Manistee County, Michigan


Manistee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,032. The county seat is Manistee. The county is named for the Manistee River. Manistee County is part of Northern Michigan and has a shoreline on Lake Michigan.
WWW Official Site

History

Manistee County was set off in 1840 from Michilimackinac County as an unorganized county. In 1851, it was attached to Grand Traverse County for legal purposes. Manistee County was organized in its own right on February 13, 1855.

Etymology

The name "Manistee" is from an Ojibwe word first applied to the principal river of the county. The derivation is not certain, but it may be from ministigweyaa, "river with islands at its mouth".

Historical markers

There are thirteen recognized Michigan historical markers in the county:

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. Manistee County is considered to be part of Northern Michigan.

Adjacent counties

By land
By water

Protected areas

Communities

City

Villages

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Townships

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 25,032. The median age was 50.4 years. 17.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 26.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 106.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 108.0 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 88.5% White, 2.5% Black or African American, 2.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.8% from some other race, and 5.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.3% of the population.
32.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 67.7% lived in rural areas.
There were 10,597 households in the county, of which 21.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 47.4% were married-couple households, 20.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 15,472 housing units, of which 31.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 79.6% were owner-occupied and 20.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.8%.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 24,527 people, 9,860 households, and 6,714 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 14,272 housing units at an average density of.
In 2000, the racial makeup of the county was 94.16% White, 1.63% Black or African American, 1.30% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.01% from other races, and 1.55% from two or more races. 2.61% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 23.5% were of German, 16.9% Polish, 8.8% English, 8.8% American and 7.1% Irish ancestry. 96.2% spoke English 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% were married 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. The per capita income for the county was $17,204. About 6.90% of families and 10.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.50% of those under age 18 and 7.90% of those age 65 or over.

Education

School districts include:

Government

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

Politics

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 for Warren 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 Republican George W. Bush defeated Democrat John Kerry by 23 votes. In 2016 the county swung heavily Republican in support of Donald Trump, the best such performance since Reagan's 1984 landslide. In 2020 and 2024, the county continued to shift further into the Republican column.

Fire departments and emergency medical services

County ambulance service

As of early 2021 North Flight EMS has since transferred the primary ambulance service to Mobile Medical Response.

Fire departments

Transportation

Airport

Manistee County-Blacker Airport is approximately northeast of Manistee. It offers direct flights to Chicago O'Hare International Airport.

Major highways

Previously, an additional highway, M-110, was designated to run from US 31 at Parkdale to Orchard Beach State Park. However, the highway was returned to local control in 2003.

Bicycle routes