Michigan's 1st congressional district


Michigan's 1st congressional district is a United States Congressional district containing the entire Upper Peninsula of Michigan and 16 counties of Northern Michigan in the Lower Peninsula. The district is currently represented by Republican Jack Bergman.

Geography

The district is the second-largest congressional district east of the Mississippi River by land area, behind Maine's 2nd congressional district. Its boundaries contain much of the northern part of the Lower Peninsula in addition to the entire Upper Peninsula. Altogether, the district makes up about 44% of the land area of the state of Michigan. It contains the second-longest shoreline of any district in the United States, behind Alaska's At-large congressional district.
Of the 83 counties in Michigan, 31 lie fully within the district, and it contains a portion of another, Mason County.

History

Prior to 1992 the 1st Congressional District was a Detroit-based congressional district. From the election of Republican John B. Sosnowski in 1925 until 1964 the former 1st district was represented by only one non-Polish-American politician, Robert H. Clancy. Along with Sosnowski, 6 Polish-Americans served as the 1st district's representatives elected 7 times, since 1925. The other strong Polish Michigan congressional districts were the 15th district and the dissolved 16th district. In 1964 the 1st Congressional district was drawn as a new, African-American majority district reflecting the changing demographics of Detroit, while enough of the old 1st district was moved to the 14th district so that the 14th district retained the 1st's old congressman. John Conyers was elected to congress from the 1st district, a position he would hold until the 1st was removed from Detroit.
After 1992, the 1st district covered land in the UP and Northern Michigan. Most of this territory had been in the 11th District from 1892 to 1992. The 1st from 1992–2002 was similar to the present district, except that it did not extend nearly as far south along Lake Michigan, while it took in Traverse City and some surrounding areas on the west side of the state.

Voting

Major cities in the district

Elections