Alpena, Michigan
Alpena is a city of 10,154 people in Alpena County, Michigan, founded in 1840.
Why visit Alpena
Townapedia lists 15 museums and landmarks, 29 parks and trails, 59 places to eat, 7 places to stay and 4 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Alpena Civic Theatre, Sanctuary Cinema, Alpena County Courthouse and Alpena Light.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 77°F; February lows average 13°F, and about 59 inches of snow fall in a normal year.
Weather in Alpena
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Alpena
Alpena is the only city in and the county seat of Alpena County, Michigan, United States. The population was 10,197 at the 2020 census, making it the third most populated city in the Northern Michigan region, after Traverse City and Cadillac. The city is surrounded by Alpena Township, but the two are administered autonomously. It is the core city of the Alpena micropolitan statistical area, which encompasses all of Alpena County and had a total population of 28,907 at the 2020 census.
From the Wikipedia article Alpena, Michigan (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do4
Museums and landmarks15
Alpena County Courthouse
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.4 mi
Historic courthouse in Alpena, Michigan, USA
Alpena Light
Lighthouse · National Register of Historic Places · 1.4 mi
Lighthouse in Michigan, United States
Besser Museum
Museum · 0.5 mi
The Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan shall be a community resource that serves to inspire curiosity, foster community pride, and...
491 Johnson Street, Alpena
Bingham School
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.8 mi
School in Alpena, Michigan
Herman and Hattie Besser House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.0 mi
House in Alpena, Michigan
I.O.O.F. Centennial Building
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.0 mi
Commercial building in Alpena, Michigan
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Katherine V.
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.6 mi
American tugboat
Alpena Central Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.9 mi
Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan
Museum · 0.5 mi
Museum in Alpena, Michigan, United States
Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center
Museum · 0.5 mi
Experience the rich history of the Great Lakes by exploring the exhibits at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center. Feel the power of...
500 West Fletcher Street, Alpena
Lady Michigan
Monument and historic site · 0.6 mi
Lady Michigan is a glass bottomed boat used for shipwreck tours in the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. The boat is located on the...
500 W. Fletcher Street, Alpena
3 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds29
Bay View Park
Park · 1.2 mi
Waterside Park featuring playground, band shell, tennis courts, basketball courts, walking paths, and breakwall.
174 South State Avenue, Alpena
17 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes59
Austin Brothers Beer Company
Bar and pub · American · 0.4 mi
821 West Miller Street, Alpena
Tu-Sa 12:00-20:00
Biggby Coffee
Cafe · Coffee Shop · 0.6 mi
320 Johnson Street, Alpena
Mo-Sa 06:00-20:00; Su 07:00-20:00
Jimmy Chen's Hunan Chinese Restaurant
Restaurant · Chinese, Thai · 1.9 mi
1283 M 32 West, Alpena
Mo-Su 11:00-14:30,16:30-20:00
Pizza Hut
Restaurant · Pizza · 2.0 mi
2131 US 23 South, Alpena
Mo-Th,Su 10:30-23:00; Fr-Sa 10:30-24:00
Pompeyos Mexical Grill
Restaurant · Mexican · 1.8 mi
1120 South State Avenue, Alpena
Mo 10:00-21:00; Tu-Fr 10:00-22:00; Sa-Su 11:00-22:00
Red Brick Tap and Barrel
Diner · American · 0.9 mi
109 River Street, Alpena
Tu-Th 16:00-22:00; Fr-Sa 16:00-23:00
The Bulldog
Restaurant · Pizza, Hot Dog, Fries · 0.9 mi
125 North 2nd Avenue, Alpena
Tu-Sa 11:00-15:00
Cabin Creek Coffee
Cafe · 0.9 mi
201 North 2nd Avenue, Alpena
Mo-Fr 06:00-17:00; Sa 07:00-16:00; Su 08:30-16:00
Hopside Brewery
Bar and pub · 0.9 mi
129 West Chisholm Street, Alpena
Tu-Th 12:00-20:00; Fr-Sa 12:00-21:00; Su 12:00-20:00
47 more on the map.
History
The Alpena area is home to the Ojibwe, Ottawa, and Potawatomi people. These people groups inhabit the area surrounding the Great Lakes, including Michigan. The Thunder Bay Band of Chippewa and Ottawa merged with the Mackinac Bands of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians in the mid-1800s under Chief Way-ge-maw-waw-be.
Alpena County was originally set off from Michilimackinac County as Anamickee County founded in 1840, which in 1843 was changed to Alpena, a pseudo-Native American word — a neologism coined by Henry Schoolcraft, meaning something like "a good partridge country." This was part of a much larger effort to rename a great many of the Michigan counties at the time.
The first European settler at modern-day Alpena was W.F. Cullings, a fisherman in 1835. In 1856, George W. Fletcher and three others from Detroit platted a village by the name of Fremont, after John C. Frémont. The community was briefly renamed Thunder Bay in 1857 before being renamed again to Alpena in 1871. The city of Alpena was officially incorporated by Michigan State Legislature on March 29, 1871.
From the History section of Alpena, Michigan on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay7
Churches and places of worship26
Northeast Sanctuary - The Pentacostals of Alpena
Church · Pentecostal · 2.5 mi
745 Thunder Bay Avenue, Alpena
Shopping21
Gas and EV charging11
Schools, colleges and libraries13
Healthcare15
Alpena Express Care & Family Practice
Clinic and pharmacy
109 South 13th Avenue, Alpena
Map of Alpena
200 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27°F | 13°F | 2.2 in | 15.6 in |
| Feb | 29°F | 13°F | 1.7 in | 14.4 in |
| Mar | 37°F | 21°F | 1.8 in | 6.2 in |
| Apr | 48°F | 32°F | 3.1 in | 3.5 in |
| May | 61°F | 43°F | 3.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 71°F | 54°F | 2.7 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 77°F | 59°F | 3.3 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 76°F | 58°F | 3.5 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 69°F | 51°F | 2.9 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 56°F | 40°F | 3.2 in | 0.1 in |
| Nov | 43°F | 30°F | 2.3 in | 3.0 in |
| Dec | 33°F | 21°F | 2.0 in | 16.6 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Alpena Wwtp (1 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Alpena County has had 5 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for biologicals.
- 2026-06-30: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Flood)
- 2025-07-22: Severe Winter Storm (Severe Ice Storm)
- 2020-03-27: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2005-09-07: Hurricane Katrina Evacuation (Hurricane)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Alpena County Regional Airport (APN) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 6 miles away.
- Ossineke 11 mi south, about 18 min by car
- Presque Isle Harbor 17 mi north, about 28 min by car
- Hubbard Lake 18 mi south, about 29 min by car
- Posen 18 mi northwest, about 29 min by car
- Lost Lake Woods 19 mi south, about 31 min by car
- Hillman 22 mi west, about 35 min by car
- Rogers City 30 mi northwest, about 48 min by car
- Harrisville 30 mi south, about 48 min by car
- Atlanta 35 mi west, about 56 min by car
- Canada Creek Ranch 38 mi west, about 1 h by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Lighthouse at Alpena MI 2005-09, by Dylan L. Tanner, CC BY-SA 2.5
- Greetings from Alpena, Michigan - Large Letter Postcard (5326949386), Steve Shook from Moscow, Idaho, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Alpena Water Tower - panoramio, jlee.x1phos, CC BY 3.0
- Alpena County Courthouse - Alpena Michigan, Ian Poellet, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Bingham School - Alpena Michigan, Ian Poellet, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Alpena Thunder Bay Lighthouse, Mmeczarnik, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Alpena flyer, Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain
- City Hall - Alpena Michigan (cropped), Ian Poellet, CC BY-SA 4.0
- City Hall - Alpena Michigan, Ian Poellet, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Former U.S. Post Office, Alpena, Michigan (53882449661), Chris Rycroft from Madison, Wisconsin, United States, CC BY 2.0
- Plaque about Alpena City Hall (53882685623), Chris Rycroft from Madison, Wisconsin, United States, CC BY 2.0
- Plaque about Alpena City Hall (53882869285), Chris Rycroft from Madison, Wisconsin, United States, CC BY 2.0
- Centennial Building 2 - Alpena Michigan, Ian Poellet, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Alpena City Hall (53882685763) (cropped), Chris Rycroft from Madison, Wisconsin, United States, CC BY 2.0
- Alpena City Hall (53882685763), Chris Rycroft from Madison, Wisconsin, United States, CC BY 2.0
- Centennial Building 1 - Alpena Michigan, Ian Poellet, CC BY-SA 4.0
- City Hall south quarter - Alpena Michigan, Ian Poellet, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Monarch Mill - Alpena Michigan, Ian Poellet, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Fishing Tug "Katherine V", Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain
- Miller Street Bakery - panoramio, jhansonxi, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Trail - entrance - panoramio, jhansonxi, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Trail - first bend - panoramio, jhansonxi, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Maltz Opera House (53882688148), Chris Rycroft from Madison, Wisconsin, United States, CC BY 2.0
- Alleyway by North 2nd Avenue (53882686383), Chris Rycroft from Madison, Wisconsin, United States, CC BY 2.0
- Looking southeast along Thunder Bay River (53882871215), Chris Rycroft from Madison, Wisconsin, United States, CC BY 2.0
- Intersection of Park Place and North 2nd Avenue (53882791154), Chris Rycroft from Madison, Wisconsin, United States, CC BY 2.0
- Plaque about the treaty of Saginaw (53882451896), Chris Rycroft from Madison, Wisconsin, United States, CC BY 2.0
- Plaque from the American Institute of Steel Construction (53882687418), Chris Rycroft from Madison, Wisconsin, United States, CC BY 2.0
- Brick building on North 2nd Avenue (53882789524), Chris Rycroft from Madison, Wisconsin, United States, CC BY 2.0
- Intersection of Park Place and North 2nd Avenue (53882688223), Chris Rycroft from Madison, Wisconsin, United States, CC BY 2.0
- Maltz Block Postcard 1895, Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain
- Second Avenue Bascule Bridge over Thunder Bay River (53882451851), Chris Rycroft from Madison, Wisconsin, United States, CC BY 2.0
- Park Place (53882790944), Chris Rycroft from Madison, Wisconsin, United States, CC BY 2.0
- B&B BBQ - panoramio, jhansonxi, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Marta Gaglia looking at a Little Free Library (53882684593), Chris Rycroft from Madison, Wisconsin, United States, CC BY 2.0
- Memorial at the site of the George N. Fletcher Library (53882685058), Chris Rycroft from Madison, Wisconsin, United States, CC BY 2.0
- Plaque about the Daniel Carter family (53882787914), Chris Rycroft from Madison, Wisconsin, United States, CC BY 2.0
- Plaque about the Daniel Carter family (53882788009), Chris Rycroft from Madison, Wisconsin, United States, CC BY 2.0
- Fountain by the George N. Fletcher Public Library (53882868200), Chris Rycroft from Madison, Wisconsin, United States, CC BY 2.0
- Ice On Lake Huron (41983493551), National Marine Sanctuaries, Public domain
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