Clare County, Michigan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Clare County, Michigan | |
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| Map | |
 Location in the state of Michigan |
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 Michigan's location in the U.S. |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | 1840 |
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| Seat | Harrison |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
575 sq mi (1,489 km²) 8 sq mi (21 km²), 1.46% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
31,252 54/sq mi (21/km²) |
| Website: www.clareco.net | |
Clare County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the population was 31,252. The county seat is Harrison[1]. Farwell was the first county seat and in 1877, the county seat was moved to Harrison.
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[edit] History
The county was set off in 1840 as Kaykekee County from Mackinac County. It was renamed Clare in 1843 after County Clare in Ireland. It was officially organized in 1871.[2][3]
[edit] Geography
- According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 575 square miles (1,490 km²), of which, 567 square miles (1,468 km²) of it is land and 8 square miles (22 km²) of it (1.46%) is water.
- The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saginaw is the controlling regional body for the Catholic Church.[4]
- It is considered to be part of Northern Michigan.
[edit] Geographic features
- Au Sable State Forest
- Gladwin FMU (Arenac, Bay, Clare, Gladwin, southern Iosco, Isabella, and Midland counties).
[edit] Major highways
[edit] US highways
[edit] Michigan highways
[edit] Adjacent counties
- Roscommon County (northeast)
- Gladwin County (east)
- Isabella County (south)
- Osceola County (west)
- Missaukee County (northwest)
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 31,252 people, 12,686 households, and 8,753 families residing in the county. The population density was 55 people per square mile (21/km²). There were 22,229 housing units at an average density of 39 per square mile (15/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.36% White, 0.33% Black or African American, 0.72% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.30% from other races, and 1.03% from two or more races. 1.09% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 24.7% were of German, 13.9% American, 13.3% English, 9.9% Irish, 5.5% Polish and 5.3% French ancestry according to Census 2000. 96.8% spoke English, 1.1% German and 1.0% Spanish as their first language.
There were 12,686 households out of which 27.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.30% were married couples living together, 9.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.00% were non-families. 26.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.89.
In the county the population was spread out with 24.40% under the age of 18, 7.10% from 18 to 24, 24.90% from 25 to 44, 26.40% from 45 to 64, and 17.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 97.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.60 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $28,845, and the median income for a family was $33,934. Males had a median income of $30,032 versus $20,733 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,922. About 12.10% of families and 16.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.40% of those under age 18 and 10.70% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Clare County elected officials
- Prosecuting Attorney: Norman Gage
- Sheriff: Jeffrey Goyt
- County Clerk/Register of Deeds: Carol A. McAulay
- County Treasurer: Lois Chinn
- Drain Commissioner: Shane Haskin
- County Surveyor: Paul A. Lapham
- Road Commissioners: Donald Armentrout; Richard Haynak; Tim Haskin
[edit] Local attractions and activities
It is in the middle of large state forests. Wildlife are nearby, including bear, deer, eagles, Kirtland's Warblers, and turkeys. Local attractions and activities include:
- Birding
- Boating
- Fishing.
- Hiking
- Hunting
- Kirtland'a Warbler Habitat and Festival[6]
- Michigan Shore-to-Shore Trail passes through the area. It runs from Empire to Oscoda, but also to points north and south. It is a 500 mile interconnected system of trails.[7]
- Nordic skiing
- ORV and groomed snowmobile trails.
- Paddling (canoe and kayak)
(information as of September 2005)
[edit] Cities, villages, and townships
[edit] Cities
[edit] Villages
[edit] Townships
[edit] Bibliography and further reading
[edit] References
- ^ Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Michigan History, Arts and Libraries on sources of County names.
- ^ Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University, Bibliography on Clare County.
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For more details on Michigan county name etymologies, see List of Michigan county name etymologies
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For more details on Michigan county names., see List of counties in Michigan
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- ^ Saginaw County Diocese home page
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Kirtland Warbler link/festival
- ^ Michigan Shore to Shore Riding and Hiking Trail.
[edit] External links
Official Visitor Information Site
News from Clare County
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