Manitou Beach–Devils Lake is a census-designated place in Lenawee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The CDP contains three unincorporated communities, Manitou Beach, Devils Lake, and Geneva. The population of the CDP was 2,019 at the 2010 census. The community of Devils Lake is at the northern end of Devils Lake on U.S. Route 223 at. Manitou Beach is at the southwest end of Devils Lake at, approximately southwest of Devils Lake and about east-southeast of Addison. Geneva is at the south end of the smaller Round Lake to the southeast, at. The CDP includes the entire shoreline around Devils Lake and Round Lake. The Manitou Beach post office, with ZIP code 49253, serves most of the area of the CDP except for a small area west of Devils Lake served by the Addison ZIP code 49220. The Manitou Beach ZIP code also serves areas beyond the CDP area, including parts of southeast Woodstock Township, southwest Cambridge Township, northwest Rome Township, and central and northeast Rollin Township.
History
Devil's Lake was a Potawatami village until about 1830. Manitou Beach, first noted by Euro-American settlers in the early 1830s, quickly became a favored resort in southeast Michigan by the turn of the 20th century. It quickly outgrew the comparably sized community of Devils Lake at the north end of the lake. Steam launches ferried tourists from the depot to the hotels and attractions, which included bath houses, a dance pavilion, pleasure craft rental facilities, a water slide, picnic areas and eating establishments. The name 'Manitou Beach' is derived from the Potawatomi name of Devils Lake, "Michemanetue", meaning, "Lake of God The Manitou Beach post office was established on March 20, 1889, with Columbus F. Becker as the first postmaster. The office was discontinued on December 31, 1892, and reestablished on January 17, 1893. Manitou Beach was also as station on the Cincinnati, Jackson and Mackinaw Railroad. Devil's Lake was said to have been named by the Potawatomi leader Meteau after his daughter, who was an able swimmer, drowned in the lake and her body was never recovered. Meteau believed her to have been taken by evil spirits. The first white settlers here arrived in 1833. The Devils Lake post office was established on October 19, 1885, with John B. Allen as the first postmaster. The office was discontinued on October 31, 1936. The Detroit, Toledo and Milwaukee Railroad had a stop at Devil's Lake. The Manitou Beach region was devastated by two F4 tornadoes during the April 11, 1965 Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak. Most of what was destroyed was rebuilt, including the dance hall and two churches. Over the course of the past five decades, the resort has had few reminders of the tornado. Several books on the lake resort have been written, including "Lake Reflections" by Margaret Brighton and the Lakes Preservation League, and "Ho! For Devils Lake" by Barbara Page Roys. In 2018, the community of Manitou Beach continues to draw vacationers, and because of its popularity, one by one the small seasonal cottages are being replaced by large, year-round homes. The Devils Lake Drive-In-Church, a drive-in movie theater, closed its doors after 58 seasons due to the death of its operator. The Manitou Beach Inn, a long-time staple of the business community, was destroyed by fire January 3, 2010. The inn was rebuilt and was the start of a revitalization of the old business district along Walnut Street
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,080 people, 898 households, and 600 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 297.3 per square mile. There were 1,732 housing units at an average density of 247.5 per square mile. The racial makeup of the CDP was 98.08% White, 0.19% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.19% from other races, and 1.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.25% of the population. There were 898 households out of which 25.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.7% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.1% were non-families. 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.81. In the CDP, the population was spread out with 22.0% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 30.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.0 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $37,938, and the median income for a family was $63,810. Males had a median income of $39,375 versus $29,167 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $24,561. About 4.3% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.6% of those under age 18 and 12.9% of those age 65 or over.
