Roscommon County, Michigan
| Roscommon County, Michigan | |
 Location in the state of Michigan |
|
 Michigan's location in the U.S. |
|
| Founded | 1840 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Roscommon |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
579.84 sq mi (1,502 km²) 521.40 sq mi (1,350 km²) 58.44 sq mi (151 km²), 10.08% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
25,469 49/sq mi (19/km²) |
| Website | www.roscommoncounty.net |
Roscommon County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the population was 25,469. The county seat is Roscommon.[1] Both the county and county seat are commonly referred to by locals as "Rosco".
Contents |
[edit] History
- It was originally set off from Mackinac County and some undesignated territory in 1840 as Mikenauk County. In 1843, it was renamed Roscommon County after County Roscommon, Ireland.[2][3]
- There are three official Michigan historical markers in the county.[4] They are:
- Gerrish
- Pioneer House
- Terney House[5]
[edit] Geography
- According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 579.84 square miles (1,501.8 km2), of which 521.40 square miles (1,350.4 km2) (or 89.92%) is land and 58.44 square miles (151.4 km2) (or 10.08%) is water.[6]
- Roscommon County is considered to be part of Northern Michigan
- Roscommon County is part of the Au Sable State Forest including
- Roscommon FMU (Ogemaw and Roscommon counties).
[edit] Geographic features
- Au Sable River
- Higgins Lake
- Houghton Lake
- Lake St. Helen
- Underground oil deposits
Glaciers shaped the area. A large portion of the area is the so-called Grayling outwash plain, which consists of broad outwash plain including sandy ice-disintegration ridges; jack pine barrens, some white pine-red pine forest, and northern hardwood forest. Large lakes were created by glacial action.[7]
[edit] Highways
[edit] Adjacent counties
 |
Kalkaska County | Crawford County | Oscoda County | |
| Missaukee County |  |
Ogemaw County | ||
 Roscommon County, Michigan  |
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| Clare County | Gladwin County |
[edit] Local attractions and activities
The community is centered in the area of two very large lakes, 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
- Bluegill Festival each summer in St. Helen.
- Boating, Paddling (canoe and kayak)
- Fishing, particularly trout fishing.
- Hiking
- Hunting
- Kirtland Warbler Habitat and Festival is to the north, a must for avid bird-watchers.[8]
- 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.[9]
- Nordic skiing
- ORV and groomed snowmobile trails.
- Sailing
- Tip-up-town winter festival, Houghton Lake last two weekends in January.[10]
[edit] Settlements
Cities
- None
Villages
Unincorporated communities
Townships
- Au Sable Township
- Backus Township
- Denton Township
- Gerrish Township
- Higgins Township
- Lake Township
- Lyon Township
- Markey Township
- Nester Township
- Richfield Township
- Roscommon Township
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[11] of 2000, there were 25,469 people, 11,250 households, and 7,616 families residing in the county. The population density was 49 people per square mile (19/km²). There were 23,109 housing units at an average density of 44 per square mile (17/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.99% White, 0.32% Black or African American, 0.64% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.10% from other races, and 0.72% from two or more races. 0.80% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 24.4% were of German, 12.7% English, 9.9% Irish, 9.2% Polish, 9.2% American and 6.7% French ancestry according to Census 2000. 97.2% spoke English as their first language. Those citing "American" ancestry in Roscommon County are of overwhelmingly English extraction, however most English Americans identify simply as having American ancestry because their roots have been in North America for so long, in some cases since the 1600s.[12][13][14][15][16]
There were 11,250 households out of which 21.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.70% were married couples living together, 7.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.30% were non-families. 28.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.69.
In the county the population was spread out with 20.00% under the age of 18, 5.50% from 18 to 24, 21.40% from 25 to 44, 29.30% from 45 to 64, and 23.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 96.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $30,029, and the median income for a family was $35,757. Males had a median income of $31,878 versus $20,549 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,837. About 8.60% of families and 12.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.90% of those under age 18 and 6.50% 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] Roscommon County elected officials
- Prosecuting Attorney: Mark Jernigan
- Sheriff: Randy Stevenson
- County Clerk/Register of Deeds: Ann M. Bonk
- County Treasurer: Julie Dworzynski
- Drain Commissioner: Sheridan Cole
[edit] Other affiliations
- It is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gaylord.[17]
(information as of September 2005)
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ Michigan History, Arts and Libraries on sources of County names.
- ^ Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University, Bibliography on Roscommon County.
For more details on Michigan county name etymologies, see List of Michigan county name etymologies.For more details on Michigan county names., see List of counties in Michigan.
- ^ Michigan Historical Markers.
- ^ "Terney House". http://www.michmarkers.com/Pages/L0631.htm.
- ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-13.
- ^ http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/habitat/rlandscp/s7-2-2.htm Michigan regional geology
- ^ Kirtland Warbler link/festival
- ^ Michigan Shore to Shore Riding and Hiking Trail.
- ^ Tip-up-town.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Ancestry of the Population by State: 1980 - Table 3" (PDF). http://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/files/pc80-s1-10/tab03.pdf. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
- ^ Sharing the Dream: White Males in a Multicultural America By Dominic J. Pulera.
- ^ Reynolds Farley, 'The New Census Question about Ancestry: What Did It Tell Us?', Demography, Vol. 28, No. 3 (August 1991), pp. 414, 421.
- ^ Stanley Lieberson and Lawrence Santi, 'The Use of Nativity Data to Estimate Ethnic Characteristics and Patterns', Social Science Research, Vol. 14, No. 1 (1985), pp. 44-6.
- ^ Stanley Lieberson and Mary C. Waters, 'Ethnic Groups in Flux: The Changing Ethnic Responses of American Whites', Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 487, No. 79 (September 1986), pp. 82-86.
- ^ Diocese of Gaylord.
[edit] External links
- Roscommon County
- Higgins Lake/Roscommon Chamber of Commerce
- Houghton Lake/Roscommon Chamber of Commerce
- A history of northern Michigan and its people Powers, Perry Francis. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1912. pp. 554–555
- History of Michigan. Moore, Charles. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1915. p. 709
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