Mackinac County
County
The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island
Location within the U.S. state of Michigan
Michigan's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 46°01′N 85°01′W / 46.01°N 85.01°W / 46.01; -85.01
Country	United States
State	Michigan
Founded	October 26, 1818 organized 1849[1][2]
Named for	Straits of Mackinac
Seat	St. Ignace
Largest city	St. Ignace
Area
• Total	2,101 sq mi (5,440 km2)
• Land	1,022 sq mi (2,650 km2)
• Water	1,079 sq mi (2,790 km2)  51%
Population  (2020)
• Total	10,834
• Density	11/sq mi (4/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	1st
Website	www.mackinaccounty.net

Mackinac County (/ˈmækənɔː/ MAK-ə-naw, locally /ˈmækənə/ MAK-ə-nə) is a county in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,834.^[3] The county seat is St. Ignace.^[4] 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.^[1]

The county's name is shortened from "Michilimackinac", which referred to the Straits of Mackinac area as well as the French settlement at the tip of the lower peninsula.^[1] Mackinac County is one of two U.S. counties to feature shorelines on two Great Lakes, being Lake Huron and Lake Michigan (the other county being neighboring Chippewa County).

History

Michilimackinac County was created on October 26, 1818, by proclamation of territorial governor Lewis Cass. The county originally encompassed the Lower Peninsula of Michigan north of Macomb County and almost the entire present Upper Peninsula. As later counties were settled and organized, they were divided from this territory.

On April 1, 1840, areas in the Lower Peninsula were laid off to create 30 new counites.^[5] By 1841, the County of Michilimackinac was confined to the Upper Peninsula and its nearby islands, bordering Chippewa and Menominee counties.^[6]

On March 9, 1843, Michigan further divided the Upper Peninsula into six counties. At this time, the County of Michilimackinac more closely resembled its modern configuration, including only a portion of the Upper Peninsula closest to the Straits of Mackinac, plus several islands.^[7]

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 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 village during the colonial years.

Mackinac County is home to the Mackinac Bands of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians, a Native American state recognized tribe located in St. Ignace.

An 1835 Map Of Michigan shows the County of Michilimackinac encompassing the Upper Peninsula and the entirety of Northern Michigan, as well as the "Township of Michilimackinac".

As settlers arrived between 1840 and 1853, the state broke up the single Michilimackinac County and established platted counties across Northern Michigan.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,101 square miles (5,440 km²), of which 1,022 square miles (2,650 km²) is land and 1,079 square miles (2,790 km²) (51%) is water.^[8] Mackinac County lies at the boundary of Lake Huron and Lake Michigan.

St. Ignace is the northern terminus of the Mackinac Bridge. Mackinac Island is within the county.

Due to its sparse population, the county has no weather stations.

Adjacent counties

By land

• Chippewa County (northeast)
• Luce County (northwest)
• Schoolcraft County (west)

By water

• Presque Isle County (southeast)
• Cheboygan County (south)
• Emmet County (south)
• Charlevoix County (southwest)

National protected area

• Hiawatha National Forest (part)

Communities

Cities

• Mackinac Island
• St. Ignace (county seat)

Civil townships

Census-designated place

• Naubinway

Unincorporated communities

Indian reservations

• Mackinac Bands of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians
• 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 on the shores of Lake Huron. The other portion is located in rural northwest Clark Township.^[9]

Demographics

The 2010 United States census reported that Mackinac County had a population of 11,113, a decrease of 830 (-6.9%) from the 2000 census.^[15] In 2010 there were 5,024 households and 3,219 families in the county. The population density was 11 per square mile (4.2/km²). There were 11,010 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile (4.2/km²)>). Racially, 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 (of any race). Culturally, 18.5% were of German, 8.8% English, 8.0% French, French Canadian or Cajun, 7.6% Irish and 5.1% Polish ancestry.^[16] By the 2020 census, its population was 10,834.^[3]

In 2010, 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. Among them, 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 was $22,195. About 10.5% of families and 14.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.3% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.

Religiously, Christianity is the predominant religion for the county and region of the Upper Peninsula. Mackinac County is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Marquette.^[17][18]

Education

School districts include:^[19]

K-12:

• Engadine Consolidated Schools
• Les Cheneaux Community Schools
• Mackinac Island Public Schools
• Pickford Public Schools
• Rudyard Area Schools
• St. Ignace Area Schools
• Tahquamenon Area Schools

Elementary:

• Bois Blanc Pines School District
• Moran Township School District

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 area of the Mackinac Straits.

Television

The following television stations can be received in St. Ignace:

• Channel 4:WTOM-TV "TV 7&4" (NBC) (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) (Goetzville) (simulcasted in Channel 9, Tustin)

Radio

The following stations can be heard in St. Ignace:

FM

AM

Government

Mackinac County is reliably Republican. Since the 1964 landslide of Lyndon B. Johnson, it has only supported a Democrat twice. Bill Clinton won the county in his 1992 and 1996 victories; the latter remains the last time a Democratic presidential candidate has won the county.