Muskegon

Sister cities

• Ramallah

History

The name "Muskegon" is derived from the Ottawa , meaning "marshy river or swamp". The "Masquigon" River (Muskegon River) was identified on French maps dating from the late 17th century, suggesting French explorers had reached Michigan's western coast by that time. Father Jacques Marquette traveled northward through the area on his fateful trip to St. Ignace in 1675, and a party of French soldiers under La Salle's lieutenant, Henry de Tonty, passed through the area in 1679. The county's earliest known Euro-American resident was Edward Fitzgerald, a fur trader and trapper who came to the Muskegon area in 1748 and who died there, reportedly being buried in the vicinity of White Lake. Between 1790 and 1800, a French-Canadian trader named Joseph La Framboise established a fur-trading post at the mouth of Duck Lake. Between 1810 and 1820, several French-Canadian fur traders, including Lamar Andie, Jean Baptiste Recollect, and Pierre Constant, had established fur-trading posts around Muskegon Lake. Some Muskegon neighborhoods began as separate villages. Bluffton was founded as a lumbering village in 1862 in Laketon Township. It had its own post office from 1868 until 1892. Muskegon annexed it in 1889.

Geography

Muskegon is in western Muskegon County, on the south side of Muskegon Lake, a harbor of Lake Michigan. The city is bordered to the north, across Muskegon Lake, by the city of North Muskegon and Laketon Township. It is bordered to the east by Muskegon Township, to the southeast by Fruitport Township, to the south by the cities of Muskegon Heights, Roosevelt Park, and Norton Shores, and to the west by Lake Michigan. It is northwest of Grand Rapids, north of Holland, and south of Ludington. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has an area of , of which , or 22.3%, are covered by water. Muskegon has a humid continental climate (Dfa) with hot summers and cold winters. Precipitation is consistent year-round. Muskegon receives heavy lake-effect snow from Lake Michigan during winter.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Mona Shores High School
  High · MUSKEGON · 1,268 students · 16.3:1 ratio
• ReethsPuffer High School
  High · MUSKEGON · 1,177 students · 19.6:1 ratio
• Muskegon High School
  High · MUSKEGON · 1,039 students · 25.3:1 ratio
• Mona Shores Middle School
  Middle · MUSKEGON · 902 students · 17.3:1 ratio
• Fruitport High School
  High · FRUITPORT · 810 students · 16.9:1 ratio
• Muskegon Middle School
  Middle · Muskegon · 755 students · 22.9:1 ratio
• Timberland Academy
  Elementary · MUSKEGON · 623 students · 16:1 ratio
• Cardinal Elementary
  Other · MUSKEGON · 610 students · 15.3:1 ratio