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Barry County, Michigan facts for kids

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Barry County
U.S. county
Barry County Courthouse
Barry County Courthouse
Map of Michigan highlighting Barry County
Location within the U.S. state of Michigan
Map of the United States highlighting Michigan
Michigan's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Michigan
Founded April 29, 1829 (established)
March 15, 1839 (organized)
Named for William Taylor Barry
Seat Hastings
Largest city Hastings
Area
 • Total 577 sq mi (1,490 km2)
 • Land 553 sq mi (1,430 km2)
 • Water 24 sq mi (60 km2)  4.2%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 62,423
 • Estimate 
(2023)
 63,808 Increase
 • Density 108.19/sq mi (41.77/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 2nd
Website https://www.barrycounty.org/

Barry County is a county located in the state of Michigan, USA. In 2020, about 62,423 people lived there. Its main city, or 'county seat,' is Hastings.

History of Barry County

Long ago, before Michigan became a state, Native American tribes like the Potawatomi and Ojibwe lived in this area. Later, the U.S. government made agreements with these tribes. They gave up their lands in exchange for payments and smaller areas called reservations. The Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi still has a reservation nearby in Allegan County.

Barry County was officially created by the Michigan Territory government on April 29, 1829. It was named after William Taylor Barry, who was the United States Postmaster General at the time. He was one of ten people in President Andrew Jackson's cabinet who had Michigan counties named after them.

By 1839, Michigan had become a state. In that year, the state government officially organized Barry County as its own independent area.

In 1939, oil was discovered in Barry County. Other nearby counties also found oil between 1937 and 1972.

Geography of Barry County

Barry County covers a total area of about 577 square miles. Most of this, about 553 square miles, is land. The remaining 24 square miles, or 4.2%, is water.

Neighboring Counties

Barry County shares borders with several other counties:

Transportation in Barry County

Main Roads

Several important state highways pass through Barry County:

  • M-37 runs from the northwest part of the county through Hastings and then south.
  • M-43 enters from Kalamazoo and goes through Delton, Hastings, and Carlton.
  • M-50 touches the northeast tip of the county near Woodbury.
  • M-66 enters from Calhoun County in the southeast and goes north through Nashville.
  • M-78 crosses the very southeastern tip of the county.
  • M-79 runs west from Nashville to Hastings.
  • M-89 crosses the southwestern tip of the county.
  • M-179 enters the western part of the county and goes east to Hastings.

Railroads

In the past, Barry County had several smaller railroads. Today, there are no active railroads for public use. Only a short two-mile section, owned by CSX Transportation, remains in the northeastern part of Woodland Township.

People of Barry County (Demographics)

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1840 1,078 —
1850 5,072 370.5%
1860 13,858 173.2%
1870 22,199 60.2%
1880 25,317 14.0%
1890 23,783 −6.1%
1900 22,514 −5.3%
1910 22,633 0.5%
1920 21,383 −5.5%
1930 20,928 −2.1%
1940 22,613 8.1%
1950 26,183 15.8%
1960 31,738 21.2%
1970 38,166 20.3%
1980 45,781 20.0%
1990 50,057 9.3%
2000 56,755 13.4%
2010 59,173 4.3%
2020 62,423 5.5%
2023 (est.) 63,808 7.8%
US Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2018
Barry County, Michigan – Racial and ethnic composition (NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 2010 Pop 2020 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 56,487 56,779 95.46% 90.96%
Black or African American alone (NH) 205 295 0.35% 0.47%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 251 221 0.42% 0.35%
Asian alone (NH) 212 245 0.36% 0.39%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 5 15 0.01% 0.02%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 25 198 0.04% 0.32%
Mixed Race or Multiracial (NH) 652 2,528 1.10% 4.05%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 1,336 2,142 2.26% 3.43%
Total 59,173 62,423 100.00% 100.00%

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

In 2010, there were 59,173 people living in Barry County. Most people (96.9%) were White. Smaller groups included Native American (0.5%), Black or African American (0.4%), and Asian (0.4%). About 2.3% of the people were Hispanic or Latino.

Many residents have family backgrounds from different countries. In 2010, common ancestries included German (19.8%), American (13.5%), English (12.1%), Dutch (11.2%), and Irish (8.1%). Most people (98.2%) spoke only English at home.

In 2000, there were 56,755 people in the county. The average family size was about 3 people. About 35.2% of households had children under 18 living with them. The median age was 37 years old.

The median income for a household in the county was $46,820. This means half of the households earned more than this amount, and half earned less. About 5.5% of the population lived below the poverty line.

Education in Barry County

Barry County has several public and private schools. Some areas also have community college extensions.

  • Hastings: Has 7 public schools, 2 private schools, and an extension of Kellogg Community College.
  • Delton: Has 3 public schools and 3 private schools.
  • Middleville: Has 5 public schools.

Sports and Arts in Barry County

Sports

Barry County is home to the yearly Barry-Roubaix cycling race. This event attracts many cyclists.

Arts and Culture

Each summer, the Barry County Artists Exhibition takes place. It shows off the talents of local artists.

Communities in Barry County

Cities

  • Hastings (This is the county seat, meaning it's the main city where the county government is located.)

Villages

Census-Designated Places (CDPs)

These are areas that are like towns but are not officially incorporated as cities or villages.

Unincorporated Communities

These are smaller communities that are not officially part of a city or village.

Townships

Townships are smaller local government areas within the county.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Barry (Míchigan) para niños

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