Genesee County, Michigan


Genesee County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 406,211, and was estimated to be 402,279 in 2024, making it the fifth-most populous county in Michigan, and the most populous in Mid-Michigan. The county seat and largest city is Flint. Genesee County consists of 33 cities, townships, and villages. It is considered to be a part of Mid-Michigan.
The county was named after Genesee County, New York, which in turn comes from the Seneca word Gen-nis'-hee-yo, meaning "Beautiful Valley". Genesee County comprises the Flint, MI Metropolitan statistical area. A major attraction for visitors is Crossroads Village, a living history village north of Flint.
Genesee County is noted for having had the fossil of an ancient whale known as Balaenoptera Lacepede unearthed in Thetford Township during quarry work and estimated at 11,000 years old.

History

Formative period

Genesee County was created on March 28, 1835, from territory taken from Lapeer, Shiawassee and Saginaw Counties. The county was attached to Oakland County for judicial purposes. The only township organized at the time was Grand Blanc, formed in 1833 consisting of additional township areas of the present Fenton, Mundy, Flint, Mount Morris, Genesee, Burton, Atlas and Davison townships. Flint Township followed in formation by the legislature on March 2, 1836, splitting away from Grand Blanc with the township areas of Burton, Genesee and Mount Morris plus additional township areas of the present day Clayton, Montrose, Flushing, Thetford and Vienna. On April 4, 1836, the county was fully organized. Organized on July 26, 1836, Argentine Township included two township survey areas taking Fenton away from Grand Blanc Township plus the current Argentine area west of Fenton.
In the organizing act of March 11, 1837, two townships were organized in the county. Mundy had an additional township area to the west. Vienna consisted of the northern tier of three township areas in the county at the time taking two areas from Flint Township. With this act just a week after Michigan's admission as a state, the county was fully covered with 5 township governments.
The townships of Genesee, Fenton, and Flushing were formed on March 6, 1838. Genesee and Flushing were split off from Flint Township. Fenton was split off from Argentine Township. Genesee included half the survey area to the west. While Flushing included the other half of that survey area, the full township area further west then another survey area and half the row below. Thus Flint Township consisted of one and a half township survey areas.
Fifteen northerly sections of survey area township 7 north range No. 7 east in Flint Township plus southerly sections of Genesee Township were set off by the Michigan Legislature as Kearsley Township in 1839. On March 7, 1843, the legislature abolished this township returning the sections back to Flint and Genesee townships. Thus Flint Township consisted of approximately one and a half township survey areas.
Two new townships were formed by the state on March 9, 1842. Thetford was the eastmost survey area split off from Vienna. While Gaines was formed with the western township survey of Mundy.
The county was enlarged on March 9, 1843, by adding a column of townships on its east from Lapeer County. From north to south, the townships were Forest, Richfield, Davison and Atlas.
On March 25, 1846, an additional two townships were formed, Clayton and Pewanagawink. Clayton split the southernmost survey area from Flushing Township. Pewanagawink took the westernmost survey area from Vienna and changed its name to Montrose by act of January 15, 1848.
Mount Morris Township was created on February 12, 1855, from a single survey township area with its two halves taken from Flushing and Genesee townships. Flint Township was split into three parts upon the formation of the City of Flint. The County Board of Supervisors split the remaining township survey area into two; the western area become Garland Township and the remaining eastern survey area became Burton Township.

Modern era

Plans for the Genesee Recreation Area was placed in Flint's master plan in 1950. This was present to Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Board of Trustees in 1964 with C.S. Mott getting behind the plan. In 1968, the county park system was started with the purchase of vacant land. with funds from the Mott Foundation, with a stipulation that a parks commission be formed.
Flint Community Junior College was turned into a county-wide institution with a referendum and millage proposal passing the voters in 1969. To reflect this, the college was renamed Genesee Community College on July 5, 1970. In 1973, it was renamed to Charles Stewart Mott Community College after the death of C.S. Mott.
In October 2009, County Commissioners directed County Corporate Counsel to discuss with the County Prosecuting Attorney a possible merger of his office with the County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. As of December 2011, County Counsel Ward Chapman was intending to retire by the end of the year raising the possibility again of a merger. By August 9, 2016, the two offices were merged.
Emergency Management & Homeland Security Department was merged by the County Commission into the Sheriff's Department in June 2010 with the department director position being demoted to a manager level post while eliminating a programming coordinator. In July 2010, the County Board voted to merge the clerk and register of deeds offices, effective January 1, 2013.
On October 26, 2010, Genesee County became a founding member of the Karegnondi Water Authority with Board of Commissioners Chair Jamie W. Curtis representing the County on the Authority Board.
On May 30, 2012, it was reported Genesee County has had 45 confirmed tornadoes since 1950, more than any other county in Michigan in that time period.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. It is the 33rd largest county in Michigan by total area.
Most of the land in the county is very flat, but the southern end is hilly and covered by several lakes.
The county is mostly drained by the Flint River, which is dammed into Mott Lake and the Holloway Reservoir in the northeast corner of the county. The southeast corner and southern end are drained by the Shiawassee River.

Adjacent counties

  • Tuscola County
  • Lapeer County
  • Oakland County
  • Livingston County
  • Shiawassee County
  • Saginaw County

    Transportation

  • Bishop International Airport is served by several major airlines.
  • The inter-modal Flint Amtrak station offers daily service on the Blue Water route west to Chicago and east to Port Huron. It doubles as a bus station for Greyhound Lines, Indian Trails and Flint Mass Transportation Authority.

    Major highways

  • - runs north and south through central Genesee County, merges with US 23 in Mundy Township
  • - runs north and south through central Genesee County, merges with I-75 in Mundy Township
  • - alternate route of I-75/US23, runs north and south through central Genesee County
  • - runs north and south through central Genesee County
  • - runs north and south through western Genesee County, along the borders with Shiawassee County and Saginaw County, terminating north of I-69
  • - runs north and south through eastern Genesee County
  • - runs east and west through central Genesee County
  • - runs east and west through central Genesee County, west of I-475
  • - runs east and west through northern Genesee County, west of M-15

    Demographics

Recent estimates

As of the fourth quarter of 2024, the median home value in Genesee County was $191,311.
As of the 2023 American Community Survey, the average household size was 2.40 persons, the county had a median household income of $60,673, and approximately 17.9% of the county's population lived at or below the poverty line. Genesee County had an estimated 58.3% employment rate, with 22.8% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 90.9% holding a high school diploma.
The top five reported ancestries were English, Spanish, Indo-European, Asian and Pacific Islander, and Other.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 406,211 people, 167,118 households, and 105,520 families residing in the county. The population density was. The median age was 40.9 years, with 22.2% of residents under the age of 18 and 18.1% aged 65 years or older. For every 100 females there were 94.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.4 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 71.2% White, 19.7% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.2% from some other race, and 6.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 4.0% of the population.
81.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 18.2% lived in rural areas.
Of the 167,118 households, 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 40.2% were married-couple households, 20.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 31.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 183,087 housing units, of which 8.7% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 69.4% were owner-occupied and 30.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.2%.

Racial and ethnic composition

Race / ethnicity Pop. 1980Pop. 1990Pop. 2000Pop. 2010
White alone 359,214
331,833
323,136
309,683
283,483
Black or African American alone 78,200
83,707
88,356
87,352
79,080
Native American or Alaska Native alone 2,696
2,918
2,171
1,961
1,391
Asian alone 1,936
2,824
3,487
3,834
4,041
Pacific Islander alone ——80
74
116
Other race alone 754
300
541
390
1,390
Mixed race or multiracial ——8,218
9,513
20,451
Hispanic or Latino 7,649
8,877
10,152
12,983
16,259
Total450,449
430,459
436,141
425,790
406,211