Huron County, Michigan

Huron County, Michigan

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Huron County, Michigan

Huron County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the population was 36,079 with an estimate of 33,290 in 2007.^[1] The county seat is Bad Axe. Huron County is located at the northern tip of the the Thumb, which in turn is a sub region of the Flint/Tri-Cities. It is surrounded on three sides by water ? Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron and has over 90 miles of shoreline, from White Rock on Lake Huron to Sebewaing on the Saginaw Bay. Huron County's most important industry is agriculture, as with most of the other Thumb counties. Huron County enjoys seasonal tourism from large cities such as Detroit, Flint, and Saginaw.

Geography

Major highways
Adjacent counties

Demographics
Early history
Government
Cities, villages, and townships
Notes
External links

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,136 square miles (5,533 km²), of which, 837 square miles (2,167 km²) of it is land and 1,300 square miles (3,367 km²) of it (60.85%) is water.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saginaw is the controlling regional body for the Catholic Church.^[2]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Sanilac County (southeast)
Tuscola County (southwest)

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 36,079 people, 14,597 households, and 10,144 families residing in the county. The population density was 43 people per square mile (17/km²). There were 20,430 housing units at an average density of 24 per square mile (9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.02% White, 0.19% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. 1.64% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 39.3% were of German, 18.6% Polish, 7.8% American, 6.7% English and 6.3% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. 95.9% spoke English, 1.3% Spanish and 1.0% Polish as their first language.

There were 14,597 households out of which 29.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.60% were married couples living together, 7.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.50% were non-families. 27.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.10% 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 2.95.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.20% under the age of 18, 6.50% from 18 to 24, 25.10% from 25 to 44, 24.80% from 45 to 64, and 19.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 97.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,315, and the median income for a family was $42,436. Males had a median income of $31,950 versus $21,110 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,851. About 7.30% of families and 10.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.20% of those under age 18 and 9.80% of those age 65 or over.

Early history

Huron County was attached originally to Sanilac and Tuscola counties. It was created by Michigan Law on April 1, 1840 and was fully organized by an Act of Legislature on January 25, 1859. Sand Beach (now Harbor Beach) was then county seat, until 1865, when the court house burned with nearly all the records. It was moved to Port Austin and remained there until 1873, when the Board of Supervisors permanently made Bad Axe the County Seat. ^[3]

The name Huron was derived from the word "hures" as used in the phrase "Inelles hures" (what heads) as applied by an astonished French traveler to the Wyandotte or Huron Indians on beholding their fantastic mode of dressing the hair. These Indians were dispersed by the Iroquois in 1649.

In the 1600s and 1700's in the Lake Huron region the suffix "onti" is used in a number of place names such as Skenchoietontius, E. Kandechiondius, and the Ondatouius, which describe regions or people of The Thumb of Michigan. "Onti" means, it seems, "head or headland". The name Wyandotte [who were Huron descendants] was said to mean "dweller's of the peninsula". A peninsula is also called a cape and headland. The root of cape is head or Latin "caput". "Onti" seems to connect with the Latin word "ante", which means toward the front or head. From it we get anterior the front part of the body. A cape in Onondaga is called "onoentoto" while to head is "ohoento". Similar words are found in the Mohawk language. Wyandotte likely means head or headland. The motto of Michigan is "If you desire a beautiful peninsula, look about you." In the 1600s, Lake Huron was called Karegnondi. Here we see the suffix "onti" probably meaning headland or peninsula. "Karengn" may mean beaver dams. The Thumb of Michigan was then labelled the "best beaver hunting in America." The Detroit region was, then, called "Tio-sahr-ondion", which was near Skenchioe. Tiosahrondion meant "where it is beaver dams athwart many", it is said. Perhaps, the translation should be where it is the beaver dams of the headlands. Couacronons and Oukuouaroraonoin described two regions in Eastern Michigan in the 1600s. The Algonquin word "okwanim" means beaver dam. ["-Kwen" meant head.] On French maps, "Chasse des Caster des Ami de Francois" as the name for The Thumb of Michigan about 1700 and meant the Beaver Hunting Grounds of the Friends of France. Perhaps, the Huron, who were later called the Wyandotte, dressed up there heads in a "hure" because they lived in the headlands. It may have been a pun on their land and people.

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.

Huron County elected officials