Roscommon County ( ') is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 23,459. The county seat is Roscommon. The county was founded in 1840 and organized in 1875.

History

The county was formed by the Michigan Legislature in 1840 as Mikenauk County, then renamed Roscommon County in 1843. It was administered by Michilimackinac (Mackinac), Cheboygan, and

Midland Midland may refer to: Places Australia * Midland, Western Australia Canada * Midland, Albert County, New Brunswick * Midland, Kings County, New Brunswick * Midland, Newfoundland and Labrador * Midland, Ontario India * Midland Ward, Kohima, Nagal ...

counties, in succession, prior to the organization of county government in 1875. Roscommon County was named after

County Roscommon "Steadfast Irish heart" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Roscommon.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Connacht , subdi ...

, Ireland. There are three official Michigan historical markers in the county: * Gerrish * Pioneer House * Terney House

Geography

According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (10%) is water. Roscommon County is considered to be part of Northern Michigan. Part of Michigan's Au Sable State Forest falls within the county. The US Forest Service's Roscoe Fire Management Unit includes Ogemaw and Roscommon Counties.

Geographic features

During prehistoric times, glacial action helped shape the Michigan-area terrain. A large portion of the area is the Grayling outwash plain, which includes sandy ice-disintegration ridges; jack pine barrens, white pine-red pine forest, and northern hardwood forest. Large lakes were created by glacial action. Prominent geographic features include: * Au Sable River * Backus Creek * Cut River * Dead Stream Flooding *

Higgins Lake Higgins Lake is a large recreational and fishing lake in Roscommon County, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The 9,900 acre (40 km²) lake is known for its deep, clear waters and is the 10th largest in Michigan with a shoreline of . It is named ...

* Houghton Lake * Houghton Lake Flats *

Lake St. Helen Lake St. Helen is a public lake located in Roscommon County in the U.S. state of Michigan, and borders on the community of St. Helen, Michigan. It is the headwaters for the south branch of the Au Sable River. From 1998 to 2003, the Lake was sub ...

Marl Lake A marl lake is a type of alkaline lake whose bottom sediments include large deposits of marl, a mixture of clay and carbonate minerals. The term is particularly applied to lakes that have been dredged or mined for marl, often for manufacturing P ...

* ''Roscommon Virgin Pine Stand'' – a parcel within the Au Sable State Forest, 8 miles (13 km) north of

St. Helen, Michigan St. Helen is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Roscommon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,735 at the 2020 census. St. Helen is located within Richfield Township. History In the 1870s, ...

, and 8 miles east of Roscommon. An old-growth stand of red pine, which includes a former national champion red pine. * Underground oil deposits

Major highways

* (future) * – runs south, SE, and east through the NE middle portion of county. * – runs north–south through west portion of county. Passes on west side of Higgins and Houghton Lakes. * – runs north–south through center of county. Passes Roscommon and Prudenville. Leaving Roscommon, runs east along north line of county for 5.6 miles (9 km) before turning to NE. * – runs east–west through center of county to intersection with I75, 7 miles (11 km) west of east line of county. * – short (1.1 mile/1.8 km) north-south spur connecting M18 to M55, east of Houghton Lake. * – runs south from Prudenville. Exits the county on the line between Clare and Gladwin counties.

Airports

Houghton Lake State Airport Houghton Lake Airport , known formally as Houghton Lake State Airport, is a state-owned public airport located in Roscommon County, Michigan, Roscommon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is in the community of Houghton Lake Heights, Michiga ...

is located in Roscommon Township. *

Roscommon County–Blodgett Memorial Airport Roscommon County–Blodgett Memorial Airport is a county-owned public-use airport located five miles (8 km) northeast of the central business district of Houghton Lake, an unincorporated community in Roscommon County, Michigan, United Stat ...

is located in Markey Township.

Adjacent counties

* Crawford County – north *

Oscoda County Oscoda County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,219, making it the least populous county in the Lower Peninsula, and the sixth-least populous county in the entire state. The county seat i ...

– northeast *

Ogemaw County Ogemaw County ( ') is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 20,770. The county seat is West Branch. The county newspaper of record is the ''Ogemaw Herald''. History Ogemaw County started a ...

– east *

Gladwin County Gladwin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 25,386. The county seat is Gladwin. History Prehistory Gladwin County is a headwaters area. Most of the water that flows out of the co ...

– southeast * Clare County – southwest *

Missaukee County Missaukee County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 15,052. The county seat is Lake City. Missaukee County is part of the Cadillac, MI Micropolitan Statistical Area. The county i ...

– west *

Kalkaska County Kalkaska County ( ) is located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 17,939. The county seat is Kalkaska. Kalkaska County is included in the Traverse City Micropolitan Statistical Area. Although it is loc ...

– northwest

Demographics

As of 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 ce ...

, there were 25,469 people, 11,250 households, and 7,616 families residing in the county. The population density was 49 people per square mile (19/km²). There were 23,109 housing units at an average density of 44 per square mile (17/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.99% White, 0.32% Black or African American, 0.64% Native American, 0.19%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.10% from other races, and 0.72% from two or more races. 0.80% of the population were Hispanic or

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race. 24.4% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

, 12.7% English, 9.9% Irish, 9.2%

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

, 9.2%

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

and 6.7%

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

ancestry. 97.2% spoke English as their first language. Those citing "

" ancestry in Roscommon County are of overwhelmingly English extraction, however most English Americans identify simply as having American ancestry because their roots have been in North America for so long, in some cases since the 1600s. There were 11,250 households, out of which 21.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.70% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 7.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.30% were non-families. 28.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.69. The county population contained 20.00% under the age of 18, 5.50% from 18 to 24, 21.40% from 25 to 44, 29.30% from 45 to 64, and 23.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 96.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.30 males. The median income for a household in the county was $30,029, and the median income for a family was $35,757. Males had a median income of $31,878 versus $20,549 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,837. About 8.60% of families and 12.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.90% of those under age 18 and 6.50% of those age 65 or over.

Religion

* Roscommon County is part of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Gaylord The Diocese of Gaylord ( la, Diœcesis Gaylordensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the Northern Michigan region of the United States. It comprises the twenty-one most northern counties of the lo ...

. * The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has one meetinghouse in the county, in Houghton Lake. * Houghton Lake Wesleyan Church

Government

Roscommon County voters tend to vote Republican; they have selected the Republican Party nominee in 74% of national elections (25 of 34). The county government operates the

jail A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...

, maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, records deeds, mortgages, and

vital records Vital records are records of life events kept under governmental authority, including birth certificates, marriage licenses (or marriage certificates), separation agreements, divorce certificates or divorce party and death certificates. In some ...

, administers public health regulations, and participates with the state in the provision of social services. The county board of commissioners controls the budget and has 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: Mary Beebe *

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

: Ed Stern *

County Clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record keeping, filing, staffing service ...

Register of Deeds Recorder of deeds or deeds registry is a government office tasked with maintaining public records and documents, especially records relating to real estate ownership that provide persons other than the owner of a property with real rights over ...

: Michelle Stevenson *

County Treasurer A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

: Rebecca A. Ragan *

Drain Commissioner A drain commissioner is an elected official in county government of the U.S. state of Michigan who is responsible for planning, developing and maintaining surface water drainage systems under Public Act 40 of 1956. In counties with a population unde ...

: Rex Wolfsen (information as of January 2021)

Attractions and events

The community is centered in the area of two very large lakes, in the middle of large state forests. Wildlife are nearby, including bear, deer, eagles,

Kirtland's warbler Kirtland's warbler (''Setophaga kirtlandii''), also known in Michigan by the common name jack pine bird, or the jack pine warbler, is a small songbird of the New World warbler family (Parulidae), named after Jared Potter Kirtland, an Ohio doctor ...

s, and turkeys. Local attractions and activities include: * Birding * Bluegill Festival each summer in St. Helen * Boating, paddling (canoe and kayak) * Firemen's Memorial Festival, an annual event (September) since 1979. * Fishing * Golf * Hiking * Hunting * Kirtland Warbler Habitat and Festival is an annual (held in May) event hosted by Kirtland Community College. * Michigan Shore-to-Shore Trail, a 500-mile (800 km) system of interconnected trails, passes through the area. It runs from Empire to Oscoda, and points beyond. * Nordic skiing * ORV and groomed snowmobile trails * Sailing * Tip-up-town winter festival, Houghton Lake, an annual event (held in January).Tip-up-town.

Communities

Village

* Roscommon (county seat)

Civil townships

* Au Sable Township * Backus Township * Denton Township * Gerrish Township * Higgins Township * Lake Township * Lyon Township * Markey Township * Nester Township * Richfield Township * Roscommon Township

Census-designated places

* Houghton Lake * Prudenville * St. Helen

Other unincorporated communities

* Artesia Beach * Au Sable River Park * Geels *

* Hillcrest * Houghton Lake Heights *

Houghton Point Houghton Point is a cape in Bayfield County, Wisconsin, in the United States. History Houghton Point was named for Douglass Houghton, an explorer of the Keweenaw Peninsula The Keweenaw Peninsula ( , sometimes locally ) is the northernmost part ...

* Keno * Loxley * Lyon Manor * Maple Valley * Meads Landing *

Michelson Michelson may refer to: * Michelson (surname), people with the given name or surname * 27758 Michelson discovered in 1991 * Michelson (crater) on the moon * Michelson-Gale-Pearson experiment, science * Michelson interferometer, most common config ...

* Nellsville * Sharps Corner * Tent City

References

External links

Roscommon County

Higgins Lake/Roscommon Chamber of Commerce

Houghton Lake/Roscommon Chamber of Commerce
*
''A history of northern Michigan and its people''
Powers, Perry Francis. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1912. pp. 554–5
''History of Michigan.''
Moore, Charles. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1915. p. 709 {{Coord, 44.33, -84.61, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MI_source:UScensus1990 Michigan counties 1875 establishments in Michigan Populated places established in 1875