Isabella County, Michigan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Isabella County
U.S. county
St. John's Episcopal Church in Mount Pleasant
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Michigan
Michigan's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Michigan
Founded	1831 (created) 1859 (organized)
Named for	Queen Isabella I of Castile
Seat	Mount Pleasant
Largest city	Mount Pleasant
Area
• Total	578 sq mi (1,500 km2)
• Land	573 sq mi (1,480 km2)
• Water	5.0 sq mi (13 km2)  0.9%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	64,394
• Density	124/sq mi (48/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	4th

Isabella County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 64,394. Its county seat is Mount Pleasant. The area was known as Ojibiway Besse, meaning "the place of the Ojibwa" (known as the Chippewa in the United States).

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 578 square miles (1,500 km²), of which 573 square miles (1,480 km²) is land and 5.0 square miles (13 km²) (0.9%) is water.

Highways

• I-73 (future)
• US 10
• 
  Bus. US 10
• US 127
• 
  Bus. US 127
• 
  Bus. US 127
• M-20

Adjacent counties

• Clare County (north)
• Midland County (east)
• Gratiot County (southeast)
• Montcalm County (southwest)
• Mecosta County (west)

Demographics

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 63,351 people, 22,425 households, and 13,006 families residing in the county. The population density was 110 people per square mile (43/km²). There were 24,528 housing units at an average density of 43 per square mile (16/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.51% White, 2.75% Native American, 1.93% Black or African American, 1.40% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.68% from other races, and 1.68% from two or more races. 2.24% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 28.0% were of German, 10.1% English, 10.0% Irish, 7.5% American and 6.0% Polish ancestry, 95.9% spoke English and 1.6% Spanish as their first language.

There were 22,425 households, out of which 28.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.40% were married couples living together, 8.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.00% were non-families. 23.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.03.

The county population contained 20.30% under the age of 18, 29.40% from 18 to 24, 23.80% from 25 to 44, 17.40% from 45 to 64, and 9.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females there were 91.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $34,262, and the median income for a family was $45,953. Males had a median income of $32,270 versus $24,180 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,242. 7.40% of families and 20.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.30% of those under age 18 and 7.80% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Clare (part)
• Mount Pleasant (county seat)

Villages

• Rosebush
• Shepherd
• Lake Isabella

Census-designated places

• Beal City
• Loomis
• Weidman

Other unincorporated communities

• Blanchard
• Sherman City

Townships

Images for kids

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

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  Isabella Indian Reservation with underlying local boundaries