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Antrim County, Michigan

Coordinates: 45°01′N 85°11′W / 45.01°N 85.18°W / 45.01; -85.18
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(Redirected from Meegisee County, Michigan)

Antrim County
County
Antrim County Courthouse
Antrim County Courthouse
Map of Michigan highlighting Antrim County
Location within the U.S. state of Michigan
Map of the United States highlighting Michigan
Michigan's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 45°01′N 85°11′W / 45.01°N 85.18°W / 45.01; -85.18
Country United States
State Michigan
Founded1840 (authorized)
1863 (organized)[1]
Named forCounty Antrim
SeatBellaire
Largest villageElk Rapids
Area
 • Total602 sq mi (1,560 km2)
 • Land476 sq mi (1,230 km2)
 • Water126 sq mi (330 km2)  21%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total23,431
 • Density50/sq mi (20/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district1st
Websitehttps://www.antrimcounty.org/

Antrim County (/ˈæntrəm/ AN-trəm) is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,431.[2] The county seat is Bellaire.[3] The name is taken from County Antrim in Northern Ireland.

Antrim County is home to Torch Lake, Michigan's deepest and second-largest inland lake. Torch Lake, famous for its clear and blue waters,[4][5][6] is part of the Chain of Lakes Watershed, most of which lies within Antrim County. The county is bordered to the west by Grand Traverse Bay, a bay of Lake Michigan.

History

[edit]
A detail from A New Map of Michigan with its Canals, Roads & Distances (1842) by Henry Schenck Tanner, showing Antrim County during the period when it was named Meegisee County, its name from 1840 to 1843.[7] The name is misspelled as "Negissee" on the map. Several nearby counties are also shown with names that would later be changed.
Map of the Chain of Lakes, the watershed of which dominates much of western Antrim County.
See also: History of Northern Michigan

Meegisee County (/miːɡəsi/ MEE-gə-see) was separated from Michilimackinac County as an unorganized county in 1840.[7][8] It took its name from a Chippewa chief who signed the 1821 Treaty of Chicago and the 1826 Treaty of Mississinewas. Meegisee also derives from the Ojibwe migizi, meaning bald eagle.[9] The county was renamed Antrim County in 1843,[7] one of the Irish names given to five renamed Michigan counties at that time, supposedly in deference to the increasing number of settlers of Irish heritage in Michigan at that time. In the text of the 1843 legislative act, the name was misspelled as "Antim".[1] In 1851, for governmental purposes, Antrim County was attached to Grand Traverse County.[10]

Separate county government was organized in 1863.[1][11] The county seat was originally located in Elk Rapids, but was moved to Bellaire in 1904 after 25 years of litigation.[12] In 1950 its population was 10,721.[13]

YMCA Camp Hayo-Went-Ha, the oldest American summer camp that sits on its original site, was opened on the shore of Torch Lake in Central Lake Township in 1904.

Antrim County, which has reliably elected Republicans, was in national headlines during the 2020 presidential election because the unofficial tally showed Biden surprisingly ahead on election night. When the County Clerk realized that it was caused by human error, she corrected the tally before submitting to the Secretary of State for certification. Nonetheless, this error and a related lawsuit have been cited in multiple election conspiracies.[14]

Geography

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 602 square miles (1,560 km2), of which 476 square miles (1,230 km2) is land and 126 square miles (330 km2) (21%) is water.[15]

Antrim County is flanked to the west by Grand Traverse Bay, a bay of Lake Michigan. Most of the bodies of water within the Chain of Lakes, including Torch Lake, are within Antrim County.

Lakes

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Rivers

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Adjacent counties

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By land

By water

Communities

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U.S. Census data map showing local municipal boundaries within Antrim County. The small red sections denote territory of the Grand Traverse Indian Reservation.

Villages

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Civil townships

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Census-designated places

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Unincorporated communities

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Ghost towns

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Indian reservations

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Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1860179—
18701,9851,008.9%
18805,237163.8%
189010,41398.8%
190016,56859.1%
191015,692−5.3%
192011,543−26.4%
19309,979−13.5%
194010,9649.9%
195010,721−2.2%
196010,373−3.2%
197012,61221.6%
198016,19428.4%
199018,18512.3%
200023,11027.1%
201023,5802.0%
202023,431−0.6%
2023 (est.)24,409[16]4.2%
US Decennial Census[17]
1790-1960[18] 1900-1990[19]
1990-2000[20] 2010-2018[2]

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 23,580 people, 9,890 households, and 6,925 families in the county. By 2020, its population was 23,431.

Government

[edit]

Antrim County has been reliably Republican since its organization. Since 1884 its voters have selected the Republican Party nominee in 94% (33 of 35) of the national elections through 2020.

United States presidential election results for Antrim County, Michigan[21]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 9,748 61.03% 5,960 37.32% 264 1.65%
2016 8,469 61.97% 4,448 32.55% 750 5.49%
2012 7,917 60.00% 5,107 38.70% 171 1.30%
2008 7,506 54.19% 6,079 43.89% 267 1.93%
2004 8,379 61.52% 5,072 37.24% 168 1.23%
2000 6,780 58.92% 4,329 37.62% 398 3.46%
1996 4,630 45.85% 4,226 41.85% 1,242 12.30%
1992 3,984 39.88% 3,431 34.34% 2,576 25.78%
1988 5,231 61.95% 3,159 37.41% 54 0.64%
1984 5,726 69.18% 2,507 30.29% 44 0.53%
1980 4,706 56.26% 2,909 34.78% 749 8.96%
1976 4,369 58.11% 3,032 40.33% 117 1.56%
1972 4,068 64.77% 2,000 31.84% 213 3.39%
1968 3,002 59.23% 1,690 33.35% 376 7.42%
1964 2,172 44.66% 2,684 55.19% 7 0.14%
1960 3,398 67.26% 1,647 32.60% 7 0.14%
1956 3,623 72.34% 1,376 27.48% 9 0.18%
1952 3,533 76.50% 1,046 22.65% 39 0.84%
1948 2,588 67.24% 1,129 29.33% 132 3.43%
1944 2,626 67.66% 1,206 31.07% 49 1.26%
1940 3,027 66.48% 1,497 32.88% 29 0.64%
1936 2,391 51.89% 2,032 44.10% 185 4.01%
1932 2,308 55.51% 1,686 40.55% 164 3.94%
1928 2,756 84.46% 484 14.83% 23 0.70%
1924 2,246 76.79% 371 12.68% 308 10.53%
1920 2,260 77.53% 518 17.77% 137 4.70%
1916 1,336 53.91% 932 37.61% 210 8.47%
1912 603 24.22% 450 18.07% 1,437 57.71%
1908 2,020 73.21% 574 20.80% 165 5.98%
1904 2,608 82.90% 436 13.86% 102 3.24%
1900 2,575 74.90% 729 21.20% 134 3.90%
1896 1,886 58.05% 1,228 37.80% 135 4.16%
1892 1,140 52.17% 814 37.25% 231 10.57%
1888 1,305 56.74% 881 38.30% 114 4.96%
1884 1,066 58.44% 721 39.53% 37 2.03%

Antrim County operates the County jail, maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, records deeds, mortgages, and vital records, administers public health regulations, and participates with the state in the provision of social services. The county board of commissioners controls the budget and has 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.

Elected officials

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(information as of September 2018)[22]

Education

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The Northwest Educational Services, based in Traverse City, services the students in the county along with those of Benzie, Grand Traverse, Leelanau, and Kalkaska. The intermediate school district offers regional special education services, early education and English learner programs, and technical career pathways for students of its districts.[23]

Antrim County is served by the following regular public school districts:[24][25]

Antrim County has the one private school, the Ebenezer Christian School (Christian).[26]

Transportation

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View of Torch Lake.
M-88 bridge over the Intermediate River in Bellaire.

State-maintained highways

[edit]
Downtown Elk Rapids.

County-designated highways

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  • C-38 serves as an easterly extension of M-88. The highway begins at US 131/M-66 in Mancelona, and continues east to Otsego County.
  • C-42 serves as a cutoff between US 131 at Alba and M-32 west of Gaylord in Otsego County.
  • C-48 is an east–west route in northwest Antrim County, connecting US 31 near Atwood to the village of Ellsworth and M-66 at East Jordan.
  • C-65 is a north–south route in northern Antrim County, connecting Ellsworth to US 31 in Charlevoix County.
  • C-73 is a short route in northeastern Antrim County, serving as a direct route between M-32 and M-75 near Boyne City.

Airports

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  • Antrim County Airport - county-owned public-use airport, northeast of Bellaire, for general aviation. One paved runway. No airline service.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Bibliography on Antrim County". Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University. Retrieved January 19, 2013.
  2. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". US Census Bureau. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. ^ Nace, Trevor. "Michigan's Torch Lake Looks Exactly Like The Caribbean Sea". Forbes. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  5. ^ Bingham, Emily (July 14, 2017). "Torch Lake is Michigan's own slice of the Caribbean". mlive. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  6. ^ "How Torch Lake Stores the Rainbow". Torch Conservation Center. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c Newberry Library. "Michigan: Individual County Chronologies". Atlas of County Historical Boundaries. Archived from the original on November 6, 2016. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  8. ^ George Dawson (1840). Acts of the Legislature of the State of Michigan Passed at the Annual Session of 1840. Detroit. pp. 196–200.
  9. ^ "migizi (na) | The Ojibwe People's Dictionary". ojibwe.lib.umn.edu. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  10. ^ "History in Grand Traverse County, Michigan". genealogytrails.com. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  11. ^ "History of Antrim County". Antrim County. Archived from the original on July 23, 2014. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
  12. ^ Historic marker in front of Bellaire courthouse
  13. ^ Columbia Lippincott Gazetter, 1952, p. 80
  14. ^ "How a County Clerk in Michigan Found Herself at the Center of Trump's Attempt to Overturn the Election". Time. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  15. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". US Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  16. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  17. ^ "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  18. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  19. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  20. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  21. ^ US Election Atlas
  22. ^ Antrim County website - Directory
  23. ^ "About us". Northwest Educational Services. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  24. ^ National Center for Education Statistics. "Search for Public School Data - Antrim County, MI". Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  25. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Antrim County, MI" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 22, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2022. - Text list
  26. ^ "Search for Private Schools - Antrim, MI". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Educational Sciences. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
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45°01′N 85°11′W / 45.01°N 85.18°W / 45.01; -85.18

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