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Ionia County, Michigan facts for kids

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Ionia County
U.S. county
Ionia County Courthouse in Ionia
Ionia County Courthouse in Ionia
Official seal of Ionia County
Seal
Map of Michigan highlighting Ionia 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 March 2, 1831 (created)
1837 (organized)
Named for Ionia
Seat Ionia
Largest city Ionia
Area
 • Total 580 sq mi (1,500 km2)
 • Land 571 sq mi (1,480 km2)
 • Water 8.7 sq mi (23 km2)  1.5%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 66,804
 • Density 112/sq mi (43/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 2nd

Ionia County (pronounced eye-OH-nyuh) is a cool place in the state of Michigan, USA. It's home to over 66,000 people, according to the 2020 census. The main town, or county seat, is called Ionia. The beautiful Ionia County Courthouse was designed by a famous architect named Claire Allen.

Ionia County is also part of the larger Grand Rapids-Kentwood area, which is a big group of cities and towns connected together.

History of Ionia County

Ionia County gets its name from Ionia, a very old and historic area in Greece. It was first created in 1831 and officially organized in 1837.

Geography of Ionia County

Ionia County covers a total area of about 580 square miles. Most of this area, about 571 square miles, is land. The rest, about 8.7 square miles, is water. That's about 1.5% of the county's total area.

Neighboring Counties

Ionia County shares its borders with several other counties:

Major Roads and Highways

Several important roads run through Ionia County, making it easy to travel around.

  • I-96 is a major freeway that goes from east to west right through the middle of Ionia County. You can use it to reach big cities like Grand Rapids to the west, and Lansing and Detroit to the east.
  • M-21 is another east-west highway that runs north of I-96. It goes right through the city of Ionia.
  • M-44 is an east-west highway in the northwest part of Ionia County. It helps you get to places like Belding.
  • M-50 is a highway in the southwest of Ionia County. It mostly runs east to west and passes through Lake Odessa.
  • M-66 is the main north-south road in Ionia County. It goes through the center of the county and right through downtown Ionia. M-66 is one of Michigan's longest state highways, stretching from the Indiana border all the way to Charlevoix on Lake Michigan.
  • M-91 is a highway in the northwest of Ionia County. It starts near M-44 in Belding and goes north towards Greenville.
  • US 16 was an old US Route that used to travel east-west in Ionia County. It's now known as Grand River Avenue. This old highway was replaced by I-96 in 1962.

People of Ionia County

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1840 1,923 —
1850 7,597 295.1%
1860 16,682 119.6%
1870 27,681 65.9%
1880 33,872 22.4%
1890 32,801 −3.2%
1900 34,329 4.7%
1910 33,550 −2.3%
1920 33,087 −1.4%
1930 35,093 6.1%
1940 35,710 1.8%
1950 38,158 6.9%
1960 43,132 13.0%
1970 45,848 6.3%
1980 51,815 13.0%
1990 57,024 10.1%
2000 61,518 7.9%
2010 63,905 3.9%
2020 66,804 4.5%
2023 (est.) 66,262 3.7%
US Decennial Census
1790–1960 1900–1990
1990–2000 2010–2018

In 2000, there were about 61,518 people living in Ionia County. The population density was about 107 people per square mile. Many families lived here, with about 38% of households having kids under 18.

The people in Ionia County come from many different backgrounds. Most residents speak English, but some also speak Spanish. The average age of people in the county was 33 years old.

Education in Ionia County

Ionia County has many public school districts that serve its students. These schools help kids learn and grow.

  • Belding Area Schools
  • Carson City-Crystal Area Schools
  • Central Montcalm Public Schools
  • Grand Ledge Public Schools
  • Greenville Public Schools
  • Ionia Public Schools
  • Lakewood Public Schools
  • Lowell Area Schools
  • Pewamo-Westphalia Community Schools
  • Portland Public Schools
  • Saranac Community Schools
  • Thornapple Kellogg Schools

Communities in Ionia County

Ionia County is made up of several different types of communities:

Cities

Villages

Townships

Unincorporated Communities

These are smaller communities that are not officially cities or villages.

See also

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

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