Editing Prudenville, Michigan

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Prudenville, Michigan
|settlement_type          = [[Census-designated place]] (CDP) & [[Unincorporated area|unincorporated community]]
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    =

<!-- Images -->
|image_skyline            = PrudenvilleMichigan 2018.jpg
|imagesize                = 275
|image_caption            = Houghton Lake Drive ([[M-55 (Michigan highway)|M-55]]) at Gladwin Road ([[M-18 (Michigan highway)|M-18]])
|image_flag               = 
|image_seal               =

<!-- Maps -->
|pushpin_map            = Michigan#USA
|pushpin_label_position = right<!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none -->
|pushpin_label = Prudenville
|pushpin_map_caption    = Location within the state of Michigan
|pushpin_mapsize        = 
|image_map                = Prudenville, MI location.png
|mapsize                  = 250
|map_caption              = Location within [[Roscommon County, Michigan|Roscommon County]] 
|image_map1               = 
|mapsize1                 = 
|map_caption1             =

<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = Country
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Michigan]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Michigan|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Roscommon County, Michigan|Roscommon]]
|subdivision_type3        = [[Civil township|Township]]
|subdivision_name3        = [[Denton Township, Michigan|Denton]]

<!-- Government -->
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = 
|leader_name              = 
|leader_title1            = 
|leader_name1             = 
|established_title        = Established
|established_date         = 1875

<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref  = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_26.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=May 21, 2022}}</ref>
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_km2           = 9.63
|area_land_km2            = 7.39
|area_water_km2           = 2.24
|area_total_sq_mi         = 3.72
|area_land_sq_mi          = 2.85
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.87

<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 1643
|population_density_km2   = 
|population_density_sq_mi = 576.49

<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
|utc_offset               = -5
|timezone_DST             = EDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -4
|elevation_footnotes      = 
|elevation_m              = 349
|elevation_ft             = 1145
|coordinates              = {{coord|44|17|54|N|84|39|07|W|region:US-MI_type:adm2nd_source:GNIS|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP Code|ZIP code(s)]]
|postal_code              = 48629 ([[Houghton Lake, Michigan|Houghton Lake]])<br>48651
|area_code                = [[Area code 989|989]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 26-66400<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 0635500<ref>{{gnis|0635500}}</ref>
|website                  = 
|footnotes                = 
|pop_est_as_of = 
|pop_est_footnotes = 
|population_est = 
}}
'''Prudenville''' is an [[Unincorporated area|unincorporated community]] and [[census-designated place]] (CDP) in [[Roscommon County, Michigan|Roscommon County]] in the U.S. state of [[Michigan]].  The population was 1,643 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].  Prudenville is located within [[Denton Township, Michigan|Denton Township]].

==History==
{{Multiple image
   | align     = left
   | direction = vertical
   | width     = 200
   | footer    = Both sides of the joint Roscommon Lumber Company / Prudenville historic marker in Trestle Park
   | image1    = Roscommon Lumber Company Historic Marker.jpg
   | alt1      = Roscommon Lumber Company
   | caption1  =
   | image2    = Prudenville_MI_historic_designation.jpg
   | alt2      = Prudenville
   | caption2  =
  }}
The area received its first post office on September 6, 1875 under the name Prudenville, and it was soon changed to the name Edna on January 10, 1876.  The name Edna existed until it was changed back to Prudenville on January 14, 1886.  The Prudenville post office was discontinued on August 15, 1911, but reestablished 10 years later on August 30, 1921.  The post office remains in operation and is located at 899 West Houghton Lake Drive ([[M-55 (Michigan highway)|M-55]]).<ref>{{gnis|2508913|Prudenville Post Office}}</ref>

The [[Homestead Acts#Homestead Act of 1862|Homestead Act of 1862]], which granted free land to travelers moving west, prompted settlers to the Prudenville area in 1870 due to its plentiful lumber resources.  The growing community was named after early developer Peter Pruden, and the community grew to include a post office, two hotels, many businesses, and a school.  In 1882, the Roscommon Lumber Company built a "stand-alone" [[Trestle bridge|trestle]] railroad to assist logging crews in pushing timber into the east bay of [[Houghton Lake (Michigan)|Houghton Lake]].  The logs were floated across the lake into the draining [[Muskegon River]] and further down the river to the mills of [[Muskegon, Michigan|Muskegon]] on the shores of [[Lake Michigan]].  During its operation from 1882 to 1887, the company employed 700 workers and logged 175 million [[Board foot|board feet]] of white and [[Pinus resinosa|Norway pine]].<ref name=MSHS>{{cite web|last=MichMarkers.com|url=http://www.michmarkers.com/default?page=L2257|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030070708/http://michmarkers.com/default?page=L2257|url-status=usurped|archive-date=October 30, 2020|title=Prudenville / Roscommon Lumber Co. – Registered Site L2257|date=2020|accessdate=October 13, 2020}}</ref>

In 2004, the Roscommon Lumber Company and the community of Prudenville were dually listed as a [[Michigan State Historic Preservation Office|Michigan State Historic Site]].  A historic marker was dedicated in Trestle Park on September 6, 2014.<ref name=MSHS/><ref>{{cite web|last=Denton Township|author-link=Denton Township, Michigan|url=https://www.dentontownship-mi.org/parks.html|title=Denton Township: Parks – Trestle Park|date=2020|accessdate=October 12, 2020}}</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:Houghton Lake (Michigan) September 2021.jpg|thumb|left|250px|East Bay view of [[Houghton Lake (Michigan)|Houghton Lake]] from Prudenville]]
According to the [[United States Census Bureau|U.S. Census Bureau]], the CDP has a total area of {{convert|3.72|sqmi|km2|2}}, of which {{convert|2.85|sqmi|km2|2}} is land and {{convert|0.87|sqmi|km2|2}} (23.38%) is water.<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020"/>

Prudenville has its own post office with the 48651 ZIP Code.<ref>{{cite web|last=UnitedStatesZipCodes.org|url=https://www.unitedstateszipcodes.org/48651/|title=ZIP Code 48651|date=2020|accessdate=October 9, 2020}}</ref>  The Prudenville post office serves most of [[Denton Township, Michigan|Denton Township]] and smaller portions of [[Roscommon Township, Michigan|Roscommon Township]] to the south, [[Nester Township, Michigan|Nester Township]] to the southwest, and [[Backus Township, Michigan|Backus Township]] and [[Higgins Township, Michigan|Higgins Township]] to the northeast.<ref>{{google maps |url = https://www.google.com/maps/place/Prudenville,+MI+48651/@44.2919085,-84.6845685,11.5z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x8821caefcd39a7ab:0x82acf1f5730624aa!8m2!3d44.2562366!4d-84.6688348 |title = 48651 ZIP Code map |access-date = October 9, 2020 }}</ref>  Prudenville is an [[Unincorporated area|unincorporated community]] listed by the [[United States Census Bureau|U.S. Census Bureau]] as a [[List of census-designated places in Michigan|census-designated place]] (CDP) for statistical purposes only, and the community itself has no legal autonomy as an incorporated municipality.  The western portion of the Prudenville CDP also includes a small portion of the [[Houghton Lake, Michigan|Houghton Lake]] 48629 ZIP Code.<ref>{{google maps |url = https://www.google.com/maps/place/Houghton+Lake,+MI+48629/@44.2993549,-84.8615151,11z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x8820323497e48569:0x48fd96e7edbc1f89!8m2!3d44.2997981!4d-84.7942091 |title = 48629 ZIP Code map |access-date = October 11, 2020 }}</ref>

Prudenville is considered part of the [[Northern Michigan]] region.  It is located on the southeast shores of [[Houghton Lake (Michigan)|Houghton Lake]], which is the state's largest inland lake.  Portions of the [[Au Sable State Forest]] (Roscommon State Forest Management Unit) and [[Backus Creek State Game Area]] are within close proximity.

===Major highways===
*{{jct|state=MI|M|18}} is known locally as S. Gladwin Road; briefly runs concurrent with M-55 before continuing north as E. Houghton Lake Drive
*{{jct|state=MI|M|55}} is known locally as W. Houghton Lake Drive and then exiting under the name W. West Branch Road
*{{jct|state=MI|M|157}}, located just east of the boundaries of the Prudenville CDP

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1990= 1513
|2000= 1737
|2010= 1682
|2020= 1643
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|accessdate=June 4, 2016}}</ref>
}}
[[File:Prudenville, MI post office.jpg|thumb|right|250px|U.S. Post Office in Prudenville]]
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 1,737 people, 818 households, and 542 families residing in the CDP.  The population density was {{convert|620.1|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  There were 1,395 housing units at an average density of {{convert|498.0|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The racial makeup of the CDP was 98.39% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.12% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.69% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.12% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.06% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.63% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.52% of the population.

There were 819 households, out of which 18.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.3% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.58.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 17.6% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 18.9% from 25 to 44, 29.5% from 45 to 64, and 28.8% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 52 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.6 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.1 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $29,821, and the median income for a family was $36,313. Males had a median income of $34,135 versus $20,625 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the CDP was $19,018.  About 9.4% of families and 11.6% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 25.4% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Roscommon County, Michigan}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Unincorporated communities in Roscommon County, Michigan]]
[[Category:Unincorporated communities in Michigan]]
[[Category:Census-designated places in Michigan]]
[[Category:Census-designated places in Roscommon County, Michigan]]
[[Category:Michigan State Historic Sites]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1875]]
[[Category:1875 establishments in Michigan]]