Manistee County, Michigan | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Tippy Dam on theManistee River | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofMichigan | |
 Michigan's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:44°18′N86°19′W / 44.3°N 86.31°W /44.3; -86.31 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Michigan |
| Founded | 1840 1855 (organized)[1] |
| Seat | Manistee |
| Largest city | Manistee |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,281 sq mi (3,320 km2) |
| • Land | 542 sq mi (1,400 km2) |
| • Water | 738 sq mi (1,910 km2) 58% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 25,032 |
• Estimate (2024) | 25,519 |
| • Density | 46/sq mi (18/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Website | www |
Manistee County (/mænɪsti/man-iss-TEE) is acounty located in theU.S. state ofMichigan. As of the2020 census, the population was 25,032.[2] Thecounty seat isManistee.[3] The county is named for theManistee River. Manistee County is part ofNorthern Michigan and has a shoreline onLake Michigan.
Manistee County was set off in 1840 fromMichilimackinac County as an unorganized county.[1][4] In 1851, it was attached toGrand Traverse County for legal purposes.[5] Manistee County was organized in its own right on February 13, 1855.[6]
The name "Manistee" is from anOjibwe word first applied to the principal river of the county.[1] The derivation is not certain,[7] but it may be fromministigweyaa, "river with islands at its mouth".[1][8][9]
There are thirteen recognized Michigan historical markers in the county:[10]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,281 square miles (3,320 km2), of which 542 square miles (1,400 km2) is land and 738 square miles (1,910 km2) (58%) is water.[11] Manistee County is considered to be part ofNorthern Michigan.
By land
By water
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 975 | — | |
| 1870 | 6,074 | 523.0% | |
| 1880 | 12,532 | 106.3% | |
| 1890 | 24,230 | 93.3% | |
| 1900 | 27,856 | 15.0% | |
| 1910 | 26,688 | −4.2% | |
| 1920 | 20,899 | −21.7% | |
| 1930 | 17,409 | −16.7% | |
| 1940 | 18,450 | 6.0% | |
| 1950 | 18,524 | 0.4% | |
| 1960 | 19,042 | 2.8% | |
| 1970 | 20,094 | 5.5% | |
| 1980 | 23,019 | 14.6% | |
| 1990 | 21,265 | −7.6% | |
| 2000 | 24,527 | 15.3% | |
| 2010 | 24,733 | 0.8% | |
| 2020 | 25,032 | 1.2% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 25,519 | [12] | 1.9% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[13] 1790-1960[14] 1900-1990[15] 1990-2000[16] 2010-2018[2] | |||
As of thecensus[17] of 2000, there were 24,527 people, 9,860 households, and 6,714 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 45 people per square mile (17 people/km2). There were 14,272 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile (10/km2). As of 2020, its population was 25,032.
In 2000, the racial makeup of the county was 94.16%White, 1.63%Black orAfrican American, 1.30%Native American, 0.32%Asian, 0.03%Pacific Islander, 1.01% fromother races, and 1.55% from two or more races. 2.61% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race. 23.5% were ofGerman, 16.9%Polish, 8.8%English, 8.8%American and 7.1%Irish ancestry. 96.2% spokeEnglish and 2.3%Spanish as their first language.
There were 9,860 households, out of which 27.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.10% weremarried couples living together, 9.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.90% were non-families. 27.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.60% under the age of 18, 6.70% from 18 to 24, 26.30% from 25 to 44, 26.30% from 45 to 64, and 18.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 103.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.00 males.
In 2000, the median income for a household in the county was $34,208, and the median income for a family was $41,664. Males had a median income of $33,211 versus $20,851 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $17,204. About 6.90% of families and 10.30% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 13.50% of those under age 18 and 7.90% of those age 65 or over.
School districts include:[18]
The county government operates thejail, maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, keeps files of deeds and mortgages, maintainsvital records, administerspublic health regulations, and participates with the state in the provision of welfare and other social services. Thecounty 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.
(information as of February 2012)
For most of the 20th century, Manistee County was a Republican stronghold in presidential elections, tending only to vote for Democrats in national landslides. One notable exception to this was in 1920, when it was the only county in Michigan to not vote forWarren G. Harding, though he only lost the county by just five votes and narrowly missed out on sweeping all of Michigan's counties. Beginning in 1992, the county saw a Democratic trend which lasted through 2012, with the exception of 2004, when incumbent RepublicanGeorge W. Bush defeated DemocratJohn Kerry by 23 votes. In 2016 the county swung heavily Republican in support ofDonald Trump, the best such performance sinceReagan's 1984 landslide. In 2020 and 2024, the county continued to shift further into the Republican column.[19]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1884 | 1,305 | 38.46% | 1,926 | 56.76% | 162 | 4.77% |
| 1888 | 1,668 | 39.23% | 2,328 | 54.75% | 256 | 6.02% |
| 1892 | 1,481 | 35.42% | 2,310 | 55.25% | 390 | 9.33% |
| 1896 | 2,697 | 50.65% | 2,487 | 46.70% | 141 | 2.65% |
| 1900 | 3,152 | 56.33% | 2,336 | 41.74% | 108 | 1.93% |
| 1904 | 3,155 | 67.43% | 1,235 | 26.39% | 289 | 6.18% |
| 1908 | 2,706 | 56.79% | 1,799 | 37.75% | 260 | 5.46% |
| 1912 | 1,240 | 26.27% | 1,790 | 37.92% | 1,691 | 35.82% |
| 1916 | 2,360 | 50.17% | 2,177 | 46.28% | 167 | 3.55% |
| 1920 | 2,179 | 47.68% | 2,184 | 47.79% | 207 | 4.53% |
| 1924 | 3,701 | 58.09% | 1,314 | 20.62% | 1,356 | 21.28% |
| 1928 | 4,129 | 60.73% | 2,624 | 38.59% | 46 | 0.68% |
| 1932 | 3,256 | 40.12% | 4,475 | 55.14% | 384 | 4.73% |
| 1936 | 3,509 | 42.02% | 4,542 | 54.40% | 299 | 3.58% |
| 1940 | 4,630 | 52.07% | 4,242 | 47.71% | 20 | 0.22% |
| 1944 | 4,095 | 54.38% | 3,398 | 45.13% | 37 | 0.49% |
| 1948 | 3,913 | 52.89% | 3,339 | 45.13% | 147 | 1.99% |
| 1952 | 5,235 | 62.50% | 3,114 | 37.18% | 27 | 0.32% |
| 1956 | 5,313 | 63.74% | 3,014 | 36.16% | 9 | 0.11% |
| 1960 | 4,867 | 54.08% | 4,122 | 45.81% | 10 | 0.11% |
| 1964 | 2,918 | 34.56% | 5,520 | 65.37% | 6 | 0.07% |
| 1968 | 4,007 | 48.24% | 3,671 | 44.20% | 628 | 7.56% |
| 1972 | 5,070 | 57.20% | 3,625 | 40.90% | 168 | 1.90% |
| 1976 | 5,532 | 54.59% | 4,479 | 44.20% | 123 | 1.21% |
| 1980 | 5,662 | 52.91% | 4,164 | 38.91% | 876 | 8.19% |
| 1984 | 6,328 | 61.45% | 3,917 | 38.04% | 53 | 0.51% |
| 1988 | 5,368 | 52.58% | 4,765 | 46.67% | 77 | 0.75% |
| 1992 | 3,491 | 29.96% | 5,193 | 44.57% | 2,967 | 25.47% |
| 1996 | 3,807 | 36.12% | 5,383 | 51.08% | 1,349 | 12.80% |
| 2000 | 5,401 | 47.26% | 5,639 | 49.34% | 388 | 3.40% |
| 2004 | 6,295 | 49.41% | 6,272 | 49.23% | 173 | 1.36% |
| 2008 | 5,510 | 42.36% | 7,235 | 55.62% | 264 | 2.03% |
| 2012 | 5,737 | 46.26% | 6,473 | 52.19% | 192 | 1.55% |
| 2016 | 6,915 | 54.62% | 4,979 | 39.33% | 766 | 6.05% |
| 2020 | 8,321 | 56.69% | 6,107 | 41.60% | 251 | 1.71% |
| 2024 | 8,748 | 57.09% | 6,309 | 41.17% | 266 | 1.74% |
As of early 2021 North Flight EMS has since transferred the primary ambulance service to Mobile Medical Response.[citation needed]
Manistee County-Blacker Airport is approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) northeast ofManistee. It offers direct flights to Chicago O'Hare International Airport.
US 31 runs throughManistee andBear Lake, parallelingLake Michigan further inland than M-22.
M-22 begins five miles (8.0 km) north of Manistee and goes throughOnekama andArcadia, paralleling the Lake Michigan shoreline and offering ascenic route.
M-55 begins two miles (3.2 km) north of Manistee and runs across theLower Peninsula toTawas City viaCadillac,Lake City,Houghton Lake, andWest Branch.
M-115 is a diagonal highway, running southeast–northwest across the northeast corner of the county. It entersBenzie County to the north andWexford County to the east.Previously, an additional highway,M-110, was designated to run from US 31 at Parkdale toOrchard Beach State Park. However, the highway was returned to local control in 2003.[21][22]
USBR 35 comes fromMason County and goes through Manistee, Onekama, and Arcadia to proceed north toBenzie County with M-22Places adjacent to Manistee County, Michigan | |
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Municipalities and communities ofManistee County, Michigan,United States | ||
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| City |  | |
| Villages | ||
| Charter township | ||
| General law townships | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Indian reservation | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| Central cities | |
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| Counties | |
| Geography | |
| Transportation | |
| Economy | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
