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Ottawa County, Michigan facts for kids

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Ottawa County
U.S. county
Ottawa County Courthouse in Grand Haven
Ottawa County Courthouse in Grand Haven
Official logo of Ottawa County
Logo
Map of Michigan highlighting Ottawa 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 1831 (authorized)
1837 (organized)
Named for Ottawa Nation
Seat Grand Haven
Largest city Holland
Area
 • Total 1,631 sq mi (4,220 km2)
 • Land 563 sq mi (1,460 km2)
 • Water 1,068 sq mi (2,770 km2)  65%%
Population
 • Estimate 
(2022)
 300,873
 • Density 526/sq mi (203/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Area code 616
Congressional districts 2nd, 3rd, 4th

Ottawa County (pronounced OT-uh-wuh) is a county in the state of Michigan. A county is like a smaller region within a state. In 2020, about 296,200 people lived here. The main town, or county seat, is Grand Haven.

The county is named after the Ottawa Nation, a Native American tribe. It was officially created in 1831 and started to be organized in 1837. Ottawa County is part of the larger Grand Rapids area. Many people in the county have Dutch family backgrounds.

History of Ottawa County

For hundreds of years before European settlers arrived, the Potawatomi and Ottawa Native American people lived in this area. The Grand River was a very important waterway. It was used for trade and travel deep into Michigan. We know a lot about the Native American presence in Ottawa County from old items found at places like the Battle Point Site. These items help us understand their way of life.

European-American settlement began with French fur traders. A trading post called Gabagouache was set up by Madeline La Framboise and her husband Joseph. They traded animal furs with Native Americans.

The first person to settle permanently in the county was a minister named William Montague Ferry. He came to Grand Haven in 1834. Grand Haven quickly became a busy port for ships and trade. William Montague Ferry is often called the "father" of Ottawa County because of his important role.

In 1847, many Dutch settlers started to arrive. They were led by Albertus van Raalte. These Dutch settlers moved into the area around what is now the city of Holland. This land was already home to many Odawa (Ottawa) people and the Old Wing Mission. Within a few years, the new Dutch settlers took over the land. This caused the Ottawa people and the Old Wing Mission to move away.

Geography of Ottawa County

Ottawa County covers a total area of about 1,631 square miles. Most of this area, about 1,068 square miles (65%), is water. The land area is about 563 square miles.

Bodies of Water

Ottawa County has many important rivers and lakes:

Neighboring Counties

Ottawa County shares borders with other counties: By land

By water

Main Roads

Several major highways run through Ottawa County, connecting different towns and cities:

  • A-37
  • B-31
  • B-35
  • B-72
  • BL I-196
  • I-196
  • I-96
  • M-104
  • M-11
  • M-121
  • M-231
  • M-45
  • M-6
  • US 31

People of Ottawa County

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1840 208 —
1850 5,587 2,586.1%
1860 13,215 136.5%
1870 26,651 101.7%
1880 33,126 24.3%
1890 35,358 6.7%
1900 39,667 12.2%
1910 45,301 14.2%
1920 47,660 5.2%
1930 54,858 15.1%
1940 59,660 8.8%
1950 73,751 23.6%
1960 98,719 33.9%
1970 128,181 29.8%
1980 157,174 22.6%
1990 187,768 19.5%
2000 238,314 26.9%
2010 263,801 10.7%
2020 296,200 12.3%
2023 (est.) 303,372 15.0%
sources 1840-2022

In 2020, there were 296,203 people living in Ottawa County. Most people were White (82.9%). Other groups included Black or African American (2.1%), Asian (2.9%), Native American (0.6%), and people of two or more races (2.2%). About 10.5% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

Many people in Ottawa County have family roots from different countries. In 2010, about 31% of people had Dutch ancestry. Other common backgrounds included German (14.2%), English (5.8%), and Irish (5.7%).

During the summer, many people come to Ottawa County for vacations. Areas like Port Sheldon Township have many lakefront homes. These are popular summer spots for people from larger cities like Grand Rapids, Detroit, and Chicago.

Ottawa County is known for being a healthy place to live. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has ranked it as Michigan's second-healthiest county.

Religions in Ottawa County

Many different religious groups have churches and followers in Ottawa County:

Communities in Ottawa County

Ottawa County, MI census map
This map shows the different cities and towns within Ottawa County. The darker areas are incorporated cities.

Ottawa County has several cities, a village, and many townships and smaller communities.

Cities

Village

  • Spring Lake

Charter Townships

Civil Townships

Census-Designated Places

These are areas that are not officially cities or villages but are recognized for census purposes:

Other Smaller Communities

These are smaller, unincorporated places within the county:

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Ottawa (Míchigan) para niños

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