Marquette_County,_Michigan
Marquette County, Michigan
County in Michigan, United States
Marquette County (/mɑːrˈkɛt/ mar-KEHT) is a county located in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 66,017.[2] The county seat is Marquette.[3] The county is named for Father Marquette, a Jesuit missionary. It was set off in 1843 and organized in 1851.[1] Marquette County is the largest county in land area in Michigan, and the most populous county in the Upper Peninsula.
Marquette County | |
|---|---|
Marquette County Courthouse in Marquette | |
Location within the U.S. state of Michigan | |
Michigan's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 46°40′N 87°36′W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Michigan |
| Founded | March 9, 1843, organized 1851[1] |
| Named for | Jacques Marquette |
| Seat | Marquette |
| Largest city | Marquette |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3,425 sq mi (8,870 km2) |
| • Land | 1,808 sq mi (4,680 km2) |
| • Water | 1,616 sq mi (4,190 km2) 47% |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 66,017 |
| • Estimate (2023) | 66,999 |
| • Density | 37/sq mi (14/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Website | www |
Marquette County comprises the Marquette, MI micropolitan statistical area.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,425 square miles (8,870 km2), of which 1,808 square miles (4,680 km2) is land and 1,616 square miles (4,190 km2) (47%) is water.[4] It is the largest county in Michigan by land area and fourth-largest by total area.
The Huron Mountains are located in the county. To the north of the county is Lake Superior.
Adjacent counties
- Alger County, east
- Delta County, southeast
- Menominee County, south/CT Border
- Dickinson County, south/CT Border
- Iron County, southwest/CT Border
- Baraga County, west
- Houghton County, northwest
- Keweenaw County, north
National protected areas
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Cities
Civil townships
- Champion Township
- Chocolay Township (charter township)
- Ely Township
- Ewing Township
- Forsyth Township
- Humboldt Township
- Ishpeming Township
- Marquette Township (charter township)
- Michigamme Township
- Negaunee Township
- Powell Township
- Republic Township
- Richmond Township
- Sands Township
- Skandia Township
- Tilden Township
- Turin Township
- Wells Township
- West Branch Township
Census-designated places
Other unincorporated communities
- Alder
- Antlers
- Arnold
- Beaver Grove
- Birch
- Brookton Corners
- Carlshend
- Clarksburg
- Dukes
- Eagle Mills
- Empire Iron Mine
- Gordon
- Green Garden
- Greenwood
- Homeier
- Huron Mountain
- Lakewood
- Lawson
- Little Lake
- Maple Grove
- McFarland
- Midway Location
- National Mine
- North Lake
- Northland
- Sand River
- Selma
- Snowville
- South Greenwood
- South Republic
- Suomi Location
- Vick
- Witch Lake
Indian reservations
- The L'Anse Indian Reservation, which is primarily based in Baraga County to the west, has a small portion within Chocolay Township.
- The Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians, which is headquartered in Sault Ste. Marie in Chippewa County, occupies a very small piece of property within the city limits of Marquette.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 136 | — | |
| 1860 | 2,821 | 1,974.3% | |
| 1870 | 15,033 | 432.9% | |
| 1880 | 25,394 | 68.9% | |
| 1890 | 39,521 | 55.6% | |
| 1900 | 41,239 | 4.3% | |
| 1910 | 46,739 | 13.3% | |
| 1920 | 45,786 | −2.0% | |
| 1930 | 44,076 | −3.7% | |
| 1940 | 47,144 | 7.0% | |
| 1950 | 47,654 | 1.1% | |
| 1960 | 56,154 | 17.8% | |
| 1970 | 64,686 | 15.2% | |
| 1980 | 74,101 | 14.6% | |
| 1990 | 70,887 | −4.3% | |
| 2000 | 64,634 | −8.8% | |
| 2010 | 67,077 | 3.8% | |
| 2020 | 66,017 | −1.6% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 66,999 | [6] | 1.5% |
| US Decennial Census[7] 1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9] 1990-2000[10] 2010-2018[2] | |||
In 2020, the population of the county was 66,017.
Top employers
Last updated June 8, 2021.
According to the Lake Superior Community Partnership website,[11] the top employers in the county are:
|
| Public employer | # of employees |
|---|---|
| Northern Michigan University | 914 |
| Marquette Area Public Schools | 410 |
| Michigan Department of Corrections | 350 |
| County of Marquette | 251 |
| Negaunee Public Schools | 190 |
| D.J. Jacobetti Home for Veterans | 167 |
| City of Marquette | 185 |
| NICE Community School District | 163 |
| Gwinn Area Community Schools | 140 |
| Ishpeming Public Schools | 104 |
*Bolded values have been updated for 2021.
Northern Michigan University is a four-year university in Marquette. It was established in 1899.
School districts
Marquette County is divided into the following school districts:[12]
- Gwinn Area Community Schools
- Ishpeming Public School District
- Marquette Area Public Schools
- Negaunee Public Schools
- NICE Community School District
- Powell Township Schools
- Republic-Michigamme School District
There are ten historical markers in the county:[13]
- Cliffs Shaft Mine
- Dandelion Cottage
- Father Marquette Park
- First Steam Railroad in Upper Peninsula
- Ishpeming: Historic Ski Center
- Jackson Mine
- Marquette County Courthouse
- Marquette Iron Range
- Northern Michigan University
- Sam Cohodas Lodge / Sam Cohodas
Marquette County was reliably Republican following the American Civil War; its voters went Republican (or Republican-splinter) in every election from 1876 through 1932. However, that shifted in 1936; since then, the Republican nominee has carried the county in only five out of 22 elections through 2020, four of which were nationwide Republican landslides and the other had native Michigander Gerald Ford as the Republican nominee. At present, it has since become the only Democratic-leaning county in the Upper Peninsula.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2020 | 16,286 | 43.37% | 20,465 | 54.50% | 799 | 2.13% |
| 2016 | 14,646 | 44.09% | 16,042 | 48.29% | 2,530 | 7.62% |
| 2012 | 13,606 | 42.06% | 18,115 | 56.00% | 625 | 1.93% |
| 2008 | 12,906 | 38.80% | 19,635 | 59.03% | 719 | 2.16% |
| 2004 | 14,690 | 45.22% | 17,412 | 53.60% | 386 | 1.19% |
| 2000 | 12,577 | 43.10% | 15,503 | 53.13% | 1,099 | 3.77% |
| 1996 | 8,805 | 32.91% | 15,168 | 56.69% | 2,785 | 10.41% |
| 1992 | 9,665 | 30.56% | 16,038 | 50.71% | 5,926 | 18.74% |
| 1988 | 11,704 | 42.92% | 15,418 | 56.54% | 145 | 0.53% |
| 1984 | 14,196 | 49.98% | 14,074 | 49.55% | 132 | 0.46% |
| 1980 | 13,181 | 44.71% | 13,312 | 45.16% | 2,986 | 10.13% |
| 1976 | 12,984 | 49.34% | 12,837 | 48.78% | 494 | 1.88% |
| 1972 | 13,249 | 52.67% | 11,555 | 45.93% | 353 | 1.40% |
| 1968 | 8,960 | 42.68% | 11,199 | 53.34% | 836 | 3.98% |
| 1964 | 6,615 | 31.96% | 14,045 | 67.86% | 36 | 0.17% |
| 1960 | 10,690 | 48.77% | 11,177 | 51.00% | 50 | 0.23% |
| 1956 | 12,504 | 56.62% | 9,543 | 43.21% | 37 | 0.17% |
| 1952 | 11,618 | 53.65% | 9,949 | 45.94% | 88 | 0.41% |
| 1948 | 8,591 | 45.06% | 10,003 | 52.47% | 470 | 2.47% |
| 1944 | 8,163 | 40.93% | 11,707 | 58.70% | 74 | 0.37% |
| 1940 | 9,034 | 41.10% | 12,854 | 58.48% | 94 | 0.43% |
| 1936 | 7,607 | 38.33% | 11,994 | 60.44% | 243 | 1.22% |
| 1932 | 9,810 | 55.65% | 7,221 | 40.96% | 598 | 3.39% |
| 1928 | 10,879 | 68.81% | 4,716 | 29.83% | 216 | 1.37% |
| 1924 | 9,771 | 70.70% | 845 | 6.11% | 3,204 | 23.18% |
| 1920 | 9,233 | 70.46% | 3,012 | 22.99% | 858 | 6.55% |
| 1916 | 5,263 | 63.18% | 2,625 | 31.51% | 442 | 5.31% |
| 1912 | 2,603 | 33.28% | 997 | 12.75% | 4,222 | 53.98% |
| 1908 | 5,613 | 74.78% | 1,275 | 16.99% | 618 | 8.23% |
| 1904 | 5,654 | 82.94% | 785 | 11.52% | 378 | 5.54% |
| 1900 | 5,235 | 75.52% | 1,471 | 21.22% | 226 | 3.26% |
| 1896 | 5,111 | 70.11% | 1,980 | 27.16% | 199 | 2.73% |
| 1892 | 3,874 | 53.03% | 2,850 | 39.01% | 581 | 7.95% |
| 1888 | 4,512 | 65.76% | 2,105 | 30.68% | 244 | 3.56% |
| 1884 | 4,230 | 73.49% | 1,478 | 25.68% | 48 | 0.83% |
| 1880 | 2,434 | 65.08% | 1,271 | 33.98% | 35 | 0.94% |
| 1876 | 2,308 | 56.88% | 1,750 | 43.12% | 0 | 0.00% |
The county government operates Sawyer International Airport, the 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
- County Clerk: Linda Talsma[15]
- County Treasurer: Jacqueline Solomon[16]
- Drain Commissioner: P. Michael Farrell[17]
- Mine Inspector: Steve Bertucci[18]
- Prosecuting Attorney: Jenna M. Nelson[19]
- Register of Deeds: Aidan Mckindles[20]
- Sheriff: Gregory S. Zyburt[21]
Airports
- Sawyer International Airport, a county-owned public-use facility, twenty miles (32 km) south of Marquette on the site of K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base, which closed 29 years ago in 1995.
Transit
- MarqTran provides local transit services in and around Marquette.
- Indian Trails provides intercity bus service.
Major highways
In addition to the 169.42 miles (272.66 km) of state highways in the county, the Marquette County Road Commission maintains 283.85 miles (456.81 km) of primary county roads which include County Road 492 (CR 492), and 988.25 miles (1,590.43 km) of secondary county roads. The road commission provides maintenance such as snow removal under contract with the Michigan Department of Transportation for the state trunklines.[22] In 2010, the commission planned to build CR 595.[23] The project was canceled after the permit was denied by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and the project funding was diverted.[24]
- Clarke Historical Library. "Bibliography on Marquette County". Central Michigan University. Archived from the original on October 30, 2014. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
- "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
- "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
- "NASA Earth Observations Data Set Index". NASA. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
- "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
- "US Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
- "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on August 11, 2012. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
- "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 15, 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
- "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
- "2020/2021 Principal Employers – Marquette County". Lake Superior Community Partnership. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
- "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Marquette County, MI" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved February 13, 2024. - Text list
- "Michigan Historical Markers". michmarkers.com. Archived from the original on March 15, 2010. Retrieved April 3, 2008.
- Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Archived from the original on March 23, 2018. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
- "Linda Talsma, County Clerk". County of Marquette. n.d. Archived from the original on September 2, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
- "Marquette County Treasurer". County of Marquette. n.d. Archived from the original on September 2, 2018. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
- "Marquette County Drain Commissioner: P. Michael Farrell". County of Marquette. n.d. Archived from the original on September 2, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
- "Marquette County Mine Inspector". County of Marquette. n.d. Archived from the original on September 2, 2018. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
- "Prosecutor's Office". County of Marquette. n.d. Archived from the original on September 2, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
- "Carla L'Huillier, Register of Deeds". County of Marquette. n.d. Archived from the original on September 2, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
- "Welcome to the Sheriff's Office". County of Marquette. n.d. Archived from the original on September 2, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
- "Welcome to the Marquette County Road Commission". Marquette County Road Commission. 2009. Archived from the original on March 27, 2012. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
- McLaren, Noël (October 18, 2010). "County Road 595 Approved for Planning". Upper Michigan's Source. Negaunee, MI: WLUC-TV. Archived from the original on December 27, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
- Pepin, John (January 4, 2013). "CR 595 Project Killed". The Mining Journal. Marquette, MI. pp. 1A, 8A. ISSN 0898-4964. Archived from the original on April 29, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2013.