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Ogemaw County, Michigan

Coordinates: 44°20′N 84°08′W / 44.33°N 84.13°W / 44.33; -84.13
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Ogemaw County, Michigan
County
Ogemaw County Building in West Branch
Ogemaw County Building in West Branch
Flag of Ogemaw County, Michigan
Flag
Map of Michigan highlighting Ogemaw County
Location within the U.S. state of Michigan
Coordinates: 44°20′N 84°08′W / 44.33°N 84.13°W / 44.33; -84.13
Country United States
State Michigan
Founded1840 (authorized)
1875 (organized)[1]
SeatWest Branch
Largest citySkidway Lake
West Branch (incorporated)
Area
 • Total
575 sq mi (1,490 km2)
 • Land563 sq mi (1,460 km2)
 • Water11 sq mi (28 km2)  2.0%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
20,770
 • Estimate 
(2024)[2]
20,985 Increase
 • Density37.3/sq mi (14.4/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district1st
Websiteocmi.us

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.[3] The county seat is West Branch.[4] The county newspaper of record is the Ogemaw Herald.[5]

History

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See also: History of Northern Michigan

Ogemaw 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[6] 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.[7]

Geography

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According 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.[8] Ogemaw County is considered to be part of Northern Michigan.

Highways

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  • 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.[9]

Adjacent counties

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National protected area

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State protected area

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Communities

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U.S. Census data map showing local municipal boundaries within Ogemaw County. Shaded areas represent incorporated cities.

Cities

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Village

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Civil townships

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Census-designated places

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Other unincorporated communities

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Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
187012—
18801,91415,850.0%
18905,583191.7%
19007,76539.1%
19108,90714.7%
19207,786−12.6%
19306,595−15.3%
19408,72032.2%
19509,3457.2%
19609,6803.6%
197011,90323.0%
198016,43638.1%
199018,68113.7%
200021,64515.9%
201021,6990.2%
202020,770−4.3%
2024 (est.)20,985Increase1.0%
US Decennial Census[10]
1790-1960[11] 1900-1990[12]
1990-2000[13] 2010-2020[3][14]

2020 census

[edit]

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 20,770. The median age was 50.6 years. 18.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 26.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 100.4 males age 18 and over.[15]

The racial makeup of the county was 93.9% White, 0.3% Black or African American, 0.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.6% from some other race, and 4.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.1% of the population.[16]

<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[17]

There were 9,207 households in the county, of which 21.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 46.6% were married-couple households, 22.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[15]

There were 15,246 housing units, of which 39.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 80.5% were owner-occupied and 19.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.6%.[15]

2000 census

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As of the 2000 United States census,[18] there were 21,645 people, 8,842 households, and 6,189 families residing in the county.

Government

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For 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).

United States presidential election results for Ogemaw County, Michigan[19]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
1884 478 49.48% 472 48.86% 16 1.66%
1888 620 48.44% 579 45.23% 81 6.33%
1892 594 50.64% 514 43.82% 65 5.54%
1896 793 56.64% 560 40.00% 47 3.36%
1900 1,186 67.31% 518 29.40% 58 3.29%
1904 1,320 75.47% 329 18.81% 100 5.72%
1908 1,218 68.47% 454 25.52% 107 6.01%
1912 541 31.64% 319 18.65% 850 49.71%
1916 878 51.20% 743 43.32% 94 5.48%
1920 1,687 75.55% 444 19.88% 102 4.57%
1924 1,714 79.32% 258 11.94% 189 8.75%
1928 1,630 73.39% 579 26.07% 12 0.54%
1932 1,472 45.94% 1,645 51.34% 87 2.72%
1936 1,631 45.24% 1,774 49.21% 200 5.55%
1940 2,447 65.45% 1,278 34.18% 14 0.37%
1944 2,339 69.55% 1,006 29.91% 18 0.54%
1948 2,062 64.70% 1,038 32.57% 87 2.73%
1952 2,983 73.91% 1,030 25.52% 23 0.57%
1956 2,931 69.18% 1,300 30.68% 6 0.14%
1960 2,664 58.65% 1,867 41.11% 11 0.24%
1964 1,609 36.36% 2,812 63.55% 4 0.09%
1968 2,526 54.56% 1,647 35.57% 457 9.87%
1972 3,367 60.77% 2,056 37.11% 118 2.13%
1976 3,212 47.07% 3,545 51.95% 67 0.98%
1980 4,169 51.29% 3,426 42.15% 533 6.56%
1984 4,901 60.81% 3,132 38.86% 27 0.33%
1988 4,091 50.20% 4,012 49.23% 47 0.58%
1992 2,936 32.17% 4,016 44.01% 2,174 23.82%
1996 2,904 32.04% 4,725 52.13% 1,435 15.83%
2000 4,706 47.75% 4,896 49.68% 253 2.57%
2004 5,454 50.52% 5,215 48.30% 127 1.18%
2008 5,133 47.54% 5,391 49.93% 274 2.54%
2012 5,437 52.31% 4,791 46.09% 166 1.60%
2016 6,827 65.39% 3,030 29.02% 583 5.58%
2020 8,253 69.23% 3,475 29.15% 193 1.62%
2024 8,879 70.23% 3,578 28.30% 185 1.46%
United States Senate election results for Ogemaw County, Michigan1[20]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2024 8,312 67.52% 3,684 29.92% 315 2.56%
Michigan Gubernatorial election results for Ogemaw County
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2022 6,151 62.18% 3,532 35.71% 209 2.11%

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

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(information as of February 2021)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Bibliography on Ogemaw County". Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
  2. ^ "Ogemaw County, Michigan". Census.gov.
  3. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  4. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  5. ^ "Ogemaw County Herald". Ogemaw County Herald. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
  6. ^ George Dawson (1840). Acts of the Legislature of the State of Michigan Passed at the Annual Session of 1840. Detroit. pp. 196–200.
  7. ^ 100 Voices Through 100 Years (1 ed.). West Branch Michigan: Arrowhead Book CO. 2008. pp. 1, 539. ISBN 978-0-9816201-0-7.
  8. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". US Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  9. ^ Ogemaw County MI Google Maps (accessed 15 September 2018)
  10. ^ "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  11. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  12. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  13. ^ "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.
  14. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  15. ^ a b c "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
  16. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
  17. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
  18. ^ "U.S. Census website". US Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  19. ^ US Election Atlas
  20. ^ "2024 Senate Election (Official Returns)". Commonwealth of Michigan by county. November 5, 2024. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  21. ^ Ogemaw County website
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44°20′N 84°08′W / 44.33°N 84.13°W / 44.33; -84.13

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