Isabella County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. According to the 2020 Census, the population was 64,394. The county seat is Mount Pleasant. The area was called Ojibiway Besse, which means "the place of the Ojibwa." Isabella County includes the Isabella Indian Reservation, where members of the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Nation live. The county is home to Central Michigan University.

History

Isabella County was established by the Michigan Territory legislature in 1831. However, for handling population, taxes, and legal matters, it was managed by nearby counties. The county’s land was taken from unorganized territory and part of Mackinac County, which had been a Territorial County since 1818.

The Michigan Territory became the state of Michigan in early 1837. By 1859, Isabella County had enough settlers and interest in self-government that the state legislature approved its creation. The county was named after Queen Isabella I of Castile, who, with her husband Ferdinand, supported Christopher Columbus’s journey to the Americas, as suggested by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, a U.S. Indian agent in the area.

Isabella County includes the Mount Pleasant, Michigan micropolitan statistical area in Mid-Michigan. The county contains the Isabella Indian Reservation, which covers 217.67 square miles (563.8 km²). This land is the primary area of the federally recognized Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Nation. Part of the county seat, Mount Pleasant, is located within the reservation.

Geography

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

• US 10 – goes through the northeast corner of the county. It starts at Clare and travels toward the east and south until it reaches the eastern edge of the county. It then leaves the county and goes to Coleman.
• US 127 – goes north to south through the eastern middle part of the county. It passes through Rosebush and Mt. Pleasant. It travels toward the southeast to Shepherd and then continues south into Gratiot County.
• M-20 – goes east to west through the lower middle part of the county. It comes into the county from Remus and ends at Mt. Pleasant.
• (proposed) – I-73 – the proposed I-73 project in Michigan is not currently active.

Demographics

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 64,394. The average age of residents was 31.7 years. Nineteen point two percent of residents were under the age of 18, and 14.8% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 95.7 males, and for every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 93.4 males.

The racial makeup of the county was 84.1% White, 3.3% Black or African American, 3.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7% Asian, less than 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.2% from some other race, and 6.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race made up 4.7% of the population.

Forty-seven point seven percent of residents lived in urban areas, while 52.3% lived in rural areas.

There were 25,191 households in the county. Twenty-six point two percent of these households had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 40.0% were married-couple households, 23.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 28,489 housing units, of which 11.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 60.1% were owner-occupied and 39.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5%, and the rental vacancy rate was 10.0%.

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 (42 people per square kilometer). There were 24,528 housing units at an average density of 43 per square mile (17 per square kilometer). 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. Two point two four percent of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Twenty-eight percent were of German ancestry, 10.1% English, 10.0% Irish, 7.5% American, and 6.0% Polish. Ninety-five point nine percent spoke English as their first language, and 1.6% spoke Spanish.

There were 22,425 households, 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. Twenty-three point eight percent 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 included 20.30% under the age of 18, 29.40% aged 18 to 24, 23.80% aged 25 to 44, 17.40% aged 45 to 64, and 9.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The average age was 25 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.40 males. For every 100 females aged 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, while females had a median income of $24,180. The per capita income for the county was $16,242. Seven point four percent 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 aged 65 or over.

Government

The county government runs the jail, takes care of rural roads, manages major local courts, keeps records of deeds, mortgages, and important documents like births and deaths, enforces public health rules, and works with the state to provide social services. The county board of commissioners is in charge of the budget and can create some laws or rules, but not many. In Michigan, most local government tasks, such as police and fire services, building and zoning rules, tax assessments, and street repairs, are handled by individual cities and townships.

Communities

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

• Lake Isabella
• Rosebush
• Shepherd

• Union Charter Township

• Beal City
• Loomis
• Weidman
• Winn

• Isabella Indian Reservation

Education

The Gratiot–Isabella Regional Education Service District, located in Ithaca, helps students in the county. This regional education district provides special education services, early education programs, and career training for students in its areas.

Isabella County is served by these regular public school districts:
• Beal City Public Schools
• Mt. Pleasant City School District
• Shepherd Public Schools

The county also includes these independent charter districts:
• Flextech High School – Shepherd
• Renaissance Public School Academy

Isabella County has these private schools:
• Sacred Heart Academy (Roman Catholic)
• Saginaw Chippewa Academy (Nonsectarian)
• St. Joseph the Worker School (Roman Catholic)
• White Pine Montessori Children's Center (Montessori method)