Bay City's story is easier to follow one decade at a time. This page walks from the first log cabin on the Saginaw River to the present, with the census population for each decade and the events, buildings and people that defined it. For the big-picture narrative, see our history of Bay City, and for the stories behind individual places follow the links.
Population by census
Bay City grew quickly in the lumber era, peaked in 1960 and has declined gradually since. These are U.S. census counts:
| Year | Population | Year | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 1,583 | 1950 | 52,523 |
| 1870 | 7,064 | 1960 | 53,604 (peak) |
| 1880 | 20,693 | 1970 | 49,449 |
| 1890 | 27,839 | 1980 | 41,593 |
| 1900 | 27,628 | 1990 | 38,936 |
| 1910 | 45,166 | 2000 | 36,817 |
| 1920 | 47,554 | 2010 | 34,932 |
| 1930 | 47,355 | 2020 | 32,661 |
| 1940 | 47,956 | 2023 estimate | 32,082 |
1830s: the first cabins
Leon Tromble built a log cabin on the east bank of the Saginaw River in 1831 and is regarded as the first settler. John B. Trudell built a cabin around 1834 and became the first permanent resident. The settlement, first known as Lower Saginaw, was established in 1837.
1840s: a post office
A post office called Hampton opened on June 4, 1846 to serve the growing settlement.
1850s: a new name
Bay County was organized in 1857, and the community took the name Bay City, with the post office renamed on March 22, 1858.
1860s: a city
Lower Saginaw had about 2,000 residents and several mills by 1860, and Bay City was incorporated as a city in 1865. By the 1870 census the population had grown to 7,064.
1870s: boomtown
Bay City was a lumber boomtown with a housing shortage, and wealthy businessmen began building on Center Avenue. Pioneer Charles C. Fitzhugh Jr. bought the land around 1873 that later became the City Hall site. In 1874 Polish settlers formed a society under the patronage of Saint Stanislaus Kostka and dedicated a wooden church on December 13. By the 1880 census the city had 20,693 residents. See lumber barons and the Center Avenue mansions.
1880s: the peak of the pine
Gang saws and better blades pushed the Saginaw region's output to about one billion board feet of lumber in 1882, which a state marker identifies as the local industry's peak. Houses from this decade still stand on Center Avenue, including the Mann House (1882), Trinity Episcopal Church (built 1885-87), the Bradley Residence (1887) and the Landon House (1888). The 1890 census counted 27,839 residents.
1890s: churches and a City Hall
The cornerstone of the Neo-Gothic St. Stanislaus Kostka church was blessed on June 24, 1890 and the church dedicated on July 17, 1892. In 1891 the Fitzhugh family sold the City Hall site to the city for $8,500. A National Guard armory had been serving on Washington Avenue since 1894, and the 1896 Bousfield House went up on Center Avenue. By the 1890s the loggers had run through the pine, and the 1900 census showed the population flat at 27,628. See Polish Bay City.
1900s: annexation and new industry
In 1905 West Bay City on the west bank was annexed, uniting both sides of the river, and Harry J. Defoe began the boat and motor works that would become a shipyard. St. Hyacinth parish was formed that year. The Fraser House hotel burned on December 23, 1906, the Wenonah Hotel opened in 1907 and the Bijou Theatre, today's State Theatre, opened on September 8, 1908. The 1910 census counted 45,166 people.
1910s: armory, theater and war work
The new armory was dedicated on September 18, 1911, and in 1912 it was the site of Roosevelt-Taft clashes at the Republican State Convention. A movie house opened in 1916 at what is now Bay City Players' home, and in 1917 the Players were founded and Defoe won its first Navy contract. The war brought nativism toward the city's German community. See the Historical Museum and Bay City Players. The 1920 census counted 47,554.
1920s: a ballpark and a state park
The Bay City Wolves won Michigan-Ontario League baseball championships in 1923 and 1924. In 1922 the state accepted shoreline land from the city that became Bay City State Park, and St. Stanislaus built a convent in 1927.
1930s: the Mayan makeover and a new bridge
The theatre reopened in 1930 as the Bay, in a Mayan Revival style. The Lafayette Avenue Bridge opened in 1938, and architect Joseph Goddeyne finished his Art Moderne house in 1939. The population held near 47,000.
1940s: the shipyard at war
Defoe was renamed the Defoe Shipbuilding Company in 1941 and built 154 ships during World War II, including destroyer escorts and high-speed transports. The Pines Theater took its name in 1948. The 1950 census counted 52,523. See Defoe Shipbuilding.
1950s: the peak of the population
St. Stanislaus opened a high school in 1951. The Bay City Players bought the former Pines Theater in the mid-1950s. In 1957 the Veterans Memorial Bridge opened and the Tobico Marsh property was donated to the state, creating a wildlife refuge. The State Theatre was remodeled and renamed. In 1959 promoter Joe Urban began staging polka festivals and dances in the city. By 1960 Bay City reached its population peak of 53,604.
1960s: a German partnership
Bay City's sister-city partnership with Ansbach, Germany began in 1961 (see sister cities). Defoe kept building Navy ships, including guided-missile destroyers. The Fireworks Festival's 64th year in 2026 suggests it began in the 1960s. The 1970 census counted 49,449 residents.
1970s: shipyard closing and fire
Tobico Marsh was named a National Natural Landmark in 1976. Defoe shut down when its Navy contracts ended in the mid-1970s, and the Independence Bridge opened in 1976, the same year a freighter damaged the Third Street Bridge on June 17. A fire at the Wenonah Hotel on December 10, 1977 killed ten people, the deadliest in Bay County history, and Oppenheim's department store burned on Christmas Eve 1979. The 1980 census counted 41,593.
1980s: a new museum
The last Guard unit left the armory in 1986, and the Historical Society opened it as the Historical Museum of Bay County in 1988. USS Edson was decommissioned in 1988. The population fell to 38,936 in 1990.
1990s: the Liberty Bridge and new organizations
The Liberty Bridge opened in 1990. That September a tankship fire and explosion at a fuel terminal followed a passing ship's wake, and one man drowned. In the mid-1990s Tobico Marsh was combined with Bay City State Park, and in 1997 the nonprofit that would bring USS Edson to the city was formed. The 2000 census counted 36,817.
2000s: restoration
The State Theatre's volunteer restoration began in 2000, and the Historical Museum completed another round of renovations in 2005. St. Stanislaus began a campus project in 2007, and the theatre's new Mayan-themed marquee went up in 2008. The 2010 census counted 34,932. See neighborhoods.
2010s: Edson arrives
An attic fire damaged City Hall on October 12, 2010. USS Edson reached the area on August 7, 2012 (see the museum and the ship). St. Stanislaus and St. Hyacinth parishes merged on July 1, 2014, Bay City celebrated 150 years as a city in 2015 and the city sold two of its bridges to a private company in 2019.
2020s: the present
Play City, the accessible playground, opened in fall 2020, and the census counted 32,661 residents. In 2022 Bay City celebrated 60 years with Ansbach and dedicated Ansbach Platz, and the Liberty Bridge reopened that December, with tolling starting June 16, 2023. The State Theatre closed in March 2024 and reopened in October 2024 under new ownership. St. Stan's Polish Festival marked 75 years in 2025, and Bay City Players is in its 109th season in 2026-27. The estimated 2023 population was 32,082.
Keep exploring
- The History of Bay City timeline and notable-people section.
- People from Bay City.
- Festivals and Best Time to Visit.
Sources
Population figures come from U.S. census counts as reported in a public encyclopedia article on Bay City. Other facts come from the City of Bay City, the Historical Museum of Bay County, the Michigan DNR and the guides linked above. Sources sometimes differ on small details, which we note on those pages. This guide is independent and is not run by the city.