Marquette County is a
county in the
U.S. state of
Michigan. As of the
2000 census, the population was 64,634. The
county seat is
Marquette. Marquette County is the largest county in land area in Michigan, and the most populous county in the
Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Geography
The
Huron Mountains are located in the county. According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,425
square miles (8,871
km²), of which, 1,821 square miles (4,716 km²) of it is land and 1,604 square miles (4,155 km²) of it (46.83%) is water.
University
Northern Michigan University is a four-year university, established in 1899, located in Marquette, Michigan, on Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The school is home to over 9,000 students. Their TLC program, which is the largest in the country, gives every student an IBM thinkpad. NMU also has the world's largest wooden dome.
State trunkline highways
US Highways
Other Michigan state trunkline highways
Adjacent counties
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 64,634 people, 25,767 households, and 16,490 families residing in the county. The
population density was 36 people per square mile (14/km²). There were 32,877 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile (7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.12%
White, 1.32%
Black or
African American, 1.49%
Native American, 0.49%
Asian, 0.02%
Pacific Islander, 0.25% from
other races, and 1.31% from two or more races. 0.69% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race. 21.2% were of
Finnish, 12.0%
German, 10.6%
English, 9.0%
French, 8.1%
Italian, 6.6%
Irish and 6.0%
Swedish ancestry according to
Census 2000. 96.0% spoke
English, 1.5%
Finnish and 1.0%
Spanish as their first language.
There were 25,767 households out of which 28.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.30% were married couples living together, 8.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.00% were non-families. 28.90% 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 2.35 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the county the population was spread out with 21.40% under the age of 18, 13.60% from 18 to 24, 26.90% from 25 to 44, 24.60% from 45 to 64, and 13.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 100.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,548, and the median income for a family was $46,281. Males had a median income of $36,431 versus $23,609 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,070. About 6.00% of families and 10.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.20% of those under age 18 and 6.40% 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, 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.
Marquette County elected officials
(information as of September 2005)
Historical markers
There are ten historical markers in the County, namely:
- 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
Cities, villages, and townships
Cities
Villages
None
Unincorporated communities
Townships
See also
Further reading
References
External links