Otsego County, Michigan

Otsego County
U.S. county
Frank A. and Rae E. Harris Kramer House in Gaylord
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Michigan
Michigan's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 45°01′N 84°37′W / 45.02°N 84.61°W / 45.02; -84.61
Country	United States
State	Michigan
Founded	1840 (created) 1875 (organized)[1]
Seat	Gaylord
Largest city	Gaylord
Area
• Total	526 sq mi (1,360 km2)
• Land	514 sq mi (1,330 km2)
• Water	11 sq mi (30 km2)  2.1%%
Population
• Estimate  (2018)	24,665
• Density	47/sq mi (18/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	1st

Otsego County (/ˌɒtsiːɡoʊ/ 'aat-SEE-go') is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 24,164.^[2] The county seat is Gaylord.^[3] The county was founded in 1840 and organized in 1875.^[1]

Etymology[]

Otsego may be a Native American name meaning "place of the rock". However, an alternative theory is that it derives from a lake and a county in New York state, which are said to bear the name derived from a Mohawk Iroquoian word meaning either "clear water" or "meeting place."^[4] It may be a neologism coined by Henry Schoolcraft, who was a borrower of words and pieces of words from many languages (including Arabic, Greek, Latin, and various American Indian dialects).^[5] See List of Michigan county name etymologies.

History[]

A detail from A New Map of Michigan with its Canals, Roads & Distances (1842) by Henry Schenck Tanner, showing Otsego County as Okkuddo County, its name from 1840 to 1843. Several nearby counties are also shown with names that would later be changed.

The county was created in 1840 as Okkuddo County (meaning "sickly water," although the reason for using a name with such a negative meaning is lost). The name was changed to Otsego in 1843.^[6] It was organized in 1875.^[1]

Geography[]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 526 square miles (1,360 km²), of which 515 square miles (1,330 km²) is land and 11 square miles (28 km²) (2.1%) is water.^[7] It is the fifth-smallest county by total area in Michigan. Although it is located on Michigan's Lower Peninsula, Otsego County is considered to be part of Northern Michigan.

Otsego County has more than 370 lakes, mostly in the southern part of the county. Otsego Lake, is the county's largest, and has a surface area of 1,972 acres (7.98 km²). Other large lakes in the southern part of the county include Big Lake, Big Bear Lake, Buhl Lake, Crapo Lake, Dixon Lake, Douglas Lake, Guthrie Lake, Heart Lake, Lake Tecon, Manuka Lake, Opal Lake, Pencil Lake, and Turtle Lake. The larger lakes in the northern part of the county are Five Lakes, Hardwood Lake, Lake Twenty Seven, and Pickerel Lake. Many of these are so-called 'kettle lakes,' formed by the melting of blocks of glacial ice, left as the glacier retreated, which created a depression in the soil.^[6]

Glaciers shaped the area, creating a unique regional ecosystem. A large portion of the area is the Grayling outwash plain, a 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.^[8]

Headwaters of the Au Sable, Black, Manistee, Pigeon, and Sturgeon Rivers are in Otsego County. The Au Sable River watershed is the county's largest watershed.^[6]

Adjacent counties[]

Transportation[]

Major highways[]

• I-73 – planned to run concurrent with Interstate 75 up to the Canada–US border.
• I-75 – runs generally north–south through the west-central part of the county, passing Vanderbilt, Gaylord and Oak Grove.
• BL I-75 – loop route running through Gaylord. It follows the former route of US 27.
• M-32 – runs east–west through the county, linking East Jordan to the west and Alpena to the east.
• C-38
• C-42
• F-01
• F-38
• F-42
• F-44
• F-97

Other Routes[]

• Old US 27 serves as a scenic alternative to I-75.^[9]

Airport[]

Gaylord Regional Airport – on SW edge of Gaylord, owned and operated by Otsego County, is a General Utility Airport. It is listed as a tier one airport in all categories of the Michigan Airport System Plan.^[10][11]

Demographics[]

As of the 2000 United States Census,^[17] there were 23,301 people, 8,995 households, and 6,539 families residing in the county. The population density was 45 people per square mile (17/km²). There were 13,375 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile (10/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.51% White, 0.18% Black or African American, 0.62% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.15% from other races, and 1.16% from two or more races. 0.75% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 22.1% were of German, 17.6% Polish, 10.5% Irish, 9.9% English and 9.4% American ancestry. 96.8% spoke English and 1.3% Polish as their first language.

There were 8,995 households, out of which 34.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.40% were married couples living together, 8.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.30% were non-families. 22.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.00.

The county population contained 26.80% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 28.50% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 13.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 98.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $40,876, and the median income for a family was $46,628. Males had a median income of $34,413 versus $21,204 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,810. About 5.30% of families and 6.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.50% of those under age 18 and 7.10% of those age 65 or over.

Government[]

Otsego County voters have been reliably Republican from the start. They have selected the Republican Party nominee in 88% of national elections (30 of 34).

Political Culture[]

The county government operates 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[]

(information as of September 2005)

Media[]

The Gaylord Herald Times is the newspaper of record for Otsego County. It is published twice weekly, and is the oldest surviving business. It was founded in 1875, the year that the county was organized.^[20]

Communities[]

U.S. Census data map showing local municipal boundaries within Otsego County. Shaded areas represent incorporated cities.

City[]

• Gaylord (county seat)

Village[]

• Vanderbilt

Civil townships[]

Unincorporated communities[]

See also[]

• List of Michigan State Historic Sites in Otsego County, Michigan
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Otsego County, Michigan

References[]

External links[]

Coordinates: 45°01′N 84°37′W / 45.02°N 84.61°W / 45.02; -84.61