Quick Facts

Ontonagon County is a county in the Western Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 5,816, making it Michigan’s third-least populous county. The county seat is the Village of Ontonagon. The county was set off in 1843, and organized in 1848.

Size: 3,741 square miles. It is the third-largest county in Michigan by area.

Climate

Average Temperatures:
Summer: High 78, Low 54
Winter:  High 20, Low 6
Average Snowfall:  187 inches per year
Rain: 36 inches/year

Industry

Ontonagon County has a distinguished history of logging and mining and is the site of the first telephone system in Michigan. The oldest standing log home village in the United States is located at Old Victoria Mining District near the village of Rockland.

The former White Pine Copper Mine complex was acquired by the Ontonagon County Economic Development Corporation and has been developed into a new industrial park. All new utilities and infrastructure were installed, and the site is now home to various new businesses, and there are plans for more. In 2004 the power plant was started up by White Pine Electric Power. A feasibility study has been conducted to determine if the plant should expand to include a bio-fuel burner, and the underground growth center Subterra operates an underground growth chamber in the mine and has the potential and space for expansion.

Ontonagon County is home to Michigan’s largest state park, the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. The park offers year-round recreation and attracts thousands (+600,000 in 2021) of visitors each year. As more and more tourists discover Ontonagon County, opportunities exist for tourism-related business development in the region.

We invite you to consider Ontonagon County for a business location because “Today, you can do business from anywhere in the world—why not Ontonagon County?”

Schools

The Gogebic-Ontonagon Intermediate School District includes two Ontonagon County school systems: Ontonagon Area Schools K-12 on the north end of the county and Ewen-Trout Creek School K-12 on the south end.

Health Care

Aspirus Ontonagon Hospital is a 25-bed Critical Access Hospital inpatient facility. Specialty clinics are held regularly by doctors from Grand View Hospital in Ironwood, Aspirus Keweenaw, and Marquette General Hospital in Marquette. There are also various clinics in Bruce Crossing, Ewen, and Watersmeet. There are approved plans to construct a new Aspirus Hospital starting spring, 2022. The planned $15.8 Million hospital will feature a mix of inpatient and observation beds, emergency department, primary and specialty care, as well as a host of other services, including imaging and infusion.

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Airport

Ontonagon County Airport – Schuster Field is located approximately 3 miles west of the Village of Ontonagon. It is operated year-round and well maintained, due in part to improvement funding from Ontonagon County, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Michigan Department of Transportation.

It has one paved 75′ x 3500′ runway (17/35) equipped with runway lights, Precision Approach Pathway Indicators (PAPIs), Runway End Identifier Lights (REILS) and a lighted windsock. Owned and managed by the county, the manager lives adjacent to the facility. Avgas (100 LL) is available on a self-serve basis 24/7 using Visa or MC credit cards. Nine resident pilots own their hangars and rent the land through lease agreements with the county. There are hangar-building sites available for lease.

The terminal building has a pilots’ lounge and bathroom facilities. The Ontonagon Transit System (ONTRAN) provides site-specific pick up and drop off transportation from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays by calling the dispatcher at 906-884-2006. The airport does not have a courtesy vehicle.

For further information contact Lisa Linna- Airport Manager @ office# (906)884-6214 or cell# (906)390-0027.

Churches

CATHOLIC

Holy Family Catholic (Ontonagon)
St. Mary Catholic (Rockland)
St. Peter & Paul Catholic (Greenland)
906-884-2569

St. Jude Catholic (White Pine)
St. Ann Catholic (Bergland)
906-885-5763

METHODIST

United Methodist Church
Ewen & Bergland Circuit
906-988-2533

United Methodist Church
Ontonagon, Rockland, & Greenland Circuit
906-884-4556

White Pine Community United Methodist Church
White Pine
906-885-5419

LUTHERAN

Apostolic Lutheran
Bruce Crossing
906-827-3241

Apostolic Lutheran
Ontonagon
906-884-6091

Bethany Lutheran
Bruce Crossing
906-827-3529

Faith Lutheran
White Pine
906-885-5899

First Lutheran
Ewen
906-988-2594

Redeemer Free Lutheran
Ontonagon
906-884-4028

Siloa Lutheran
Ontonagon
906-884-4778

St. Paul Lutheran
Ontonagon
906-884-4008

Three-Point Parish
(St. Paul Lutheran, Mass City)
(Wainola Lutheran, Mass City)
Mass City
906-883-3602

OTHER

Assembly of God
Ontonagon
906-884-4622

Ontonagon Baptist Church
Ontonagon
906-884-2453

Seventh Day Adventist
Greenland
906-883-3388