Ogemaw County (/ˈoʊɡəmɔː/ OH-gə-maw) is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,770.[2] The county seat is West Branch.[3]
Ogemaw County | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Ogemaw County Building in West Branch | |
 Flag | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Michigan | |
 Michigan's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 44°20′N 84°08′W / 44.33°N 84.13°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Michigan |
| Founded | G, 1840 (authorized) 1875 (organized)[1] |
| Seat | West Branch |
| Largest city | Skidway Lake West Branch (incorporated) |
| Area | |
• Total | 575 sq mi (1,490 km2) |
| • Land | 563 sq mi (1,460 km2) |
| • Water | 11 sq mi (30 km2) 2.0% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 20,770 |
| • Density | 39/sq mi (15/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Website | ocmi |
The county newspaper of record is the Ogemaw Herald.[4]
History
editOgemaw County started as part of the Virginia Land owned by England. After the Revolutionary War, it broke up into smaller and smaller pieces. The county was originally created by the Michigan Legislature in 1840[5] from unorganized territory, but was absorbed into Iosco County in 1867. It was re-created in 1873, and was finally organized in 1875.[1] The county's name is an Anglicization of the Anishinaabemowin word ogimaa, meaning "chief".[1] Ogemaw's name came from an eloquent, respected Native American orator named Little Elk. One of the first settlements in the county was Ogemaw Springs, the genesis of lumbering operations in the county. The settlement of Ogemaw Springs ended when the lumber industry in the region ended. (Due to the lumber industry, railways were built to transport the lumber, and towns often sprang up along the tracks. After timber supplies in the Midwest dwindled, loggers shifted westward to the Pacific Northwest to find new sources of lumber, and many of these fledgling settlements foundered.) With Ogemaw Springs in decline, the people flocked to West Branch, causing an economic boom, including the construction of its first hotel. This created even more growth, causing many restaurants, hotels, and businesses to be built, a vast majority of which still stand today.[6]
Geography
editAccording to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 575 square miles (1,490 km2), of which 563 square miles (1,460 km2) is land and 11 square miles (28 km2) (2.0%) is water.[7] Ogemaw County is considered to be part of Northern Michigan.
Highways
edit
I-75 – Runs SE across the southwest part of the county; passes south of West Branch.
M-30 – Enters from Gladwin County at 5.5 miles (8.9 km) east of the SW corner of Ogemaw County; runs north and NE to intersection with M-55 near West Branch.
M-33 – Runs north–south through the middle of county; passes Rose City.
M-55 – Runs east–west across the lower part of county; enters from Iosco County at 6 miles (9.7 km) north of SE corner of Ogemaw County; runs west to intersection with I-75, west of West Branch.[8]
Adjacent counties
edit- Oscoda County - north
- Alcona County - northeast
- Iosco County - east
- Arenac County - southeast
- Gladwin County - southwest
- Roscommon County - west
- Crawford County - northwest
National protected area
edit- Huron National Forest (part)
State protected area
editCommunities
edit
Cities
edit- Rose City
- West Branch (county seat)
Village
editCivil townships
editCensus-designated places
editOther unincorporated communities
editDemographics
edit| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 12 | — | |
| 1880 | 1,914 | 15,850.0% | |
| 1890 | 5,583 | 191.7% | |
| 1900 | 7,765 | 39.1% | |
| 1910 | 8,907 | 14.7% | |
| 1920 | 7,786 | −12.6% | |
| 1930 | 6,595 | −15.3% | |
| 1940 | 8,720 | 32.2% | |
| 1950 | 9,345 | 7.2% | |
| 1960 | 9,680 | 3.6% | |
| 1970 | 11,903 | 23.0% | |
| 1980 | 16,436 | 38.1% | |
| 1990 | 18,681 | 13.7% | |
| 2000 | 21,645 | 15.9% | |
| 2010 | 21,699 | 0.2% | |
| 2020 | 20,770 | −4.3% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 20,990 | [9] | 1.1% |
| US Decennial Census[10] 1790-1960[11] 1900-1990[12] 1990-2000[13] 2010-2018[2] | |||
As of the 2000 United States census,[14] there were 21,645 people, 8,842 households, and 6,189 families residing in the county. By the 2020 census, its population was 20,770.
Government
editFor many years, Ogemaw County has been reliably Republican. Since 1884, the Republican Party nominee has carried the county vote in 75% of the national presidential elections (27 of 36).
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2024 | 8,879 | 70.23% | 3,578 | 28.30% | 185 | 1.46% |
| 2020 | 8,253 | 69.23% | 3,475 | 29.15% | 193 | 1.62% |
| 2016 | 6,827 | 65.39% | 3,030 | 29.02% | 583 | 5.58% |
| 2012 | 5,437 | 52.31% | 4,791 | 46.09% | 166 | 1.60% |
| 2008 | 5,133 | 47.54% | 5,391 | 49.93% | 274 | 2.54% |
| 2004 | 5,454 | 50.52% | 5,215 | 48.30% | 127 | 1.18% |
| 2000 | 4,706 | 47.75% | 4,896 | 49.68% | 253 | 2.57% |
| 1996 | 2,904 | 32.04% | 4,725 | 52.13% | 1,435 | 15.83% |
| 1992 | 2,936 | 32.17% | 4,016 | 44.01% | 2,174 | 23.82% |
| 1988 | 4,091 | 50.20% | 4,012 | 49.23% | 47 | 0.58% |
| 1984 | 4,901 | 60.81% | 3,132 | 38.86% | 27 | 0.33% |
| 1980 | 4,169 | 51.29% | 3,426 | 42.15% | 533 | 6.56% |
| 1976 | 3,212 | 47.07% | 3,545 | 51.95% | 67 | 0.98% |
| 1972 | 3,367 | 60.77% | 2,056 | 37.11% | 118 | 2.13% |
| 1968 | 2,526 | 54.56% | 1,647 | 35.57% | 457 | 9.87% |
| 1964 | 1,609 | 36.36% | 2,812 | 63.55% | 4 | 0.09% |
| 1960 | 2,664 | 58.65% | 1,867 | 41.11% | 11 | 0.24% |
| 1956 | 2,931 | 69.18% | 1,300 | 30.68% | 6 | 0.14% |
| 1952 | 2,983 | 73.91% | 1,030 | 25.52% | 23 | 0.57% |
| 1948 | 2,062 | 64.70% | 1,038 | 32.57% | 87 | 2.73% |
| 1944 | 2,339 | 69.55% | 1,006 | 29.91% | 18 | 0.54% |
| 1940 | 2,447 | 65.45% | 1,278 | 34.18% | 14 | 0.37% |
| 1936 | 1,631 | 45.24% | 1,774 | 49.21% | 200 | 5.55% |
| 1932 | 1,472 | 45.94% | 1,645 | 51.34% | 87 | 2.72% |
| 1928 | 1,630 | 73.39% | 579 | 26.07% | 12 | 0.54% |
| 1924 | 1,714 | 79.32% | 258 | 11.94% | 189 | 8.75% |
| 1920 | 1,687 | 75.55% | 444 | 19.88% | 102 | 4.57% |
| 1916 | 878 | 51.20% | 743 | 43.32% | 94 | 5.48% |
| 1912 | 541 | 31.64% | 319 | 18.65% | 850 | 49.71% |
| 1908 | 1,218 | 68.47% | 454 | 25.52% | 107 | 6.01% |
| 1904 | 1,320 | 75.47% | 329 | 18.81% | 100 | 5.72% |
| 1900 | 1,186 | 67.31% | 518 | 29.40% | 58 | 3.29% |
| 1896 | 793 | 56.64% | 560 | 40.00% | 47 | 3.36% |
| 1892 | 594 | 50.64% | 514 | 43.82% | 65 | 5.54% |
| 1888 | 620 | 48.44% | 579 | 45.23% | 81 | 6.33% |
| 1884 | 478 | 49.48% | 472 | 48.86% | 16 | 1.66% |
Ogemaw County operates the County jail, maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, records deeds, mortgages, and vital records, administers public health regulations, and participates with the state in the provision of social services. The county board of commissioners controls 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.
Elected officials
edit- Prosecuting Attorney – LaDonna A. Schultz
- Sheriff – Brian D. Gilbert
- County Clerk – Breck Gildner
- County Treasurer – Caren Piglowski
- Register of Deeds – Denise Simmons
- Drain Commissioner – Michael DeMatio
- Commissioner Dist. 1 – Craig Scott
- Commissioner Dist. 2 – Mark Surbrook
- Commissioner Dist. 3 – Ronald Vaughn
- Commissioner Dist. 4 – Brad Neubecker
- Commissioner Dist. 5 – Jenny David[16]
(information as of February 2021)
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c "Bibliography on Ogemaw County". Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
- ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ "Ogemaw County Herald". Ogemaw County Herald. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
- ^ George Dawson (1840). Acts of the Legislature of the State of Michigan Passed at the Annual Session of 1840. Detroit. pp. 196–200.
- ^ 100 Voices Through 100 Years (1 ed.). West Branch Michigan: Arrowhead Book CO. 2008. pp. 1, 539. ISBN 978-0-9816201-0-7.
- ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". US Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
- ^ Ogemaw County MI Google Maps (accessed 15 September 2018)
- ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
- ^ "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
- ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
- ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
- ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". US Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ US Election Atlas
- ^ Ogemaw County website