Mason County, Michigan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mason County
U.S. county
Mason County Courthouse in Ludington
Location within the U.S. state of Michigan
Michigan's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Michigan
Founded	1840 (founded as Notipekago) 1855 (organized)
Named for	Stevens T. Mason
Seat	Ludington
Largest city	Ludington
Area
• Total	1,242 sq mi (3,220 km2)
• Land	495 sq mi (1,280 km2)
• Water	747 sq mi (1,930 km2)  60%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	29,052
• Density	58/sq mi (22/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	2nd

Mason County is a place in Michigan, a state in the United States. In 2020, about 29,052 people lived there. The main town, or county seat, is Ludington.

Mason County is part of what's called the Ludington, MI Micropolitan Statistical Area. This just means it's an area with a city (Ludington) and nearby towns that are closely connected.

History of Mason County

A map from 1842 showing Mason County as "Notipeskago." This was an early name for the county.

Mason County is named after Stevens T. Mason. He was the Governor of Michigan from 1835 to 1840. The Michigan Legislature created the county in 1840. Its first name was Notipekago County.

Then, in 1843, its name was changed to Mason County. Before 1855, another county, Ottawa County, helped manage Mason County. This was until Mason County set up its own local government.

Geography and Nature

The United States Census Bureau says Mason County covers a total area of 1,242 square miles. About 495 square miles of this is land. The other 747 square miles (which is 60%) is water.

Main Roads in Mason County

• US 10: This road goes east–west through the middle of the county. It connects Ludington, Amber, Scottville, Custer, and Branch.
• US 31: This road enters Mason County near its southwest corner. It goes north and meets US-10 near Ludington. For about 5 miles, it runs along with US-10. Then it continues north and leaves the county near its northwest corner.
• M-116: This road goes northwest from Ludington. It follows the shoreline of Lake Michigan to Ludington State Park.
• US-Bus 31: This is a special road that runs east of Ludington.

Bicycle Routes

• USBR 35: This bike route comes into Mason County from Pentwater. It shares part of its path with USBR 20. Then it goes north into Manistee County.
• USBR 20: This bike route starts near the SS Badger ferry, which is on US 10. It also shares part of its path with USBR 35. It goes through Freesoil and then east into Lake County. This route continues east for about 310 miles to Marine City.

Neighboring Counties

Mason County shares borders with other counties.

• By land:
  • Manistee County to the north
  • Lake County to the east
  • Newaygo County to the southeast
  • Oceana County to the south

• By water:
  • Sheboygan County, Wisconsin to the southwest
  • Manitowoc County, Wisconsin to the west

Protected Natural Areas

Part of the Manistee National Forest is located in Mason County. This is a large protected area of forests and natural spaces.

People of Mason County

In 2000, there were 28,274 people living in Mason County. These people lived in 11,406 households. About 7,881 of these were families. The county had about 57 people per square mile.

Most people in the county (about 95.84%) were White. Other groups included Black or African American (0.73%), Native American (0.78%), and Asian (0.28%). About 3.01% of the people were Hispanic or Latino.

Many people in Mason County have German (24.5%), Polish (10.4%), English (8.8%), or Irish (8.5%) family backgrounds. Most people (96.0%) spoke only English at home.

The average household had 2.43 people. The average family had 2.92 people. About 24.20% of the population was under 18 years old. About 16.80% were 65 years or older. The average age in the county was 40 years.

Communities in Mason County

A map showing the towns and cities within Mason County. Shaded areas are incorporated cities.

Mason County has several different types of communities.

Cities

• Ludington (This is the main town, or county seat)
• Scottville

Villages

• Custer
• Fountain
• Free Soil

Charter Township

• Pere Marquette Charter Township

Civil Townships

Unincorporated Communities

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

• Branch (partially)
• Chapple Corners
• Fairview
• Fern
• Ferryville
• Tallman
• Walhalla

Native American Reservation

The Little River Band of Ottawa Indians is a recognized Odawa Native American tribe. They have a small reservation of about 740 acres within Custer Township. They also have another reservation in Brown Township, just north in Manistee County.

Education in Mason County

The West Shore Educational Service District is based in Ludington. It helps school districts in Mason County, as well as those in Lake and Oceana counties. This district offers special education, general education services, and technical career programs for students.

Mason County has several public school districts:

• Ludington Area School District
• Mason County Central Schools
• Mason County Eastern Schools

The county also has one charter school:

• Gateway to Success Academy

Mason County has the following private schools:

• Covenant Christian School (a Christian school)
• Ludington Area Catholic School (a Catholic school)

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Mason (Míchigan) para niños