Wikipedia

Washtenaw County, Michigan

"Washtenaw County" redirects here. For the US Navy landing ship, seeUSS Washtenaw County (LST-1166).

Washtenaw County(/ˈwɔːʃtənɔː/WAWSH-tə-naw) is acountylocated in theU.S. stateofMichigan.At the2020 census,the population was 372,258.[3]Thecounty seatand largest city isAnn Arbor.[4]The county was authorized by legislation in 1822 and organized as a county in 1826.[1] Washtenaw County comprises theAnn ArborMetropolitan Statistical Area. The county is home to theUniversity of Michigan,Eastern Michigan University,Washtenaw Community College,andConcordia University Ann Arbor.

Washtenaw County
County
Washtenaw County Courthouse
Washtenaw County Courthouse
Official seal of Washtenaw County
Seal
Map of Michigan highlighting Washtenaw County
Location within the U.S. state ofMichigan
Map of the United States highlighting Michigan
Michigan's location within theU.S.
Coordinates:42°15′N83°50′W/ 42.25°N 83.84°W/42.25; -83.84
CountryUnited States
StateMichigan
Founded1822 (created)
1826 (organized)[1][2]
Named forO-wash-ta-nong( "far away water" ),Ojibwename for theGrand River
SeatAnn Arbor
Largest cityAnn Arbor
Area
• Total
722 sq mi (1,870 km2)
• Land706 sq mi (1,830 km2)
• Water16 sq mi (40 km2) 2.3%
Population
(2020)
• Total
372,258
• Density527/sq mi (203/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5(Eastern)
• Summer (DST)UTC−4(EDT)
Congressional district6th
Websitewashtenaw.org

History

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Native American territories

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The first peoples occupying the central portion of what is now Michigan included: "the Pottawattamies, the Chippewas, the Ottawas, the Wyandottes and the Hurons".[5]Native Americans whose territories included land within the Washtenaw County boundaries are shown to have included: Myaamia (Miami),[6]Bodéwadmiké (Potawatomi),[7]Anishinabewaki ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᐗᑭ,[8]Peoria,[9]Meškwahki·aša·hina (Meskwaki),[10]and theMississauganation.[11]

Etymology of Washtenaw

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In theOjibwelanguage, "Wash-ten-ong" or "Owashtanong" literally translates as "far away waters", and was then used by the Ojibwe as the name for the Grand River due to its great length.[5][1][12] At the time of the official naming of the county in 1822, the headwaters of theGrand Riverfell within the original boundaries of Washtenaw County, which encompassed a much larger area than the present county.[1]

Early colonization

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The earliest histories mention French trappers and traders conducting trade in the area at the Potawatomi Trail and Pontiac Trail crossings of the Huron River, and later English then American settlers. The first successful settlement was established at the present site ofYpsilantiabout 1809 by French traders.[13]

In 1822, theLegislative Council of Michigan Territorygovernment defined the name and boundaries of the county, but attached it toWayne Countyfor revenue, taxation and judicial affairs. Four years after the first platting out of the county, Washtenaw was established as a separate self-administered county by an act of the Michigan Territorial Legislature, in 1826.[13]It was attached for administrative purposes to Wayne County until (before 1829) when county government was seated.Inghamand other counties were formed from portions of territorial Washtenaw County.

Swamps were drained to lower the water table. The swamp northwest of the I-94 and US-23 intersection, and areas within Waterloo Recreation Area still appear as they did to early settlers. As productive farms became established, the local deer herds grew. In the 1820s and 1830s, the events surrounding the independence ofGreecefromTurkeyinspired construction of Greek Revival buildings, and the names of townships, towns, and children.

The "frostbitten convention" was held at Ann Arbor, the county seat, in 1835. Statehood was delayed because Michigan claimed theToledo Strip,which was also claimed byOhio.Following resolution of theToledo War(1835–1836), in which Michigan Territory ceded its claim to Toledo in exchange for most of the Upper Peninsula (from thePorcupine Mountainseastward), Ohio withdrew its objection and Michigan became a state on January 26, 1837.

The convention also decided to move the capital from Detroit to a point further away from the Canadian border. After considering many existing communities, the delegates decided to build an entirely new capital city, which becameLansing.TheUniversity of Michigan,founded at Detroit in 1817, was moved toAnn Arborin 1839 as a consolation for the city not being named the new state capital, as it had sought. The university subsequently became and remains Washtenaw County's largest employer.

In 1849, the Michigan State Normal School (nowEastern Michigan University) was established in Washtenaw's oldest settlement,Ypsilanti.It was elevated to collegiate status c. 1891 as Michigan State Normal College. The name was changed in 1956 to Eastern Michigan College, which was elevated to university status in 1959.

Geography

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Business Loop Interstate 94/Business US Highway 23 (BL I-94/Bus. US 23, Washtenaw Avenue) in Ann Arbor

According to theU.S. Census Bureau,the county has a total area of 722 square miles (1,870 km2), of which 706 square miles (1,830 km2) is land and 16 square miles (41 km2) (2.3%) is water.[14]

Adjacent counties

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Major highways

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Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18304,042—
184023,571483.2%
185028,56721.2%
186035,68624.9%
187041,43416.1%
188041,8481.0%
189042,2100.9%
190047,76113.2%
191044,714−6.4%
192049,52010.7%
193065,53032.3%
194080,81023.3%
1950134,60666.6%
1960172,44028.1%
1970234,10335.8%
1980264,74813.1%
1990282,9376.9%
2000322,89514.1%
2010344,7916.8%
2020372,2588.0%
2023 (est.)365,536[15]−1.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[16]
1790–1960[17]1900–1990[18]
1990–2000[19]2010–2019[3]

As of the2020 United States census,there were 372,258 people living in the county. 69.2% wereWhite,11.5%Black or African American,9.03%Asian,0.3%Native American,1.9% of some other race and 7.8%of two or more races.5% wereHispanic or Latino(of any race). 17.4% were ofGerman,10.5%English,10%Irishand 7.1%Polishancestry.[20]

83.4% spoke onlyEnglishat home; 3.7% spokeSpanishand 12.9% spoke another language.

There were 149,379 households, out of which 17.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.9% weremarried couplesliving together, 29.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.6% were non-families.

In the county, 23.77% of the population was under the age of 19, 12.71% was from 19 to 25, 25.74% from 25 to 44, 22.58% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.5 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $83,754 and the median income for a family was $116,562. 15.3% of people were under the poverty line.

Government

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Washtenaw County Court House, sculpture byCarleton W. Angell
Washtenaw County Clerk building

Elected officials

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The Board of Commissioners has nine members, elected from single member districts, on a partisan ballot, in November of even-numbered years. The term is two years.Information as of October 2024.

District Commissioner Party Positions
1 Jason Maciejewski Democrat
2 Crystal Lyte Democrat
3 Shannon Beeman Democrat
4 Caroline Sanders Democrat Vice Chair of the Board
5 Justin Hodge Democrat Board Chair
6 Annie Sommerville Democrat Working Session Committee Chair
7 Andy LaBarre Democrat Vice Chair of the Working Session
8 Yousef Rabhi Democrat
9 Katie Scott Democrat

Government services

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Parks and recreation

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Washtenaw County operates 10 parks and one recreation center (gymnasium). One park has a water sprinkler area, one has a substantialwater parkcomponent, and there is one golf course. The recreation center has a swimming pool, indoor track,basketballcourts, complete set ofresistance machines,a weight room, and several multipurpose rooms.

Washtenaw County is in the process of acquiring land for natural preservation. The program started in 2001, was renewed in 2010. The millage was renewed a second time in 2020 with a record high of 72% of votes supporting the renewal.[21]Eight parcels of land had been purchased by July 2007. These parcels are of special ecological, recreational, and educational benefits.[22]They are preserved in a natural unimproved state and are open to the public during daylight hours.

Wireless communication

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In partnership with private enterprise, the county maintains a wireless network which is currently available to approximately 50% of county residents. This is theWireless WashtenawProject; its stated aim of this project is to provide wireless access to all county residents.

Miscellaneous

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The county government operates thejail,maintains rural roads (through a largely independent road commission), operates the major local courts, records deeds and mortgages, maintainsvital records,administerspublic healthregulations, and participates with the state in providing welfare and social services. Thecounty board of commissionerscontrols the budget and has limited authority to make laws or ordinances. In Michigan, most local government functions – police and fire, building and zoning, tax assessment, street maintenance, etc. – are the responsibility of individual cities and townships.

Politics

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United States presidential election results for Washtenaw County, Michigan[23]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2024 58,844 26.49% 157,152 70.74% 6,173 2.78%
2020 56,241 25.93% 157,136 72.44% 3,554 1.64%
2016 50,631 26.64% 128,483 67.59% 10,965 5.77%
2012 56,412 31.28% 120,890 67.04% 3,035 1.68%
2008 53,946 28.76% 130,578 69.62% 3,024 1.61%
2004 61,455 35.47% 109,953 63.46% 1,856 1.07%
2000 52,459 36.19% 86,647 59.78% 5,834 4.03%
1996 40,097 32.33% 73,106 58.94% 10,825 8.73%
1992 41,386 30.11% 73,325 53.34% 22,755 16.55%
1988 55,029 46.67% 61,799 52.41% 1,092 0.93%
1984 58,736 51.27% 55,084 48.08% 749 0.65%
1980 48,699 41.92% 51,013 43.91% 16,467 14.17%
1976 56,807 50.86% 50,917 45.59% 3,965 3.55%
1972 50,535 46.98% 55,350 51.45% 1,690 1.57%
1968 36,432 46.82% 33,073 42.50% 8,309 10.68%
1964 25,595 37.70% 42,089 62.00% 206 0.30%
1960 39,632 60.99% 25,129 38.67% 225 0.35%
1956 38,911 66.88% 19,124 32.87% 141 0.24%
1952 35,826 66.64% 17,671 32.87% 262 0.49%
1948 24,588 63.75% 12,721 32.98% 1,258 3.26%
1944 24,740 62.00% 14,922 37.39% 244 0.61%
1940 21,664 64.25% 11,802 35.00% 253 0.75%
1936 14,986 50.78% 13,589 46.05% 935 3.17%
1932 15,368 52.81% 12,552 43.13% 1,180 4.05%
1928 19,676 78.41% 5,308 21.15% 109 0.43%
1924 14,326 72.24% 3,603 18.17% 1,901 9.59%
1920 14,082 74.46% 4,468 23.63% 362 1.91%
1916 6,505 54.09% 5,279 43.90% 242 2.01%
1912 2,495 23.64% 4,164 39.45% 3,897 36.92%
1908 5,845 54.58% 4,441 41.47% 423 3.95%
1904 6,566 62.04% 3,779 35.71% 238 2.25%
1900 5,369 50.10% 5,072 47.33% 275 2.57%
1896 5,671 49.73% 5,348 46.90% 384 3.37%
1892 4,362 41.99% 5,508 53.02% 518 4.99%
1888 4,549 42.96% 5,482 51.78% 557 5.26%
1884 4,049 40.53% 5,315 53.20% 626 6.27%

Since1988,when Michael Dukakis won it, the county has been aDemocraticstronghold in local and national elections due to the presence ofAnn Arborand theUniversity of Michigan.In the2020 United States presidential electionit gave 72.4% of the vote to Democratic nomineeJoe Biden,the highest margin for a Democrat in the county, the third-highest for any candidate in the county's history, and the highest in the state at the time as well.[24]Between1960and 1988 it was generally a swing county:1992marked the first time that the county supported the same party as in the previous election since 1960.

Despite its modern-day Democratic strength, it was reliably Republican at the presidential level from1896to 1960, only voting Democratic once in that span in1912when the Republican vote was split. It was one of the few counties whereFranklin D. Rooseveltwas shut out in all four of his successful campaigns.George McGovern's win overRichard Nixonin the county in1972despite the latter winning nationally by a landslide was a sign of the county's shift towards supporting the Democratic Party, though Michigander and former WolverineGerald R. Fordwon it in 1976 andRonald Reaganwon it in 1984 amid his national landslide, being the most recent Republican to win the county.

Economy

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A. Alfred Taubman Biomedical Science Research Building at the University of Michigan's medical school

The largest employers in Washtenaw County, as of July 2020, are:[25]

# Employer # of full-time employees
1 University of Michigan 35,446
2 Trinity Health 7,435
3 United States Federal government 3,060
4 Ann Arbor Public Schools 2,607
5 Toyota Technical Center 2,295
6 Faurecia North America 2,178
7 Eastern Michigan University 1,559
8 IHA Health Services 1,442
9 State of Michigan 1,409
10 Washtenaw County 1,264
11 Thomson Reuters 1,155
12 Domino's Pizza 812
13 City of Ann Arbor 712
14 Ford Motor Company 700
15 NSF International 693
16 US Postal Service 650
17 Washtenaw Community College 597
18 DTE Energy 568
19 Ypsilanti Community Schools 550

Communities

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U.S. Censusdata map showing local municipal boundaries within Washtenaw County. Shaded areas represent incorporated cities.

Cities

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Village

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Charter townships

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Civil townships

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Census-designated place

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Other unincorporated communities

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Ghost town

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Education

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School districts include:[26]

Former school districts:[27]

See also

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References

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  1. ^abcd"Bibliography on Washtenaw County".Clarke Historical Library,Central Michigan University.Archivedfrom the original on October 6, 2014.RetrievedJanuary 23,2013.
  2. ^"About —".ewashtenaw.org.Archived fromthe originalon October 28, 2012.RetrievedJune 16,2006.
  3. ^ab"US Census QuickFacts".US Census Bureau.RetrievedAugust 13,2021.
  4. ^"Find a County".National Association of Counties.Archivedfrom the original on May 31, 2011.RetrievedJune 7,2011.
  5. ^abPublications of the Historical Society of Grand Rapids, Vol. 1, Parts 1–7.2013. p. 36.RetrievedJanuary 23,2013.Early tribes and Ojibwe etymology of the word: Wash-ten-ong ".
  6. ^"Myaamia".Native-Land.ca.RetrievedDecember 24,2020.
  7. ^"Bodéwadmiké (Potawatomi) territory".Native-Land.ca.RetrievedDecember 24,2020.
  8. ^"Anishinabewaki ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᐗᑭ".Native-Land.ca.RetrievedDecember 24,2020.
  9. ^"Peoria".Native-Land.ca.RetrievedDecember 24,2020.
  10. ^"Meškwahki·aša·hina (Fox)".Native-Land.ca.RetrievedDecember 24,2020.
  11. ^"Mississauga".Native-Land.ca.RetrievedDecember 24,2020.
  12. ^"Washtenaw County Historical Society: Etymology of the Name".2013. Archived fromthe originalon August 2, 2012.RetrievedJanuary 23,2013.Washtenaw County Historical Society detail of etymology of the county's name.
  13. ^abChapman 1881,pp. 116–124.
  14. ^"2010 Census Gazetteer Files".US Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived fromthe originalon November 13, 2013.RetrievedSeptember 28,2014.
  15. ^"Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023".United States Census Bureau.RetrievedApril 4,2024.
  16. ^"US Decennial Census".US Census Bureau.RetrievedSeptember 28,2014.
  17. ^"Historical Census Browser".University of Virginia Library.Archivedfrom the original on August 11, 2012.RetrievedSeptember 28,2014.
  18. ^"Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990".US Census Bureau.Archivedfrom the original on February 15, 2015.RetrievedSeptember 28,2014.
  19. ^"Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000"(PDF).US Census Bureau.Archived(PDF)from the original on December 18, 2014.RetrievedSeptember 28,2014.
  20. ^"Explore Census Data".data.census.gov.RetrievedOctober 27,2024.
  21. ^"From the Director – Natural Areas Preservation Program Millage Renewal".Washtenaw County.RetrievedDecember 24,2020.
  22. ^Larson, Lucas Smolcic (December 2, 2022)."$1.44M conservation purchase sets up one of largest nature preserves in Ann Arbor area".MLive.RetrievedDecember 3,2022.
  23. ^Leip, David."Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".uselectionatlas.org.Archivedfrom the original on March 23, 2018.RetrievedMay 7,2018.
  24. ^"Michigan Election Results".The New York Times.November 3, 2020.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedNovember 14,2020.
  25. ^"Datajoe - Product Download".ecom.datajoe.com.
  26. ^"2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Washtenaw County, MI"(PDF).U.S. Census Bureau.Archived(PDF)from the original on June 22, 2022.RetrievedJuly 22,2022.-Text list
  27. ^"SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP (2010 CENSUS): Washtenaw County, MI"(PDF).U.S. Census Bureau.Archived(PDF)from the original on July 22, 2022.RetrievedJuly 22,2022.-Text list

Sources

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Wikivoyage has a travel guide forWashtenaw County.

42°15′N83°50′W/ 42.25°N 83.84°W/42.25; -83.84

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