Baraga County, Michigan
Encyclopedia
National protected areas
- Keweenaw National Historical ParkKeweenaw National Historical ParkKeweenaw National Historical Park is a unit of the U.S. National Park Service. Established in 1992, the park celebrates the life and history of the Keweenaw Peninsula in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan...
(part) - Ottawa National ForestOttawa National ForestThe Ottawa National Forest is a 1.0 million acre national forest in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It includes much of Gogebic and Ontonagon counties, as well as slices of Iron, Houghton, Baraga, and Marquette counties. The forest is under the jurisdiction of the U.S...
(part)
Demographics
As of the 2000 censusUnited States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
, there were 8,746 people, 3,353 households, and 2,223 families residing in the county. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 10 people per square mile (4/km²). There were 4,631 housing units at an average density of 5 per square mile (2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 78.61% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 4.99% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 12.04% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.27% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.01% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.26% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 3.82% from two or more races. 0.93% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race. 29.5% were of Finnish, 9.9% German and 8.6% French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
ancestry according to Census 2000. 92.5% spoke English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, 4.9% Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
and 1.7% Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
as their first language.
There were 3,353 households out of which 29.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.50% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 10.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.70% were non-families. 29.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.60% 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 2.93.
In the county the population was spread out with 22.90% under the age of 18, 7.30% from 18 to 24, 28.40% from 25 to 44, 25.10% from 45 to 64, and 16.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 111.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 114.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $33,673, and the median income for a family was $42,500. Males had a median income of $32,138 versus $22,030 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the county was $15,860. About 7.20% of families and 11.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.50% of those under age 18 and 10.30% of those age 65 or over.
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
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
regulations, and
participates with the state in the provision of welfare and other social services. The county
board of commissioners
County commission
A county commission is a group of elected officials charged with administering the county government in local government in some states of the United States. County commissions are usually made up of three or more individuals...
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.
Baraga County elected officials
- Prosecuting AttorneyProsecutorThe prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
: Joseph P. O'Leary - SheriffSheriffA sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
: Robert Teddy - County Clerk/Register of Deeds: Wendy Goodreau
- County TreasurerTreasurerA treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The adjective for a treasurer is normally "tresorial". The adjective "treasurial" normally means pertaining to a treasury, rather than the treasurer.-Government:...
: Anne Koski - Mine Inspector: Don Carlson
Baraga County Commissioners
- District 1: Gale Eilola
- District 2: Mike Koskinen
- District 3: Paul Tesanovich
- District 4: William Menge
- DIstrict 5: Open Seat Till Appointment of May 5, 2009 Special Election
(information as of February 2009
Cities, villages, and townships
Cities- none
Villages
- BaragaBaraga, MichiganBaraga is a village in Baraga County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,285 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Bishop Frederic Baraga....
- L'AnseL'Anse, MichiganL'Anse is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Baraga County. The population was 2,107 at the 2000 census. The village is located within L'Anse Township....
Unincorporated
- AlbertaAlberta, MichiganAlberta is an unincorporated community in L'Anse Township of Baraga County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on U.S. Route 41 about eight miles south of the village of L'Anse at...
- Arnheim
- AssininsAssinins, MichiganAssinins is a historic district consisting of several buildings that were originally a school and orphanage, located in Assinins, Michigan. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.- History :...
- AuraAura, MichiganAura is a small unincorporated community in Arvon Township of Baraga County in the U.S. state of Michigan. With coordinates of , the area is approximately northeast of L'Anse and four miles east of Pequaming.- Geography :...
- Bear Town
- CovingtonCovington, MichiganCovington is an unincorporated community in Covington Township of Baraga County in the U.S. state of Michigan, with coordinates of on US 141 near the junction with M-28, which is a few miles west of US 41. Covington uses the ZIP code 49919.-History:...
- HermanHerman, MichiganHerman is an unincorporated farming district in L'Anse Township of Baraga County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It was established in 1901 along a branch of the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway approximately midway between Nestoria and L'Anse at...
- Huron Bay
- Imperial Heights
- Keweenaw Bay
- Nestoria
- PelkiePelkie, MichiganPelkie is an unincorporated community in Baraga County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The community is on the Sturgeon River in the northeast part of Baraga Township at ....
- PequamingPequaming, MichiganPequaming is an unincorporated community in L'Anse Township of Baraga County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The geographic coordinates are .Originally home to Chippewa tribes, the site was named for "Pequa quaming," a narrow neck of land almost surrounded by water...
- Skanee
- Three Lakes
- Tioga
- Tunis
- Vermilac
- Watton
- ZebaZeba, MichiganZeba is an unincorporated community in L'Anse Township of Baraga County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located on the southern shore of Keweenaw Bay at , about halfway between L'Anse and Pequaming...
Townships
- Arvon TownshipArvon Township, MichiganArvon Township is a civil township of Baraga County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 482.Arvon Township's name is derived from that of the district of Carnarvon in Wales, famous for its slate industry, because of the deposits of slate in the area...
- Baraga TownshipBaraga Township, MichiganBaraga Township is a civil township of Baraga County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 3,542. The village of Baraga is located in the southeast corner of the township.-Communities:...
- Covington TownshipCovington Township, MichiganCovington Township is a civil township of Baraga County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 569 at the 2000 census.-Communities:...
- L'Anse TownshipL'Anse Township, MichiganL'Anse Township is a civil township of Baraga County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 3,926. Mount Arvon and Mount Curwood, the highest and second highest points in Michigan are located in the township....
- Spurr TownshipSpurr Township, MichiganSpurr Township is a civil township of Baraga County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 227 at the 2000 census.The township had been organized while it was part of Houghton County. It was one of the four original townships of Baraga County when it was set off from Houghton in 1875...
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Baraga County, Michigan