Houghton County, Michigan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Houghton County
U.S. county
Houghton County Courthouse
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Michigan
Michigan's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Michigan
Founded	1843 (set off) 1845 (boundaries described) 1846 (organized) 1848 (re-organized)
Named for	Douglass Houghton
Seat	Houghton
Largest city	Houghton
Area
• Total	1,502 sq mi (3,890 km2)
• Land	1,009 sq mi (2,610 km2)
• Water	492 sq mi (1,270 km2)  33%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	37,361
• Density	36/sq mi (14/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	1st

Old specimen of native copper from Houghton County. Houghton County hosted a major copper-mining industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Houghton County (/ˈhoʊtən/; HOH-tən) is a county in the Upper Peninsula in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,361. The county seat and largest city is Houghton. Both the county and the city were named for Michigan State geologist and Detroit Mayor Douglass Houghton.

Houghton County is part of the Houghton Micropolitan Statistical Area, which also includes Keweenaw County, and was part of Copper Country during the mining boom of the latter half of the 19th century and the early part of the 20th century.

History

In 1843, the Upper Peninsula was divided into Mackinac, Chippewa, Marquette, Schoolcraft, Delta, and Ontonagon Counties. In 1845, Houghton County boundaries were defined, with areas partitioned from Marquette and Ontonagon Counties. The new county was named after Douglass Houghton, the new state's first State Geologist, who extensively explored the Upper Peninsula's mineralogy. The original boundaries of Houghton County included the future Keweenaw and Baraga Counties. In 1846, the county was organized into three townships: Eagle Harbor, Houghton, and L'Anse. Keweenaw County was set off from Houghton County in 1861 and Baraga County was set off in 1875.

Houghton County's history is heavily marked by immigration. At one of the peaks of its population, the 1910 census had 40.6% of its population of 88,098 as foreign-born, with 89.3% of the population being either foreign-born or having at one or both of their parents as foreign-born. 70.6% of all voters were foreign-born, and only 5.1% of voters were native-born with native parents. This amalgam of immigrants from dozens of countries created a unique culture, especially once population growth stopped, and the county shrank in population to its current numbers. Heavily representative among many ethnicities were the Finnish. The 1910 census listed 13.1% of the residents being Finnish-born (out of the 32.3% total of the residents listed as foreign-born). The 2010 census lists almost the same proportion (32.5%) of the population as having Finnish ancestors.

The Finlandia University in Hancock

Amid the Great Depression of the 1930s, a sharp increase in unemployment among workers in the mining and timber industries caused a pivot to potato production. For a brief time in the 1930s and 1940s, the region became a major exporter of potatoes within the United States.

In June 2018, a major flash flood caused sinkholes and washouts in the towns of Chassell, Houghton, Ripley, Lake Linden, and Hubbell.

Geography

Quincy Street in Hancock, Michigan

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 1,502 square miles (3,890 km²), of which 1,009 square miles (2,610 km²) is land and 492 square miles (1,270 km²) (33%) is water.

The Portage Lift Bridge crosses Portage Lake, connecting Hancock and Houghton, Michigan, by crossing over Portage Lake, which is part of the river and canal system that spans the peninsula. The Portage Lift Bridge is the world's heaviest and widest double-decked vertical lift bridge. Its center span "lifts" to provide 100 feet (30 m) of clearance for ships. Since rail traffic was discontinued in the Keweenaw, the lower deck accommodates snowmobile traffic in the winter. This is the only land-based link between the Keweenaw Peninsula's north and south sections, making it crucial to local transportation.

Major highways

• US 41 runs from the southeast corner of the county, north and northwest to Chassell and Houghton, then northeast to Copper Harbor.
• M-26 enters the western portion of county from Mass City and runs northeast through South Range and Houghton to intersect with US 41 at Keweenaw Park.
• M-28 runs east–west across lower portion of county, past Kenton and Sidnaw.
• M-38 runs east–west across center of county, past White, Nisula, and Alston.
• M-203 runs northwest from Houghton, then loops northeast and east to intersect with US 41.

Airport

• Prickett-Grooms Field (FAA LID: 6Y9) privately owned public-use general-aviation daytime-access airport at Sidnaw (since 1940s).
• Houghton County Memorial Airport (KCMX) between Hancock and Calumet (since 1948). General-aviation and limited commercial airline service.

Adjacent counties

• Keweenaw County, north
• Baraga County, east
• Iron County, south border (on Central Time Zone)
• Ontonagon County, west

National protected areas

• Keweenaw National Historical Park (part)
• Ottawa National Forest (part)

Climate

Communities

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

Cities

• Hancock
• Houghton (county seat)

Villages

• Calumet
• Copper City
• Lake Linden
• Laurium
• South Range

Charter townships

• Calumet Charter Township
• Portage Charter Township

Civil townships

Census-designated places

• Atlantic Mine
• Chassell
• Dodgeville
• Dollar Bay
• Hubbell
• Hurontown
• Painesdale
• Trimountain

Other unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, there were 37,361 people, 14,173 households and 8,117 families residing in the county. The population density was 37.0 inhabitants per square mile (14.29/km²). There were 18,807 housing units at an average density of 18.63 per square mile (7.19/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.9% White, 1.1% Black or African American, 0.8% Native American, 2.5% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 1.9% of the population.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 36,628 people, 14,232 households and 8,093 families residing in the county. The population density was 36.29 inhabitants per square mile (14.01/km²). There were 18,635 housing units at an average density of 18.46 per square mile (7.13/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.5% White, 2.9% Asian, 0.6% Native American, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.2% from other races and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 1.9% of the population. The biggest ancestry groups were Finnish at 32.5% of the population, German at 14.0%, French at 9.4%, English at 6.2% and Irish at 5.1%.

Of the 14,232 households 23.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.1% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.01.

The county population contained 20.6% under the age of 18, 20.6% from 18 to 24, 20.3% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 15% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.1 years. The population was 45.9% female and 54.1% male.

The median income for a household in the county was $34,625, and the median income for a family was $48,506. The per capita income for the county was $18,556. About 12.6% of families and 22.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.7% of people under the age of 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Houghton para niños