Houghton

Houghton

Houghton, city, seat (1852) of Houghton county, northwestern Upper Peninsula of Michigan, U.S. It lies along Portage Lake and the Keweenaw Waterway, opposite Hancock. It was settled in 1851 and named for Douglass Houghton, a state geologist. The discovery of nearby rich copper lodes between 1855 and 1870 resulted in an economic boom that lasted until after World War I. Houghton is now a distribution centre for manufactures, including wood materials, and for dairy and poultry farming. It is the seat of Michigan Technological University (1885) and the site of the A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum. Tourism is important; a summer ferry connects the city with Isle Royale National Park (offshore in Lake Superior), which has its mainland headquarters in Houghton. The city is a centre for outdoor recreation, notably fishing on Portage Lake. Inc. village, 1867; city, 1970. Pop. (2000) 7,010; (2010) 7,708.