Rapid River, Michigan
Census-designated place in the United States · Not an incorporated municipality
About Rapid River
Rapid River is an unincorporated community in Masonville Township, Delta County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, Rapid River had a population of 335.
It is situated on the northern end of the Little Bay de Noc between the mouths of the Tacoosh and Rapid rivers with the mouth of the Whitefish River just to the east. U.S. Highway 2 (US 2) passes through Rapid River and joins with US 41 just west of town; the two then run concurrently from Rapid River south to Escanaba. The Rapid River ZIP code is 49878 and also serves areas in the nearby townships in Delta County of Baldwin, Bay de Noc, Brampton, Ensign, Garden, Maple Ridge, Masonville, and Nahma. It also serves a small area in Mathias Township in Alger County
The community was first named Rapid Siding as a stop on the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad, and subsequently renamed for the nearby river. The name was recorded as Rapid River when the community was platted in 1887. The community never incorporated as a village.
Rapid River has a rich history that spans centuries which included settlements of the indigenous Noquet and Ojibwe peoples, and was also once a thriving logging town with businesses lining Main Street (then called Broadway Street). The first sawmill in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan was built along the Rapid River in 1835. The Ojibwe people called the river known as "Rapid River" by the name Waishka. Today a few of the original buildings remain from over 130 years ago. One of the buildings, The Swallow Inn, was built in the 1890s which used to be a boarding house and has been a restaurant and bar for over a hundred years. Another is The Rapid River Pub, while having many different names over the years, this building also was built in the 1890s and was a hotel, restaurant, and bar and continues to be a restaurant and bar.
One scene from the 2001 film Escanaba in da Moonlight was shot in the Swallow Inn, a bar in Rapid River.
Public schools in Rapid River are administered by the Rapid River Schools, the area's school district. The high school's athletic teams are known as the "Rockets". The school's 8-man varsity football team won Division 2 of the Michigan State Championship in 2018.
Fire coverage is provided by the Masonville Township Volunteer Fire Department and Ensign Township Volunteer Fire Department. Emergency Medical Services are provided by the Masonville Township Volunteer EMS service which provide non-transport Basic Life Support services.
Indian Trails provides daily intercity bus service between St. Ignace and Ironwood, Michigan.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How Rapid River is governed
Rapid River appears to be an unincorporated community or a census-designated place, so it may have no city government of its own — services usually come from the county. The chart below is a generic template; readers can correct it if Rapid River does have local officials.
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0 of 14 positions listed. Gray dashed boxes are placeholders waiting for a name.
Residents of Rapid River
Registered voters elect the officials below.
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Mayor
Executive
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The city's chief elected official. Presides over the executive branch, proposes the budget and represents the city.
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City Manager / Administrator
Executive
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The professional administrator who runs day-to-day operations (in some cities appointed by the council instead of the mayor).
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Police Chief
Administration & departments
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Leads the police department.
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Fire Chief
Administration & departments
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Leads the fire and emergency services department.
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Public Works Director
Administration & departments
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Streets, water, sewer, and city buildings.
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Finance Director
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The budget, taxes, and city accounts.
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Planning & Zoning Director
Administration & departments
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Land use, zoning, building permits.
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Parks & Recreation Director
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Parks, programs, and public facilities.
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City Council
Legislative
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The elected body that passes ordinances, sets the tax rate and approves the budget.
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City Clerk
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Keeps the official records, runs meeting agendas and, often, local elections.
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City Attorney
Administration & departments
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The city's lawyer; advises officials and prosecutes ordinance violations.
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Boards & Commissions
Legislative
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Citizen advisory bodies, such as planning, zoning appeals and library boards.
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Municipal Court
Judicial
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Hears traffic, ordinance and other minor cases.
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Municipal Judge
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Presides over the municipal court.
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