Blue Water Inn1337 N River Rd, St. Clair, MI 48079
Metro Detroit St. Clair County City
St. Clair
A riverfront boardwalk, a 1926 inn and salt under your feet
- People (2025 estimate)
- 5,833
- Land area
- 2.9 sq mi · 7.6 km²
- From downtown
- 44.3 miles · 71 km · northeast
- Incorporated
- 1850
Nothing on our calendar here this week yet.
01 / Why it matters
Why St. Clair matters
St. Clair is a small river town between Port Huron and Marine City, with a downtown that looks straight out onto the St. Clair River. You walk the Palmer Park boardwalk while international freighters glide right past. In the late 1800s it was a fashionable resort: the 1881 Oakland Hotel and the 1888 Somerville Hotel offered mineral baths, and passenger steamers docked at the hotel piers every day.
Its story goes back to 1764, when the British, led by Patrick Sinclair, built a fort and trading post at the mouth of the Pine River. It was the county seat until 1871, and there's salt under the town: it has been brought up since 1887, and the local Cargill plant is the only one in the United States making Alberger salt.
St. Clair County is part of the six-county Detroit–Warren–Dearborn metro area, so the city of St. Clair is officially Metro Detroit. It has long been a favorite riverside getaway for Detroiters.
02 / Known for
What St. Clair is known for
Palmer Park and its riverfront boardwalk, the centerpiece of the 1960s downtown redevelopment.
Salt: the Diamond Crystal Salt Company began tapping it in 1887, and today's Cargill plant is the only one in the U.S. making Alberger salt.
The St. Clair Art Fair, which held its 55th edition in late June 2026.
The mineral-bath resort hotels of the late 1800s.
A stretch of the Bridge to Bay Trail, the planned 54-mile riverside route across the county.
03 / What’s on
What’s on in St. Clair
Nothing on our calendar in St. Clair right now. Try the neighbors:
04 / Places
4 places on our site in St. Clair
Blue Water Inn1337 N River Rd, St. Clair, MI 48079
Boardwalk Theatre (Thumbcoast Live Theaters)109 S Third St, St. Clair, MI 48079
St. Clair Inn500 N Riverside Ave, St. Clair, MI 4807905 / What to do
If you’re in St. Clair
Palmer Park (boardwalk)
Stroll along the St. Clair River and watch freighters from a bench, right next to downtown.
Official site ↗St. Clair Inn
The riverfront inn opened in 1926 and was fully renovated in 2019, with 85 rooms and three cottages; by its own account it hosted secret parties during Prohibition, and today it has a speakeasy bar and river-view dining.
Official site ↗
06 / History
St. Clair through the years
- 1764
Patrick Sinclair builds a British fort, trading post and sawmill at the mouth of the Pine River.
- 1817
Robert Fulton plats a town on the north side of the Pine River and gets it named seat of the new St. Clair County.
- 1826
Detroit's Thomas Palmer buys the town, which is called Palmer for a while.
- 1871
The county seat moves to Port Huron.
- 1887
The Diamond Crystal Salt Company begins tapping the underground salt deposits.
- 1926
The St. Clair Inn opens.
07 / People
Famous names from here
- Patrick Sinclair the British officer who built Fort Sinclair, the town's forerunner, in 1764
Sources
Population and area are Census Bureau figures (St. Clair city).
- 2020 Census, Michigan (PL 94-171)
- Census Bureau population estimates: cities and towns
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Clair,_Michigan
- cityofstclairmi.gov/history
- www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/metro-micro/geographies/reference-files/2023/delineation-files/list1_2023.xlsx
- stclairart.org
- stclaircounty.org/offices/parks/btob.aspx
- stclairinn.com
- cityofstclairmi.gov
Change since 2020, per the Census Bureau estimate: +6.7 percent.
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