Keweenaw County, Michigan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Keweenaw County
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Keweenaw County Courthouse (built 1866) in Eagle River
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Location within the U.S. state of Michigan
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 Michigan's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Michigan |
| Founded | March 11, 1861 |
| Named for | Keweenaw Bay |
| Seat | Eagle River |
| Largest settlement | Mohawk (CDP) Ahmeek (village) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 5,966 sq mi (15,450 km2) |
| • Land | 540 sq mi (1,400 km2) |
| • Water | 5,426 sq mi (14,050 km2) 91% |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 2,046 |
| • Density | 4.0/sq mi (1.5/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
Keweenaw County (/ˈkiːwənɔː/, kee-wə-naw) is a county in the western Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 2,046, making it Michigan's least populous county. It is also the state's largest county by total area, including the waters of Lake Superior, as well as the state's northernmost county. The county seat is Eagle River.
Located at the northeastern end of the Keweenaw Peninsula, Keweenaw County is part of the Houghton, Michigan micropolitan area. Keweenaw County contains two National Park Service units: Isle Royale National Park and Keweenaw National Historical Park. The county is part of Michigan's Copper Country region, an area where copper mining was prevalent from the 1840s to the 1960s.
Contents
History
The county was set off and organized in 1861. It is believed "Keweenaw" is a corruption of an Ojibwe word that means "portage" or "place where portage is made"; compare the names of the nearby Portage Lake and Portage River which together make up the Keweenaw Waterway.
Geography
Two land masses comprise most of the land portion of the county: Isle Royale and the northeastern half of the Keweenaw Peninsula. The county also includes the waters of Lake Superior between the two, extending to the state's water borders with Ontario and Minnesota. It is thus the largest county in Michigan by total area, at 5,966 square miles (15,450 km2), of which just 540 square miles (1,400 km2) is land and 5,426 square miles (14,050 km2) (91%) is water. Of all counties (or equivalents) in the United States, Keweenaw County has the highest proportion of water area to total area.
The largest lake entirely within the county is Gratiot Lake at 1,438 acres (5.82 km2), located at the base of the county's two highest peaks: Mt. Horace Greeley at 1,550 feet (470 m) and Mt. Gratiot at 1,490 feet (450 m). Other lakes include Lac La Belle near Bete Grise Bay, Lake Medora, Lake Fanny Hooe near Copper Harbor, Lake Bailey at the base of Mt. Baldy, and Schlatter Lake at the tip of the peninsula.
By land, one can only access mainland Keweenaw County via Houghton County.
National protected area
Major highways
US 41 runs northeast–southwest through the upper center part of the mainland portion of the county. It enters the southern area of the county at Bumbletown passes Phoenix, Delaware, Mandan, Copper Harbor and terminates north of Lake Fanny Hooe.
M-26 loops from Phoenix to the shoreline of Lake Superior, then runs northeasterly along the shoreline to the intersection with US 41 at Copper Harbor.
Adjacent counties and district
Keweenaw County is the only county in Michigan to connect to the U.S. state of Minnesota via ferry service from Grand Portage to Windigo and Rock Harbor on Isle Royale.
By land
- Houghton County, south
By water
- Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada, north
- Alger County, east
- Marquette County, southeast
- Ontonagon County, southwest
- Cook County, Minnesota, northwest
Communities
Village
Census-designated places
- Copper Harbor
- Fulton
- Eagle Harbor
- Eagle River (county seat)
- Mohawk
Civil townships
- Allouez Township
- Eagle Harbor Township
- Grant Township
- Houghton Township
- Sherman Township
Defunct townships
- Copper Harbor Township
- Sibley Township
Other unincorporated communities
Ghost towns
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1870 | 4,205 | — | |
| 1880 | 4,270 | 1.5% | |
| 1890 | 2,894 | −32.2% | |
| 1900 | 3,217 | 11.2% | |
| 1910 | 7,156 | 122.4% | |
| 1920 | 6,322 | −11.7% | |
| 1930 | 5,076 | −19.7% | |
| 1940 | 4,004 | −21.1% | |
| 1950 | 2,918 | −27.1% | |
| 1960 | 2,417 | −17.2% | |
| 1970 | 2,264 | −6.3% | |
| 1980 | 1,963 | −13.3% | |
| 1990 | 1,701 | −13.3% | |
| 2000 | 2,301 | 35.3% | |
| 2010 | 2,156 | −6.3% | |
| 2020 | 2,046 | −5.1% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 2,172 | 0.7% | |
| US Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2018 |
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The 2010 United States census indicated Keweenaw County had a population of 2,156. This decrease of 145 people from the 2000 United States census represents a -6.3% change in population. In 2010 there were 1,013 households and 614 families in the county. The population density was 4 people per square mile (1.5 people/km2). There were 2,467 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile (1.5/km2). At the 2020 census, its population was 2,046.
At the 2010 census, 98.5% of the population were White, 0.1% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American and 1.2% of two or more races; a total of 0.7% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race); of them, 28.8% were of Finnish, 14.0% German, 9.0% English, 6.6% French, French Canadian or Cajun and 5.7% Irish ancestry. According to the 2022 census estimates, its racial and ethnic makeup was 97% non-Hispanic white, 0.3% Black or African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.2% Asian American, 2% multiracial, and 1.5% Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Through a 2020 survey by the Association of Religion Data Archives, Keweenaw County's religious population was predominantly Christian with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America as the largest Christian group for the area. Following, the Roman Catholic Church was the second-largest Christian group in the county.
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Keweenaw para niños
