Our Community

Welcome to the City of St. Ignace, Michigan! Our municipal website offers important information regarding our city government and community. Residents can access board minutes, opportunities for new businesses, and downtown development plans, just to name a few. Our city leaders are committed to establishing St. Ignace as an optimum place to live, create a business, and visit. We invite you to review our goals and learn more about our aspirations for this great city along the bay.

Our St. Ignace, Michigan History dates back more than 300 years and is rich with Native American (Ojibwa, Huron, Odawa), European, and American history. It is the third oldest continuously inhabited city in the United States. The community has always thrived because of its rich soil and active waterways which enable farming, travel, and trade. Jacques Marquette was a priest and French explorer that established a mission in St. Ignace in the year 1671. The city was named after St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit religion. The Jesuits left in 1705 and the English then took over. After the American Revolutionary War ended, the village of St. Ignace became an official part of the United States of America.

St. Ignace was incorporated as a village on Feb 23rd, 1882 and a year later was a city. The year 1882 also brought new opportunities to the area. Railroads connecting St. Ignace to Detroit became a key area of industry for the area shipping iron-ore and lumber downstate. In the early 1900s, commercial fishing also thrived and accommodations, docks, and businesses were established along the shoreline.