Emmet County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. According to the 2020 census, the population was 34,112, making it the second-most populous county in Northern Michigan (after Grand Traverse County). The county seat is Petoskey, which is also the largest city in the county.

Emmet County is located at the northern tip of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. It is bordered by Lake Michigan to the west and the Straits of Mackinac to the north. The rural areas of the county are home to many endangered species. The Odawa people have lived in the area for a long time, and today, the county is the home of the federally recognized Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians.

History

Odawa history records that Emmet County was once home to many indigenous people called the Mush-co-desh, which means "the prairie tribe." These people farmed and lived in a society that changed the land by turning woodland into prairie as they moved away from old fields that became grassy plains. Ottawa tradition says that they killed between forty and fifty thousand Mush-co-desh and forced the rest to leave the land after the Mush-co-desh insulted an Ottawa war group.

Before European settlers arrived, the Odawa were important because of their trading network across the Great Lakes area. The Odawa near L'Arbre Croche fished, hunted, and grew or gathered food such as corn, squash, onions, cucumbers, turnips, cabbages, melons, and wild strawberries. They traded food, bark, and canoes with the French at Mackinac Island, a major trading center where Lake Huron meets Lake Michigan. In exchange, they received items like clothing, glass, and beads. Their supplies, including dried fish, meat, and produce, helped fur traders work in the wilderness of the Great Lakes and the Upper Mississippi regions. This influence lasted into the 18th century, as French traders relied on the Odawa to transport furs from other tribes to the east. When French explorers first arrived in the area, they claimed it as part of New France, which is now part of Quebec province.

The Ottawa and Ojibwe tribes were the main groups living in this area, which stretched to Manitoulin Island and the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario, Canada. The French built Fort Michilimackinac around 1715. It was a trading post and the center of a multicultural settlement where many Native Americans from different tribes came to trade seasonally.

Pierre du Jaunay, a French Jesuit priest, worked as a missionary at Michilimackinac starting in 1735. From the Sainte-Anne log church, he served French and British residents, neighboring Native Americans, and visiting traders and explorers for nearly 30 years. He also spent time at the Saint-Ignace mission in Cross Village, where he had a farm. He was helped by several French priests and some Native American slaves.

During the Seven Years' War (1754–63), British and French forces, along with Native American allies, fought in North America. This war was called the French and Indian War in the British colonies. The British captured Fort Michilimackinac in 1761 and continued using it as a trading post. In 1763, Ojibwe warriors took the fort during Pontiac's Rebellion and held it for a year before the British reclaimed it. The British abandoned the wooden fort in 1781 after building the limestone Fort Mackinac on nearby Mackinac Island.

An Indian community near the lakeshore in the western part of the county continued to grow after the British left the fort. After the War of 1812, Mackinac Island and the area became part of the United States.

In the 1840s, Odawa villages lined the Lake Michigan shore from present-day Harbor Springs to Cross Village. In 1840, the Michigan Legislature passed a law to define the borders of northern counties. Tonedagana County, named after a Cross Village Odawa war chief, was created from Michilimackinac County but remained unorganized for judicial purposes. Most of the area was reserved for Native tribes by treaties with the U.S. government until 1875.

In 1843, the Michigan Legislature renamed Tonedagana County as Emmet County, after Robert Emmet. In 1847, a group of Mormons settled on Beaver Island and created a "kingdom" led by "King" James Jesse Strang. There were conflicts between Strang's followers and other settlers. Strang became a member of the Michigan State House of Representatives and pushed through a law in 1853 that expanded Emmet County to include nearby Lake Michigan islands and parts of Cheboygan County. This law also added the old Charlevoix County, which was unorganized, as a township of Emmet County. Because of Strang's influence, Mormons gained control of county government, leading many non-Mormon settlers to move away. In 1855, non-Mormons successfully got the legislature to reorganize Emmet County, moving the islands to Manitou County, which removed Mormons from county leadership.

In 1857, an election chose Little Traverse (now Harbor Springs) as the county seat. However, investors promoted Mackinaw City, and in 1858, the legislature made Mackinaw City the county seat. The Emmet County Board of Supervisors protested, and in 1861, the law was repealed as unconstitutional. In 1867, residents voted to move the county seat to Charlevoix, which was confirmed by a court in 1868. However, in 1869, Charlevoix County was split from Emmet County, leaving the county seat in another county. No official relocation was allowed, but Harbor Springs remained the unofficial county seat until 1902, when Petoskey was chosen as the official county seat in a vote.

Charlevoix Township was organized in 1853 and included all nine townships in the southern half of the county. In 1855, the legislature created four new townships:

• La Croix Township (later renamed Cross Village Township in 1875)
• Little Traverse Township (separated from Charlevoix Township)
• Bear Creek Township (separated from Charlevoix Township)
• Old Fort Mackinac (later absorbed into other townships)

In 1855, county supervisors also created Arbour Croche and Utopia townships. Arbour Croche was a misspelled version of the French L'Arbre Croche, the historic village later renamed Harbor Springs. The boundaries of Little Traverse and Bear Creek townships overlapped, and Arbour Croche was defined to match Little Traverse, excluding the overlapping area. Eventually, Arbour Croche was replaced by Little Traverse. Utopia Township was later absorbed into other townships.

In 1877, six more townships were organized:

• Bliss Township
• Friendship Township
• Littlefield Township
• Maple River Township

Geography

According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 882 square miles (2,280 km), of which 467 square miles (1,210 km) is land and 415 square miles (1,070 km) (47%) is water. The lower part of the county is part of Little Traverse Bay at the mouth of Bear River. Emmet County is part of Northern Michigan.

• Cheboygan County (to the east)
• Charlevoix County (to the south)

• Charlevoix County (to the west)
• Mackinac County (to the north; connected by the Mackinac Bridge)

Communities

• Harbor Springs
• Petoskey (county seat)

• Alanson
• Mackinaw City (partial)
• Pellston

• Burt Lake Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians
• Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians has reservations in at least 13 separate areas within Emmet County. These areas include parts of the city of Petoskey and the townships of Bear Creek, Bliss, Center, Little Traverse, McKinley, Readmond, Resort, Wawatam, and West Traverse.
• Mackinac Bands of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians

Demographics

As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 34,112. The median age was 47.3 years. Eighteen point three percent of residents were under 18 years old, and 24.6% were 65 years or older. For every 100 females, there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 95.3 males aged 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 89.6% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 3.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.6% from some other race, and 5.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race made up 1.7% of the population.

Thirty-six point nine percent of residents lived in urban areas, and 63.1% lived in rural areas.

There were 14,862 households in the county. Twenty-three point five percent of these households had children under 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.8% were married-couple households, 18.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.6% of all households included individuals living alone, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years or older.

There were 21,771 housing units in the county, of which 31.7% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 74.4% were owner-occupied, and 25.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1%, and the rental vacancy rate was 9.9%.

At the 2000 United States census, there were 31,437 people, 12,577 households, and 8,527 families in the county. The population density was 67 people per square mile (26 people per square kilometer). There were 18,554 housing units at an average density of 40 per square mile (15 per square kilometer).

In 2000, the racial makeup of the county was 94.33% White, 0.47% Black or African American, 3.11% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 1.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race made up 0.91% of the population. Twenty-three point six percent of residents were of German ancestry, 11.4% English, 11.3% Irish, 9.0% Polish, and 8.4% American. Ninety-six point nine percent spoke English as their first language, and 1.1% spoke Spanish.

There were 12,577 households in 2000. Thirty-one point seven percent of these households had children under 18 living with them. Fifty-five point nine percent were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. Twenty-six point nine percent of all households included individuals living alone, and 10% had someone living alone who was 65 years or older. The average household size was 2.44, and the average family size was 2.97.

The county population in 2000 included 25.3% under 18 years old, 7.1% aged 18 to 24, 28.1% aged 25 to 44, 25.2% aged 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.8 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 93.7 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the county was $40,222, and the median income for a family was $48,140. Males had a median income of $33,385, and females had a median income of $24,173. The per capita income for the county was $21,070. About 4.5% of families and 7.4% of the population lived below the poverty line. This included 7.3% of those under 18 years old and 7.8% of those aged 65 or older.

Government

Emmet County has mostly voted for the Republican Party over many years. Since 1876, voters in the county have chosen the Republican candidate in 79 percent (30 out of 38) of national elections. In 21 of the last 22 national elections (through 2024), the Republican candidate won the election in Emmet County.

Emmet County manages the county jail, maintains rural roads, runs the main local courts, keeps records of property transactions, important life events like births and deaths, enforces public health rules, and works with the state to provide social services. The county board of commissioners manages the budget and can create some laws or rules, but not many. In Michigan, most local government jobs like police and fire departments, building rules, taxes, and road repairs are handled by cities and townships.

• Prosecuting Attorney: James R. Linderman
• Sheriff: Peter A. Wallin
• County Clerk: Suzanne R. Kanine
• County Treasurer: Mary Mitchell
• Register of Deeds: Karen Cosens

(information as of December 2020)

Parks and recreation

Wilderness State Park covers an area of 10,512 acres (4,254 hectares) in Carp Lake township near Lake Michigan. A notable feature of the park is Waugoshance Point, which extends westward into the lake. Beyond the tip of the point, Temperance Island and Waugoshance Island are also part of the park. These areas are nesting places for the endangered piping plover.

The Headlands is a 550-acre park located west of Mackinaw City, Michigan, along Lake Michigan’s shore. The park includes woodlands, more than two miles of undeveloped shoreline, and many types of rare and endangered plants. Trails are available for hiking, bicycling, and cross-country skiing. In May 2011, the park received a special recognition as an International Dark Sky Park from the International Dark-Sky Association.

Economy

The economy of Emmet County, along with the rest of Northern Michigan, is helped by local businesses and manufacturing. Companies in Emmet County, such as those in the fields of space technology, gambling, and candy making, support the county's economy.

The Odawa Casino Resort in Resort Township is one of Emmet County's top attractions, as it is one of the many casinos in Northern Michigan. Along with the Odawa, the LTBB Gaming Administration in Petoskey is another casino in the area, employing 250 people. The Kilwins chocolate-manufacturing company is based in Petoskey, although over 100 locations of the store exist in 21 states, mostly in popular tourist areas. The company, founded in 1947 by Don and Katey Kilwin, makes ice cream, candy, chocolate, and fudge. McLaren Northern Michigan Hospital in Petoskey is one of the top employers in Emmet County, with 950 employees. Overall, six companies in Emmet County employ 200 or more people. Moeller Aerospace Technology in Harbor Springs makes various products. The Petoskey News-Review is a daily newspaper that has been in circulation since 1878. Its current name came from a merger with another newspaper company in 1953.

Transportation

I-75 is a north-south highway that passes through the far northeast corner of Emmet County in Mackinaw City. North of Emmet County, I-75 crosses the Straits of Mackinac using the Mackinac Bridge.

US 23 begins at I-75 in Mackinaw City. The highway continues east into Cheboygan County and runs south along the coast of Lake Huron.

US 31 is the main north-south highway in Emmet County. It connects the communities of Petoskey, Conway, Oden, Ponshewaing, Alanson, Pellston, Levering, and Mackinaw City. To the south, US 31 runs alongside the Lake Michigan coast.

US 131 starts at US 31 in Petoskey. South of Emmet County, US 131 serves as another north-south highway, following a route farther inland than US 31.

M-68 is an east-west highway. It begins at US 31 in Alanson and continues east through Indian River, Tower, and Onaway before ending at Rogers City on Lake Huron.

M-119 is a north-south highway entirely within Emmet County. It starts at an intersection with US 31 between Bay View and Conway, follows the shore of Little Traverse Bay and Lake Michigan through Harbor Springs, and ends at an intersection in Cross Village. The Tunnel of Trees is located along M-119.

Previously, another highway, M-108, ran along the Emmet-Cheboygan county line in Mackinaw City. However, the highway was returned to the Emmet County Road Commission in 2010.

C-58 is an east-west road that connects Petoskey to I-75 at Wolverine in Cheboygan County.
C-64 is an east-west road that connects Pellston to M-27 in Cheboygan County.
C-66 is an east-west road that connects M-119 in Cross Village to US 31 in Levering and US 23 in Cheboygan County.
C-71 is a north-south road that connects Horton Bay with US 31 near Bay Shore.
C-77 is a north-south road that serves central Emmet County, connecting Harbor Springs and Cross Village via a route farther inland than the one used by M-119.
C-81 exists in two north-south segments. One segment, in the southern part of Emmet County, connects the Walloon Lake area with Petoskey, running parallel to US 131. Another segment, in central Emmet County, connects Harbor Springs and Mackinaw City.

Indian Trails offers bus service between cities in Emmet County, with stops in Petoskey and Pellston.

Emmet County is served by Pellston Regional Airport, which provides connections to Detroit and other locations in Northern Michigan.