Mackinac County
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Mackinac County ( ) is a county in the
Upper Peninsula The Upper Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. – is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula by ...
of the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 10,834. The county seat is
St. Ignace St. Ignace is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Mackinac County. The city had a population of 2,452 at the 2010 census. St. Ignace Township is located just to the north of the city, but the two are administered auto ...
. Formerly known as Michilimackinac County, in 1818 it was one of the first counties of the Michigan Territory, as it had long been a center of French and British colonial fur trading, a Catholic church and Protestant mission, and associated settlement. The county's name is believed to be shortened from "''Michilimackinac''", which referred to the Straits of Mackinac area as well as the French settlement at the tip of the lower peninsula.


History

Michilimackinac County was created on October 26, 1818, by proclamation of territorial governor Lewis Cass. The county originally encompassed the
Lower Peninsula The Lower Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Lower Michigan – is the larger, southern and less elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; the other being the Upper Peninsula, which is separated by the S ...
of Michigan north of
Macomb County Macomb County ( ) is a county located in the eastern portion of the U.S. state of Michigan, bordering Lake St. Clair, and is part of northern Metro Detroit. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 881,217, making it the third-most populous co ...
and almost the entire present
Upper Peninsula The Upper Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. – is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula by ...
. As later counties were settled and organized, they were divided from this territory. On March 9, 1843, Michigan divided the Upper Peninsula into six counties. At this time, the County of Michilimackinac included the portion of the Upper Peninsula closest to the Straits of Mackinac, plus several islands, but none of the Lower Peninsula. At the time of founding, the county seat was the community of Michilimackinac Island on Michilimackinac Island, later known as Mackinac Island, Michigan. This has been an important center for
fur trading The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most ...
before the 1830s, when European demand declined. The county was organized in 1849 as Mackinac County. In 1882 the county seat was moved from Mackinac Island to St. Ignace, Michigan, which had been founded as a French Jesuit
mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...
village during the colonial years. Mackinac County is home to the Mackinac Bands of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians, a Native American tribe located in
St. Ignace St. Ignace is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Mackinac County. The city had a population of 2,452 at the 2010 census. St. Ignace Township is located just to the north of the city, but the two are administered auto ...
.


Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (51%) is water. Mackinac County lies at the boundary of Lake Huron and Lake Michigan.
St. Ignace St. Ignace is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Mackinac County. The city had a population of 2,452 at the 2010 census. St. Ignace Township is located just to the north of the city, but the two are administered auto ...
is the northern terminus of the
Mackinac Bridge The Mackinac Bridge ( ) is a suspension bridge spanning the Straits of Mackinac, connecting the Upper and Lower peninsulas of the U.S. state of Michigan. Opened in 1957, the bridge (familiarly known as "Big Mac" and "Mighty Mac") is the worl ...
. Mackinac Island is within the county. Due to its sparse population, the county has no weather stations.


Adjacent counties

* Chippewa (northeast) *
Presque Isle County Presque Isle County ( ') is a county in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 12,982. The county seat is Rogers City. The county was authorized by state legislative action on April 1, 184 ...
(southeast) * Cheboygan County (south) * Emmet County (south) * Charlevoix County (southwest) * Schoolcraft County (west) * Luce County (northwest)


National protected area

*
Hiawatha National Forest Hiawatha National Forest is a National Forest in the Upper Peninsula of the state of Michigan in the United States. Commercial logging is conducted in some areas. The United States Forest Service administers this National Forest; it is physical ...
(part)


Transportation


Airports

The
Mackinac County Airport Mackinac County Airport is a county-owned public-use airport in Mackinac County, Michigan, United States. It is located northwest of the central business district of St. Ignace. It is the closest airport to Mackinac Island Airport with a refue ...
(83D) in St. Ignace and
Mackinac Island Airport Mackinac Island Airport is a public use airport in Mackinac County, Michigan, United States. It is located northwest of downtown Mackinac Island, Michigan in the center of Mackinac Island. The airport is owned by Mackinac Island State Park Com ...
(MCD) on Mackinac Island are located within Mackinac County. The nearest airports with scheduled commercial passenger service are
Chippewa County International Airport Chippewa County International Airport is a public use airport in Chippewa County, Michigan, United States. It is located 15 nautical miles (17 mi, 28 km) south of the central business district of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The ...
(CIU) in Sault Ste. Marie and Pellston Regional Airport (PLN).


Major highways

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * M-185 does not allow motor vehicles with the exception of emergency vehicles and service vehicles.


Ferry

Numerous companies operate ferries to Bois Blanc Island and Mackinac Island. Ferries to and from Mackinac Island sail from
St. Ignace St. Ignace is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Mackinac County. The city had a population of 2,452 at the 2010 census. St. Ignace Township is located just to the north of the city, but the two are administered auto ...
and Mackinaw City, while the Bois Blanc Island ferry sails from Cheboygan.


Rail

* Canadian National Railway


Demographics

The
2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servi ...
reported that Mackinac County had a population of 11,113, a decrease of 830 (-6.9%) from the
2000 United States Census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 cen ...
. In 2010 there were 5,024 households and 3,219 families in the county. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...
was 11 per square mile (5/km2). There were 11,010 housing units at an average density of 11/sq mi (4/km2>). 76.5% of the population were White, 17.3% Native American, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% of some other race and 5.3% of two or more races. 1.1% were
Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, for example, by the United States ...
(of any race). 18.5% were of German, 8.8% English, 8.0% French, French Canadian or
Cajun The Cajuns (; French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French ethnicity mainly found in the U.S. state of Louisiana. While Cajuns are usually described as ...
, 7.6%
Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
and 5.1% Polish ancestry. There were 5,024 households, of which 20.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.3% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.7. 18.7% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 19.3% from 25 to 44, 34.0% from 45 to 64, and 22.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. The population was 50.5% male and 49.5% female. The median household income was $39,055 and the median family income was $50,984. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...
was $22,195. About 10.5% of families and 14.1% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 19.3% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.


Religion

Mackinac County is part of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Marquette The Diocese of Marquette ( la, Diœcesis Marquettensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church, encompassing all of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The diocese is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical pr ...
.


Government

Mackinac County is reliably Republican. Since the 1964 landslide of
Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
, it has only supported a Democrat twice.
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
won the county in his 1992 and 1996 victories; the latter remains the last time a Democratic presidential candidate has won the county. The county government operates the jail, maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, keeps files of deeds and mortgages, maintains vital records, administers public health regulations, and participates with the state in the provision of welfare and other social services. The county board of commissioners controls the budget but has only limited authority to make laws or ordinances. In Michigan, most local government functions — police and fire, building and zoning, tax assessment, street maintenance, etc. — are the responsibility of individual cities and townships.


Elected officials

*
Prosecuting Attorney A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the case in a criminal trial ...
: J. Stuart Spencer * Sheriff: Edward Wilk * County Clerk: Hillary Vowell * County Treasurer: Jennifer Goudreau * Register of Deeds: Mary Jo Savard * County Surveyor: Jeffrey M. Davis (information as of April 2015)


Historical markers

There are 34 official state historical markers in the county: * Across the Peninsula * American Fur Company Store * Battlefield of 1814 * Biddle House * Bois Blanc Island * British Cannon *
British Landing British Landing is a place within Mackinac Island, Michigan and is located on the shore of Mackinac Island, two miles (3 km) northwest of the island's downtown and harbor. British Landing is the site of a War of 1812 amphibious operation on ...
* Early Missionary Bark Chapel * Epoufette * Fort de Buade * Fort Holmes * Grand Hotel *
Gros Cap Island Gros may refer to: People *Gros (surname) * Gross (surname), the German variant of Gros * Le Gros, the Norman variant of Gros Other uses * Gros (coinage), a type of 13th-century silver coinage of France * Gros (grape), another name for Elbling, ...
& St. Helena Island * Historic
Fort Mackinac Fort Mackinac ( ) is a former British and American military outpost garrisoned from the late 18th century to the late 19th century in the city of Mackinac Island, Michigan, on Mackinac Island. The British built the fort during the American Re ...
* Indian Dormitory *
Island House (Mackinac Island) Island House may refer to the following structures: United Kingdom *Derwent Island House, Derwent Water, Keswick, Cumbria *Island House, Belle Isle (Windermere), Belle Isle in Windermere *Island House, Birmingham, West Midlands *Island House, Laugh ...
* Lake Michigan * Lake View Hotel * Little Stone Church *
Mackinac Conference The Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference, also known as the Midwest Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference is a biennial United States Republican Party (United States), Republican Party political conference held on Mackinac Island, Mic ...
* Mackinac Island * Mackinac Straits * Market Street * Mission Church *
Mission House The Mission House at Kerikeri in New Zealand was completed in 1822 as part of the Kerikeri Mission Station by the Church Missionary Society, and is New Zealand's oldest surviving building. It is sometimes known as Kemp House. Samuel Marsden est ...
* Northernmost Point of Lake Michigan * Old Agency House * Round Island Lighthouse * Sainte Anne Church *
St. Ignace St. Ignace is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Mackinac County. The city had a population of 2,452 at the 2010 census. St. Ignace Township is located just to the north of the city, but the two are administered auto ...
*
St. Ignace Mission The St. Ignace Mission (french: Mission Saint-Ignace) is located in a municipal park known as Marquette Mission Park. It was the site of a mission established by Jesuit priest, Father Jacques Marquette, and the site of his grave in 1677. A seco ...
* Skull Cave * Trinity Church (Mackinac Island) * Wawashkamo Golf Club


Media


Newspapers

*The '' Mackinac Island Town Crier'' is the weekly seasonal newspaper of Mackinac Island. *The '' St. Ignace News'' is the weekly newspaper for the
Upper Peninsula The Upper Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. – is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula by ...
area of the Mackinac Straits.


Television

The following
television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
stations can be received in St. Ignace: *Channel 4: WTOM-TV "TV 7&4" (
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
) ( Cheboygan) (simulcasted in Channel 7, Harrietta) *Channel 8: WGTQ "ABC 29&8" ( ABC) ( Goetzville) (simulcasted in Channel 29, Kalkaska) *Channel 10: WWUP-TV "9&10 News" (
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
) ( Goetzville) (simulcasted in Channel 9, Tustin)


Radio

The following stations can be heard in St. Ignace:


FM


AM


Attractions

*
British Landing British Landing is a place within Mackinac Island, Michigan and is located on the shore of Mackinac Island, two miles (3 km) northwest of the island's downtown and harbor. British Landing is the site of a War of 1812 amphibious operation on ...
*
Fort Mackinac Fort Mackinac ( ) is a former British and American military outpost garrisoned from the late 18th century to the late 19th century in the city of Mackinac Island, Michigan, on Mackinac Island. The British built the fort during the American Re ...
*
Garlyn Zoo Mackinac County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 10,834. The county seat is St. Ignace, Michigan, St. Ignace. Forme ...
* Straits State Park * Deer Ranch * Castle Rock (Michigan)


Communities


Cities

* Mackinac Island *
St. Ignace St. Ignace is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Mackinac County. The city had a population of 2,452 at the 2010 census. St. Ignace Township is located just to the north of the city, but the two are administered auto ...
(county seat)


Civil townships

* Bois Blanc Township * Brevort Township * Clark Township * Garfield Township * Hendricks Township * Holmes Township (Defunct) * Hudson Township * Marquette Township * Moran Township * Newton Township * Portage Township * St. Ignace Township


Unincorporated communities

* Allenville * Brevort * Caffey * Caffey Corner * Cedarville * Charles *
Curtis Curtis or Curtiss is a common English given name and surname of Anglo-Norman origin from the Old French ''curteis'' ( Modern French ''courtois'') which derived from the Spanish Cortés (of which Cortez is a variation) and the Portuguese and Ga ...
*
Engadine Engadine may refer to: Places *Engadin, Engadin(e), a valley region in Switzerland *Engadine, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney, Australia *Engadine, Michigan, unincorporated community in Michigan *Engadine (Candler, North Carolina), a building l ...
* Epoufette * Evergreen Shores *
Garnet Garnets () are a group of silicate minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives. All species of garnets possess similar physical properties and crystal forms, but differ in chemical composition. The different s ...
* Gilchrist * Gould City * Gros Cap *
Hessel The Hessel is a , right tributary of the Ems (river), River Ems in the territory of the North Rhine-Westphalian districts of Kreis Gütersloh, Gütersloh and Kreis Warendorf, Warendorf in northwest Germany. The river rises northwest of Halle (W ...
* Huntspur *
Kenneth Kenneth is an English given name and surname. The name is an Anglicised form of two entirely different Gaelic personal names: ''Cainnech'' and '' Cináed''. The modern Gaelic form of ''Cainnech'' is ''Coinneach''; the name was derived from a byn ...
* Millecoquins * Moran *
Ozark The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and the extreme southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover a significant porti ...
* Patrick Landing * Pickford * Pointe Aux Pins * Pontchartrain Shores * Port Dolomite * Port Inland * Rexton * Rockview * Simmons


Indian reservations

* The Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians, which is headquartered in Sault Ste. Marie in Chippewa County to the north, occupies two small territories within Mackinac County. One is located in St. Ignace Township about 3 miles (4.8 km) north of the city of
St. Ignace St. Ignace is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Mackinac County. The city had a population of 2,452 at the 2010 census. St. Ignace Township is located just to the north of the city, but the two are administered auto ...
on the shores of Lake Huron. The other portion is located in rural northwest Clark Township.


Education

School districts include:
Text list
/ref> K-12: * Engadine Consolidated Schools * Les Cheneaux Community Schools *
Mackinac Island Public Schools Mackinac Island School District is a public school district serving the city of Mackinac Island in the U.S. state of Michigan. The school district operates one school, Mackinac Island Public School (MIPS). Mackinac Island School District includes ...
* Pickford Public Schools * Rudyard Area Schools * St. Ignace Area Schools * Tahquamenon Area Schools Elementary: * Bois Blanc Pines School District * Moran Township School District


See also

*
List of Michigan State Historic Sites in Mackinac County, Michigan The following is a list of Michigan State Historic Sites in Mackinac County, Michigan. Sites marked with a Dagger (typography), dagger (†) are also listed on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Mackinac County, Michigan, Nation ...
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Mackinac County, Michigan __NOTOC__ This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Mackinac County, Michigan. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Mackinac County, Mi ...


References


Bibliography

* * *


External links


Mackinac County governmentMackinac County Profile, Sam M Cohodas Regional Economist, Tawni Hunt Ferrarini, Ph.D.A History of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Fuller, George N.St. Ignace visitor's bureau
{{Authority control Michigan counties 1849 establishments in Michigan Populated places established in 1849