Whitehall

History

It is located on White Lake (actually the mouth of the White River). Whitehall's recorded history circa 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 a village in 1867. It was incorporated as a city in 1943.

Geography

Whitehall is in northwestern Muskegon County, about inland from Lake Michigan. White Lake originally emptied into Lake Michigan through a natural channel (see Logging the White: The White Lake Lumber Industry: 1837-1900 by Daniel J. Yakes, Ph. D. and Steven S. Demos, M.D.[Montague, Michigan: Looking Aft Publications, 2010], p 2). It is now connected to Lake Michigan by a dredged canal. The city is bordered to the west, across White Lake, by the city of Montague. Montague Township is to the north, Whitehall Township is to the east, and Fruitland Township is to the south. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Whitehall has a total area of , of which are land and , or 15.3%, are water. The White River enters White Lake between the cities of Whitehall and Montague. The White River is nearly in length and passes through White Lake before emptying into Lake Michigan. In 1675, Jacques Marquette stopped in the area and learned that the Native Americans called the stream Wabish-Sippe, meaning "the river with white clay in the water", which gave rise to the names of White River and White Lake.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Whitehall Senior High School
  High · WHITEHALL · 629 students · 21:1 ratio
• ReethsPuffer Middle School
  Middle · MUSKEGON · 542 students · 18.1:1 ratio
• Oehrli Elementary School
  Elementary · MONTAGUE · 465 students · 15.5:1 ratio
• Montague High School
  High · MONTAGUE · 464 students · 18.6:1 ratio
• Shoreline Elementary School
  Elementary · WHITEHALL · 446 students · 15.9:1 ratio
• Whitehall Middle School
  Middle · WHITEHALL · 430 students · 14.3:1 ratio
• Central Elementary School
  Elementary · MUSKEGON · 411 students · 15.8:1 ratio
• Whitehall Ealy Elem School
  Elementary · WHITEHALL · 401 students · 14.3:1 ratio