The Greater Northwoods

City in Gogebic County

Bessemer

Population
1,804
County
Gogebic County
Location
46.478, -90.050

Bessemer is an incorporated city and the county seat of Gogebic County on the western end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, in the lake-effect snow belt known as 'Big Snow Country.' It covers about 5.50 square miles of land (no water) at latitude 46.4776, longitude -90.0498, and the 2020 Census counted 1,805 residents, down from a 1920 peak of 5,482 after the local iron mines closed. Bessemer runs a council-manager government (Mayor Mark Movrich, a five-member council, and an appointed city manager) and is served by the Bessemer Area School District. Its economy leans on county-seat government, education, health care in adjacent Ironwood, and four-season tourism anchored by nearby downhill ski areas, the Black River Scenic Byway waterfalls, and the paved Iron Belle Trail.

The record

806 records name Bessemer

  • 611 news
  • 148 government
  • 24 events
  • 15 obituaries
  • 7 opinion
  • 1 notices

Showing the 40 most recent of 806. Every one is held, cited, and searchable in the archive.

What the records show

27 of 50 independently verified

Authoritative data

Overview

Population and demographics

  • Census 2020: 1805 unverified via en.wikipedia.org We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.
  • Peak 1920: 5482 unverified via en.wikipedia.org We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.
  • Acs: not verified unverified via www2.census.gov We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.
  • Seasonal swing: unquantified unverified via cityofbessemermi.gov We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.

Government and civic

Schools

Economy and employers

  • Industry: government, education, health care, tourism; historic iron mining inferred via en.wikipedia.org Reasoned from other facts on this page, not reported directly.
  • Tourism: dominant via cityofbessemermi.gov
  • Employers: Gogebic County govt; Bessemer Area School District; Aspirus (Ironwood) unverified via cityofbessemermi.gov We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.

Institutions and anchors

  • Hospital: Aspirus Ironwood Hospital (Ironwood, MI) unverified via en.wikipedia.org We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.
  • Library: Bessemer Public Library unverified via en.wikipedia.org We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.
  • Postoffice: USPS Bessemer, ZIP 49911 unverified via en.wikipedia.org We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.

Business and commerce

  • Chamber: Bessemer Chamber of Commerce (no confirmed website) unverified via en.wikipedia.org We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.
  • Downtown: US-2 main street / courthouse district unverified via cityofbessemermi.gov We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.

Media

  • Dailyglobe: The Daily Globe (Ironwood, MI) unverified via en.wikipedia.org We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.

Recreation and natural assets

  • Knownfor: Big Snow Country outdoor gateway via cityofbessemermi.gov
  • Ski: Big Powderhorn; Snow River (Blackjack) unverified via en.wikipedia.org We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.
  • Blackriver: Black River Byway waterfalls; Black River Harbor unverified via en.wikipedia.org We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.
  • Ironbelle: Iron Belle Trail (~7 mi paved segment) unverified via en.wikipedia.org We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.

Events and seasonal rhythm

  • Seasonal: winter-peaked, four-season via cityofbessemermi.gov
  • Blast: Bessemer Blast (July) unverified via en.wikipedia.org We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.
  • Pumpkinfest: Pumpkinfest / Fall Day (September) unverified via cityofbessemermi.gov We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.

Infrastructure and access

  • Highways: US-2 secondary source via en.wikipedia.org Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Land area: 5.499 via www2.census.gov
  • Coords: 46.477579, -90.049836 via www2.census.gov
  • Bigsnow: Big Snow Country (western Upper Peninsula) via cityofbessemermi.gov
  • Airport: Gogebic-Iron County Airport (KIWD), Ironwood MI unverified via en.wikipedia.org We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.
  • Bus: Indian Trails (St. Ignace to Ironwood) unverified via en.wikipedia.org We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.
  • Nearest hub: Ironwood/Hurley adjacent; Ashland ~60 mi unverified via en.wikipedia.org We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.
  • Broadband: not verified unverified via cityofbessemermi.gov We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.
  • Elevation: 1424 unverified via en.wikipedia.org We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.

Local government

In memory, from Bessemer

All obituaries

Every figure here traces to a primary public record, linked at the fact. We gather and cite; we do not author. See something off? Tell us.

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