Riverbank Theatre (Thumbcoast Live Theaters)358 S Water St, Marine City, MI 48039
Metro Detroit St. Clair County City
Marine City
Where Great Lakes captains lived: shipyard history, antiques and freighters
- People (2025 estimate)
- 3,997
- Land area
- 2.2 sq mi · 5.6 km²
- From downtown
- 38.3 miles · 62 km · northeast
- Incorporated
- 1887
Nothing on our calendar here this week yet.
01 / Why it matters
Why Marine City matters
Marine City sits on the St. Clair River, north of Detroit and south of Lake Huron, in the stretch of riverfront towns locals call the River District. In the late 1800s it was a major center of wooden shipbuilding: log rafts floated down the river every spring, and the yards turned out ship after ship for the Great Lakes.
When the lumber boom faded, the town became home to lake freighter captains, many of them sailing for the Pittsburgh Steamship Company, formed by U.S. Steel in 1901 and grown into the largest commercial fleet on the Great Lakes. Today it's antique shops, small theaters, a riverfront park and freighters gliding by.
St. Clair County is part of the six-county Detroit–Warren–Dearborn metro area, so Marine City is officially Metro Detroit, on its quiet riverside northeastern edge. Canada is right across the river; an auto ferry once ran from here to Sombra, Ontario.
02 / Known for
What Marine City is known for
The 19th-century wooden shipbuilding and lumber trade the town grew up on.
The Great Lakes freighter captains who made their homes along the riverfront.
Small theaters downtown: the 98-seat Snug and the Riverbank, set in a former bank building.
Marine City Maritime Days, the summer maritime festival with a carnival and a free festival tent in riverside Nautical Mile Park.
The Bridge to Bay Trail, a planned 54-mile walking and biking route from Lakeport State Park to New Baltimore that runs through town.
03 / What’s on
What’s on in Marine City
Nothing on our calendar in Marine City right now. Try the neighbors:
04 / Places
4 places on our site in Marine City
Riverbank Theatre (Thumbcoast Live Theaters)358 S Water St, Marine City, MI 48039
The Riverhouse560 S Water St, Marine City, MI 4803905 / What to do
If you’re in Marine City
Downtown Marine City
Restaurants, boutiques, galleries, antique stores and bars all within walking distance, plus a marina, a beach and freighter watching on the river.
Official site ↗ThumbCoast Live Theaters
Professional Broadway-style shows, concerts and comedians year-round in a little river town.
Official site ↗
06 / History
Marine City through the years
- 1835
The town is platted as Newport.
- 1865
It incorporates as the village of Marine City.
- 1887
Riding the lumber and shipping boom, it reincorporates as a city in June.
- 1901
The Pittsburgh Steamship Company is formed; many Marine City captains sail for it.
07 / Born here
1 people in our lexicon were born here
08 / People
Famous names from here
- Stephen B. Grummond an industrialist born here in 1834 who later served as mayor of Detroit
- Steve Fisher the pulp novelist and Hollywood screenwriter was born here in 1912
Sources
Population and area are Census Bureau figures (Marine City city).
- 2020 Census, Michigan (PL 94-171)
- Census Bureau population estimates: cities and towns
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_City,_Michigan
- visitmarinecity.com/marine-city-history
- visitmarinecity.com
- www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/metro-micro/geographies/reference-files/2023/delineation-files/list1_2023.xlsx
- thumbcoasttheaters.com
- maritimedays.net
- stclaircounty.org/offices/parks/btob.aspx
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Benedict_Grummond
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Fisher_(writer)
- marinecity.gov
Change since 2020, per the Census Bureau estimate: −1.9 percent.
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