Charlevoix County is a
county in the U.S. state of Michigan
. As
of the
2000 census, the
population was 26,090.
The county seat is
Charlevoix
.
Geography
- Lake Charlevoix
, with 17,200 acres (70 km²) surface area and
56 miles (90 km) of shoreline, is a very prominent feature of the
county. According to the U.S. Census
Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,391 square miles
(3,602 km²), of which, 417 square miles (1,080 km²)
of it is land and 974 square miles (2,522 km²) of it
(70.03%) is water.
- The county is considered to be part of Northern Michigan.
- Gull, Hat, Pismire, and
Shoe Islands, which are
part of the Beaver Island
archipelago, form the Lake Michigan
division of the Michigan Islands
National Wildlife Refuge, and two of them are part of the
Michigan Islands
Wilderness Area.
Adjacent counties
Transportation
US Highways
Other state trunklines
Charlevoix County-Designated Highways
Airports
- Beaver Island is served by two airlines:
Ferry Service
- Beaver Island Boat Company maintains a regular auto ferry from
Charlevoix:.
- The
Ironton Ferry at Ironton,
Michigan
crosses the south arm of Lake Charlevoix. It
is a designated Michigan Historical Site in operation since
1876.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 26,090
people, 10,400 households, and 7,311 families residing in the
county. The
population density
was 63 people per square mile (24/km²). There were 15,370 housing
units at an average density of 37 per square mile (14/km²).
The racial makeup of the county was 96.31%
White, 0.17%
Black or
African American, 1.54%
Native American, 0.23%
Asian, 0.09%
Pacific Islander, 0.41% from
other races, and 1.25%
from two or more races. 1.04% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
21.8% were of
German, 12.0% English, 11.0% American
, 10.6% Irish and 8.4%
Polish ancestry according to Census 2000. 97.3% spoke
English and 1.1%
Spanish as their first language.
There were 10,400 households out of which 31.80% had children under
the age of 18 living with them, 58.40% were
married couples living together, 8.10% had a female
householder with no husband present, and 29.80% were non-families.
25.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.50% had
someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average
household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the county the population was spread out with 25.90% under the
age of 18, 6.50% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 25.20% from
45 to 64, and 14.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median
age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 97.90 males. For
every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $39,788, and
the median income for a family was $46,260. Males had a median
income of $32,457 versus $22,447 for females. The
per capita income for the county was
$20,130. About 5.40% of families and 8.00% of the population were
below the
poverty line, including
10.00% of those under age 18 and 5.90% 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
regulations, andparticipates with the state in the provision of
welfare and other social services. The [[county
commission|countyboard of commissioners]] controls the budget but
has only limited authority to make laws or ordinances. InMichigan,
most local government functions — police and fire, building and
zoning, tax assessment, streetmaintenance, etc. — are the
responsibility of individual cities and townships.
History and Historical markers
Charlevoix County elected officials
(information as of September 2005)
Cities, villages, and townships
Cities
Villages
Unincorporated communities
Townships
Notes
- Fresh
Air Aviation
- Island
Airways
- Beaver Island
Auto ferry
- Michigan Historical Markers
External links