kids encyclopedia robot

Eaton County, Michigan facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Eaton County
U.S. county
Eaton County Courthouse
Eaton County Courthouse
Official seal of Eaton County
Seal
Map of Michigan highlighting Eaton 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 1837
Named for John Eaton
Seat Charlotte
Largest city Charlotte
Area
 • Total 579 sq mi (1,500 km2)
 • Land 575 sq mi (1,490 km2)
 • Water 4.3 sq mi (11 km2)  0.7%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 109,175
 • Estimate 
(2023)
 108,820 Decrease
 • Density 188.56/sq mi (72.80/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts 2nd, 7th

Eaton County is a county in the state of Michigan. It's like a special area within the state. In 2020, about 109,175 people lived here. The main city, or county seat, is Charlotte.

Eaton County was officially started in 1837. It was named after John Eaton. He was an important person who worked for U.S. President Andrew Jackson. Because of this, Eaton County is one of Michigan's "Cabinet counties." Eaton County is part of the larger Lansing-East Lansing area in Central Michigan.

History of Eaton County

Eaton County was created in 1837 from land that wasn't yet part of any county. It got its name from John H. Eaton, who was the Secretary of War for President Andrew Jackson. This is why it's called one of the "Cabinet counties."

The idea for Eaton County began on October 29, 1829. The Michigan government decided where the county's borders would be. They named it after General John H. Eaton. At first, Eaton County was connected to other counties for rules and laws. For example, it was part of St. Joseph County for a short time.

Later, in 1830, it was linked to Kalamazoo County. Then, in 1835, it became a township called "Belleville." The first town meeting was supposed to be held in Eaton County. But at that time, no white settlers lived there!

By 1837, Michigan became a state. On December 29, 1837, Eaton County officially became its own independent county. This meant it had all the same rights as other counties in Michigan.

The first organized township in the county was called "Belleville." However, it was often called "Bellevue" in official papers. Even though the name might have changed, "Bellevue" is what people used.

In 1837, the town of Bellevue was divided. Two new townships were formed: Eaton and Vermontville. Vermontville included the northwest part of the county. Eaton township covered the southeast part. The rest of the county was still part of Bellevue. But in 1838, the northeast part was separated and became the town of Oneida.

In 1832, a surveyor named George W. Barnes bought land in the middle of Eaton County. This land is now part of Charlotte. He asked the governor to choose a county seat. In 1833, a group of people picked Barnes's land as the county seat. They chose a beautiful flat area near Battle Creek.

Geography of Eaton County

Eaton County covers about 579 square miles. Most of this is land (575 square miles). A small part, about 4.3 square miles, is water.

Rivers in Eaton County

Lakes in Eaton County

Counties Next to Eaton County

Transportation in Eaton County

Main Roads

  • I-69
  • BL I-69
  • BL I-69
  • I-96
  • BL I-96
  • I-496
  • M-43
  • M-50
  • M-66
  • M-78
  • M-79
  • M-99
  • M-100
  • M-188

Airports in Eaton County

People of Eaton County (Demographics)

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1840 2,379 —
1850 7,058 196.7%
1860 16,476 133.4%
1870 25,171 52.8%
1880 31,225 24.1%
1890 32,094 2.8%
1900 31,668 −1.3%
1910 30,499 −3.7%
1920 29,377 −3.7%
1930 31,728 8.0%
1940 34,124 7.6%
1950 40,023 17.3%
1960 49,684 24.1%
1970 68,892 38.7%
1980 88,337 28.2%
1990 92,879 5.1%
2000 103,655 11.6%
2010 107,759 4.0%
2020 109,175 1.3%
2023 (est.) 108,820 1.0%
US Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2018

In 2010, about 107,759 people lived in Eaton County. Most people (87.8%) were White. About 6.3% were Black or African American. Around 1.7% were Asian. About 4.7% of the people were Hispanic or Latino.

Many people in the county have English (24.2%), German (22.9%), or Irish (9.3%) family backgrounds.

In 2000, the average age of people in the county was 36 years old. About 26.1% of the population was under 18.

Education in Eaton County

Here are some of the school districts in Eaton County:

  • Bellevue Community Schools, Bellevue
  • Charlotte Public Schools, Charlotte
  • Eaton Intermediate School District, Charlotte
  • Eaton Rapids Public Schools, Eaton Rapids
  • Grand Ledge Public Schools, Grand Ledge
  • Maple Valley Schools, Vermontville
  • Olivet Community Schools, Olivet
  • Oneida Township S/D #3, Oneida Township
  • Potterville Public Schools, Potterville
  • Roxand Township School District #12, Roxand Township
  • Waverly Community Schools, Delta Township

Some students who live in Eaton County go to schools in other counties:

  • Students from Dimondale might attend Holt Public Schools in Ingham County.
  • Students from Sunfield might attend Lakewood Public Schools in Ionia County.
  • A small part of Delta Township is served by Lansing Public Schools in Ingham County.

Communities in Eaton County

Cities

Villages

Special Place (Census-designated place)

Other Small Communities

Townships

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Eaton para niños

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Eaton County, Michigan Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.