. By 1876, the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad had built a line north to Petoskey.

Petoskey gaslight district