Iosco County, Michigan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Iosco County
U.S. county
Tawas Point Light
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Michigan
Michigan's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Michigan
Founded	1840 (as "Kanotin") 1857 organized
Seat	Tawas City
Largest city	East Tawas
Area
• Total	1,890 sq mi (4,900 km2)
• Land	549 sq mi (1,420 km2)
• Water	1,341 sq mi (3,470 km2)  71%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	25,237
• Density	47/sq mi (18/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	1st

Iosco County (pronounced eye-OSS-koh) is a county in the state of Michigan. Its eastern side borders Lake Huron. In 2020, about 25,237 people lived there. The main government center, called the county seat, is Tawas City.

What Does "Iosco" Mean?

The name Iosco sounds like a Native American word meaning "water of light." However, it was actually made up by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft. He was an American geographer who worked with Native American tribes in Michigan in the late 1800s. He created many names for counties and towns as Michigan was becoming a state.

A Look Back: History of Iosco County

A map from 1842 showing Iosco County when it was called Kanotin. You can see other nearby counties that also had different names back then.

Iosco County was first created by Michigan's government in 1840. It was originally called Kanotin County. In 1843, its name was changed to Iosco County. For a while, other Michigan counties managed it. Then, in 1857, Iosco County set up its own local government.

Long ago, most people living here were from the Ojibwe tribe. The area was perfect for them, with tall white pine trees for shelter and plenty of food from the rivers and the lake. The land that became Iosco County was given to the U.S. government by the Ojibwe people. Later, when the lumber industry grew, many more people moved to the area to work with trees.

The Alabaster Gypsum Mine

South of Tawas City, there's a special place called the Alabaster Historic District. It's about 400 acres and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This area is famous for its gypsum mine, which is still working today. Gypsum is a mineral used to make things like drywall.

The mine started in 1862. It used to have its own train lines and a long tramway that stretched over Lake Huron. This tramway helped load gypsum onto ships. The gypsum from this mine was even used to build temporary buildings for the World's Fair in Chicago in 1893! Today, two companies still mine gypsum in Iosco County.

In 2009, people in Alabaster Township thought about using the old tramway platforms to build wind turbines. These turbines would create clean energy from the wind. They planned to study the wind using the platforms that go over 6,000 feet into the lake.

Exploring Iosco County's Geography

Iosco County covers a total area of about 1,890 square miles. Most of this area, about 1,341 square miles (71%), is water, mainly from Lake Huron. The land area is about 549 square miles. It's considered part of Northern Michigan.

Cool Places to See

Iosco County has many interesting natural spots and landmarks:

• Lumberman's Monument
• Canoer's Memorial
• 60 Lakes Area (near Hale)
• Iargo Springs
• Tawas Point Light House (first lit in 1853)
• Tawas Bay
• Pine River
• Au Sable River
• Van Etten Lake
• Tawas Lake
• Foote Dam Pond
• Au Sable State Forest (part of it)

Main Roads and Scenic Routes

• US 23 – This road is also known as the Sunrise Side Coastal Highway.
• M-55 – This highway starts in Tawas City.
• M-65
• F-41
• River Road National Scenic Byway – This beautiful road follows the Au Sable River for 23 miles. It passes by the Lumberman's Monument.

Neighboring Counties

Loud Dam on the Au Sable River in Au Sable Township.

Iosco County shares borders with these counties:

• By land:
  • Alcona County - to the north
  • Arenac County - to the southwest
  • Ogemaw County - to the west
  • Oscoda County - to the northwest
• By water:
  • Huron County - to the southeast

Protected Natural Areas

Part of the Huron National Forest is located in Iosco County.

Communities in Iosco County

A map showing cities and townships within Iosco County. Shaded areas are cities.

Cities

• East Tawas
• Tawas City (the county seat)
• Whittemore

Charter Townships

• Au Sable Charter Township
• Oscoda Charter Township

Civil Townships

Census-Designated Places (CDPs)

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

• Au Sable
• Oscoda
• Sand Lake

Other Unincorporated Communities

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

• Alabaster
• Foote Site Village
• Hale
• Long Lake
• National City
• South Branch

Who Lives in Iosco County? Demographics

In 2020, the population of Iosco County was 25,237 people. Most people live along the Lake Huron shoreline, especially in East Tawas, Tawas City, and Oscoda.

In 2000, about 97% of the people identified as White. Other groups included Black or African American, Native American, and Asian people. About 1% of the population was Hispanic or Latino. Many people in the county have German, English, Irish, or Polish family backgrounds. Most people in Iosco County speak English as their first language.

The average age of people in the county in 2000 was 44 years old. About 22% of the population was under 18, and 21% was 65 or older.

Learning in Iosco County: Education

Iosco County has several public school districts:

• Hale Area Schools
• Oscoda Area Schools
• Tawas Area Schools
• Whittemore-Prescott Area Schools

There are also three private elementary schools:

• Emanuel Lutheran School (Tawas City)
• Holy Family School (East Tawas)
• Shady Grove School (Whittemore)

For college, Alpena Community College offers classes at its campus in Oscoda. This campus is located at the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base.

News and Media

• The Iosco County News-Herald is the main newspaper for Iosco County.
• The Oscoda Press is a weekly newspaper that covers news in northern Iosco County and southern Alcona County.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Iosco para niños