Ogemaw County, Michigan


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 as part of the Virginia Land owned by England. After the Revolutionary War, it broke up into smaller and smaller pieces. The county was originally created by the Michigan Legislature in 1840 from unorganized territory, but was absorbed into Iosco County in 1867. It was re-created in 1873, and was finally organized in 1875. The county's name is an Anglicization of the Anishinaabemowin word ogimaa, meaning "chief". Ogemaw's name came from an eloquent, respected Native American orator named Little Elk. One of the first settlements in the county was Ogemaw Springs, the genesis of lumbering operations in the county. The settlement of Ogemaw Springs ended when the lumber industry in the region ended. With Ogemaw Springs in decline, the people flocked to West Branch, causing an economic boom, including the construction of its first hotel. This created even more growth, causing many restaurants, hotels, and businesses to be built, a vast majority of which still stand today.

Geography

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

Highways

Cities

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 20,770. The median age was 50.6 years. 18.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 26.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 100.4 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 93.9% White, 0.3% Black or African American, 0.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.6% from some other race, and 4.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.1% of the population.
<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 9,207 households in the county, of which 21.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 46.6% were married-couple households, 22.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 15,246 housing units, of which 39.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 80.5% were owner-occupied and 19.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.6%.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census, there were 21,645 people, 8,842 households, and 6,189 families residing in the county.

Government

For many years, Ogemaw County has been reliably Republican. Since 1884, the Republican Party nominee has carried the county vote in 75% of the national presidential elections.
Ogemaw County operates the County jail, maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, records deeds, mortgages, and vital records, 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