Place:Omer, Arenac, Michigan, United States

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NameOmer
TypeCity
Coordinates44.033°N 83.85°W
Located inArenac, Michigan, United States
source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names


the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Omer is a city in Arenac County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is Michigan's smallest city, both by area and population. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 259, which ranks it as Michigan's least populated city.

While signage along the passing U.S. Highway 23 mentions Omer as "Michigan's Smallest City," it was actually the state's second-smallest city in terms of population at the 2010 census after the city of Lake Angelus in Oakland County, which had a population of 290.[1] This was until 2020, when it again regained its smallest city status with 259 residents (to 274 for Lake Angelus).

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Omer was founded by George Gorie and George Carscallen, who set up a sawmill along the Rifle River in 1866. The town was originally named Rifle River Mills, but Carscallen, the first postmaster, wanted to rename the town Homer. However, he found a post office in another town called Homer, Michigan and simply dropped the leading H, producing the final name. The community received a station on the Detroit and Mackinaw Railroad, while in 1872 the area was platted. In 1883, Omer was split off from Bay County into the newly formed Arenac County.

Omer was incorporated as a city in 1903.[1] A fire in 1914 almost eliminated the city, destroying 40 buildings and ending the early thrive that Omer had. Two years later, a flood curtailed rebuilding efforts by washing out the local dam.

Omer is the location of the story of the "cussing canoeist", the man who received a ticket under a century-old law for shouting a long stream of expletives in the presence of a woman and her two young children after he fell out of a canoe on the Rifle River. The American Civil Liberties Union intervened on the canoeist's behalf and got the law struck down in court.[1]

A second news story of note concerned the successful secession of two households from the city because the City of Omer was charging them a water tax while refusing to deliver water service to their property.

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