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 has 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 created by the Michigan Territory legislature in 1831. However, for population, revenue, and judicial matters, it was part of nearby counties. Its area was divided from unorganized territory and a portion of Mackinac, 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 organization. The county was named after Queen Isabella I of Castile, based on a suggestion by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, the U.S. Indian agent in the area. Queen Isabella and her husband, Ferdinand, supported Christopher Columbus’s journey to the New World.

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 reservation is the main land 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 km), of which 573 square miles (1,480 km) are land and 5.0 square miles (13 km) (0.9%) are water.

• US 10 – passes through the northeast corner of the county. It enters at Clare, runs east-southeast to the east county line, and exits toward Coleman.
• US 127 – runs north-south through the eastern central part of the county. It passes through Rosebush and Mt. Pleasant, runs southeast to Shepherd, and continues south into Gratiot County.
• M-20 – runs east-west across the lower central part of the county. It enters from Remus and ends at Mt. Pleasant.
• (proposed) – I-73 – the highway project in Michigan is currently inactive.

Demographics

In 2020, the county had a population of 64,394 people. The median age was 31.7 years. Nineteen point two percent of residents were younger than 18, and 14.8% were 65 years or older. For every 100 females, there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females aged 18 or older, there were 93.4 males.

The racial makeup of the county included 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 other races, 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 18 living in them. Forty percent were married-couple households, 23.1% had a male householder with no spouse or partner, and 28.2% had a female householder with no spouse or partner. About 30.6% of households included only one person, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 or older.

There were 28,489 housing units, of which 11.6% were vacant. Of the occupied units, 60.1% were owned by the residents, and 39.9% were rented. The vacancy rate for owner-occupied homes was 1.5%, and for rental homes, it was 10.0%.

In 2000, the county had 63,351 people, 22,425 households, and 13,006 families. 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 included 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 of residents had German ancestry, 10.1% English, 10% Irish, 7.5% American, and 6% 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 18 living with them. Forty-five point four percent were married couples, 8.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42% were non-families. Twenty-three point eight percent of households included only one person, and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.55, and the average family size was 3.03.

In 2000, 20.30% of the population was under 18, 29.40% were 18 to 24, 23.80% were 25 to 44, 17.40% were 45 to 64, and 9% were 65 or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.40 males. For every 100 females aged 18 or older, there were 88.60 males.

The median household income was $34,262, and the median family income was $45,953. Males had a median income of $32,270, and females had $24,180. The average income per person was $16,242. Seven point four percent of families and 20.4% of the population lived below the poverty line, including 11.3% of those under 18 and 7.8% of those 65 or older.

Government

The county government runs the jail, keeps rural roads in good condition, operates major local courts, keeps records of property ownership, loans, and important documents like birth and death certificates, handles public health rules, and works with the state to provide social services. The county board of commissioners manages the money and has some power to create rules. In Michigan, most tasks handled by local areas, such as police and fire services, building and land use rules, evaluating taxes, and fixing roads, are the responsibility of individual cities and townships.

Communities

• Clare (a part of the county)
• Mount Pleasant (the 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, serves students in the county. The district provides regional special education services, early education programs, and career training opportunities for students in its areas.

Isabella County has the following regular public school districts:
• Beal City Public Schools
• Mt. Pleasant City School District
• Shepherd Public Schools

The county also includes these independent charter schools:
• 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)