Ontonagon County, Michigan
Encyclopedia
National protected areaProtected areaProtected areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognised natural, ecological and/or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international...
s
- 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 censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 7,818 people, 3,456 households, and 2,225 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 6 people per square mile (2/km²). There were 5,404 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile (2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.25% 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...
, 0.03% 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...
, 0.96% 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...
, 0.18% 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...
, 0.03% 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...
, 0.31% 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 1.25% from two or more races. 0.74% 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. 33.5% were of Finnish, 15.0% German, 6.6% Polish, 6.0% English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
, 5.1% Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
and 5.0% 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. 93.5% 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...
and 4.6% 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...
as their first language.
There were 3,456 households out of which 23.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.60% 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, 6.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.60% were non-families. 31.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.75.
In the county the population was spread out with 20.20% under the age of 18, 4.70% from 18 to 24, 23.30% from 25 to 44, 30.20% from 45 to 64, and 21.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 102.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $29,552, and the median income for a family was $36,690. Males had a median income of $31,884 versus $21,121 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 $16,695. About 5.80% of families and 10.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.90% of those under age 18 and 10.10% of those age 65 or over.
Government
The county government operates the jail, maintains rural roads, operates themajor 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.
Ontonagon 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...
: James Jessup - 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....
: John Gravier - County Clerk/Register of Deeds: Judith D. Roehm
- 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:...
: Diana Killoran - Mine Inspector: William Turin
(information as of September 2005)
Unincorporated communities
- Agate
- Bergland
- Bruce CrossingBruce Crossing, MichiganBruce Crossing is an unincorporated community in Ontonagon County, Michigan, United States. Bruce Crossing is located in Stannard Township at the junction of U.S. Route 45 and M-28, south-southeast of Ontonagon. Bruce Crossing has a post office with ZIP code 49912.- History :Bruce Crossing was...
- Ewen
- Matchwood
- PauldingPaulding, MichiganPaulding is an unincorporated community in Ontonagon County, Michigan, United States. Paulding is located in Haight Township along U.S. Route 45, southeast of Ontonagon. The Paulding Light, part of the area's folklore, is visible in a valley near Paulding....
- Paynesville
- Trout Creek
- White PineWhite Pine, MichiganWhite Pine is an unincorporated census-designated place in Ontonagon County the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, its population was 474....
Townships
- Bergland TownshipBergland Township, MichiganBergland Township is a civil township of Ontonagon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 550.-Communities:...
- Bohemia TownshipBohemia Township, MichiganBohemia Township is a civil township of Ontonagon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the population was 77.-Communities:*Algonquin. Algonquin was established in 1848...
- Carp Lake TownshipCarp Lake Township, Ontonagon County, MichiganCarp Lake Township is a civil township of Ontonagon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 891 at the 2000 census.-Communities:*White Pine is an unincorporated community in the township...
- Greenland TownshipGreenland Township, MichiganGreenland Township is a civil township of Ontonagon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 870 at the 2000 census.-Communities:*Greenland is an unincorporated community in the township....
- Haight TownshipHaight Township, MichiganHaight Township is a civil township of Ontonagon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 228 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water.-Demographics:As of the census...
- Interior TownshipInterior Township, MichiganInterior Township is a civil township of Ontonagon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 375 at the 2000 census.-Communities:A large portion of the township is within the Ottawa National Forest....
- Matchwood TownshipMatchwood Township, MichiganMatchwood Township is a civil township of Ontonagon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 115 at the 2000 census.The tiny unincorporated community of Matchwood is at on M-28 about 6 miles west of Ewen and 9 miles east of Bergland. It was named for the Diamond Match Company,...
- McMillan TownshipMcMillan Township, Ontonagon County, MichiganMcMillan Township is a civil township of Ontonagon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 601 at the 2000 census.-Communities:...
- Ontonagon TownshipOntonagon Township, MichiganOntonagon Township is a civil township of Ontonagon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,954 at the 2000 census. The Village of Ontonagon is located within the township.-Geography:...
- Rockland TownshipRockland Township, MichiganRockland Township is a civil township of Ontonagon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 324 at the 2000 census.-Communities:...
- Stannard TownshipStannard Township, MichiganStannard Township is a civil township of Ontonagon County, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 833 at the 2000 census.-Communities:*Bruce Crossing is a small unincorporated community in the township....
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Ontonagon County, Michigan