Kalkaska County (/kælˈkæskə/) is in the U.S. state of Michigan. According to the 2020 census, the population was 17,939. The county seat is Kalkaska.

Kalkaska County is part of the Traverse City metropolitan area. Even though it is in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, Kalkaska County is considered part of Northern Michigan.

History

Kalkaska County was first called Wabassee County, named after the Ojibwe word "waabizii," which means "swan." It was split from Michilimackinac County in 1840 and later renamed Kalkaska County in 1843. In 1851, Kalkaska County was joined with Grand Traverse County for legal reasons. The first person to settle in Kalkaska County was William Copeland from England. He bought land in the northwest part of the county in 1855. Kalkaska County became its own organized county on January 27, 1871. At that time, Crawford County was temporarily joined with Kalkaska County for legal purposes.

The name "Kalkaska" was created by Henry Schoolcraft, a Michigan geographer and ethnologist. It is a made-up word that sounds like a Native American term. Some experts believe the name is a play on words. Schoolcraft's family name was once "Calcraft," and the letter "K" may have been added to make the name look more like a Native American word. Another possibility is that the name comes from a Chippewa word meaning "flat" or "burned-over country."

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 571 square miles (1,480 km²), of which 11 square miles (28 km²) (1.9%) are covered by water.

Kalkaska sand, the state soil of Michigan, was named after the county because large amounts of it were formed in the area by glaciers during the Ice Age.

Kalkaska County has over 80 lakes and 275 miles (443 km) of streams and rivers. Much of the county is marshland. The county’s elevation ranges from 595 feet (181 m) to about 1,246 feet (380 m). This makes it one of the more uneven counties in the Lower Peninsula.

The Pere Marquette State Forest covers much of the county. Glaciers shaped the area, creating a unique regional ecosystem. A large portion of the area is the Grayling outwash plain, a broad outwash plain including sandy ice-disintegration ridges, jack pine barrens, some white pine–red pine forest, and northern hardwood forest. Large lakes were created by glacial action.

• US 131 – runs northeast through the western part of the county. It enters 4 miles (6.4 km) north of the southwest corner and exits into Antrim County near the midpoint of the north county line.
• M-66 – runs north–south through the west-central part of the county. It passes through Kalkaska.
• M-72 – runs east and east-southeast through the middle portion of the county. It passes through Kalkaska.

Communities

• Kalkaska (county seat)
• Glade Township
• Wilson Township
• Bear Lake
• Manistee Lake
• Rapid City
• South Boardman

Demographics

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 17,939 people. The median age of residents was 45.7 years. Twenty percent of residents were younger than 18 years old, and 21.9% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 104.8 males, and for every 100 females aged 18 and older, there were 104.1 males aged 18 and older.

The racial composition of the county was 92.9% White, 0.2% Black or African American, 0.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, less than 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.7% from other races, and 5.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race made up 2.0% of the population.

Less than 0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100% lived in rural areas.

There were 7,438 households in the county. Twenty-five point five percent of these households had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.7% were married-couple households, 20.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 20.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.3% of all households included only one person, and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 11,570 housing units in the county, of which 35.7% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 83.8% were owned by the residents, and 16.2% were rented. The vacancy rate for owner-occupied homes was 1.7%, and the vacancy rate for rental homes was 10.7%.

At the 2010 United States census, there were 16,571 people, 6,428 households, and 4,634 families living in the county. The population density was 30 people per square mile (12 per square kilometer). There were 10,822 housing units, with an average density of 19 per square mile (7.3 per square kilometer).

In 2010, the racial composition of the county was 98.44% White, 0.21% Black or African American, 0.78% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.10% from other races, and 0.86% Hispanic or Latino of any race. Twenty-four point six percent of residents had German ancestry, 12.4% had English ancestry, 10.4% had Irish ancestry, 10.0% had American ancestry, 6.3% had Polish ancestry, and 5.1% had French ancestry. Ninety-eight point eight percent of residents spoke English as their first language.

Government

Voters in Kalkaska County have consistently chosen the Republican Party candidate in 86% of national elections (31 out of 36).

The county government is responsible for operating the jail, keeping rural roads in good condition, managing local courts, recording legal documents such as deeds and mortgages, handling public health rules, and helping provide social services with the state. The county board of commissioners decides how money is spent and has limited power to create laws or rules. In Michigan, most local government duties, such as police and fire services, building codes, tax assessments, and street repairs, are managed by individual cities and townships instead of the county.

Events

The National Trout Festival is an annual event that has been held every year since 1936 in April. It celebrates the heritage and values of Kalkaska, including sportsmanship.

Education

The Northwest Educational Services, located in Traverse City, helps students in the county and nearby areas, including Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, and Leelanau. This education district provides special education, early education, English learner support, and career training programs for students in these areas.

Kalkaska County is served by these regular public school districts:
• Excelsior Township School District #1
• Forest Area Community Schools
• Kalkaska Public Schools