28-544: The Western-Washtenaw Area Value Express , also known as The WAVE , is a non-profit bus system serving western Washtenaw County, Michigan . In 2023, the WAVE announced that it would begin operating some electric buses. This article about transportation in Michigan is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Washtenaw County, Michigan Washtenaw County ( / ˈ w ɔː ʃ t ə n ɔː / WAWSH -tə-naw )
56-477: A Democratic stronghold in local and national elections due to the presence of Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan . In the 2020 United States presidential election it gave 72.4% of the vote to Democratic nominee Joe 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. Between 1960 and 1988 it
84-406: A water sprinkler area, one has a substantial water park component, and there is one golf course. The recreation center has a swimming pool, indoor track, basketball courts, complete set of resistance 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
112-583: Is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan . At the 2020 census , the population was 372,258. The county seat and largest city is Ann Arbor . The county was authorized by legislation in 1822 and organized as a county in 1826. Washtenaw County comprises the Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area . The county is home to the University of Michigan , Eastern Michigan University , Washtenaw Community College , and Concordia University Ann Arbor . The first peoples occupying
140-528: Is currently available to approximately 50% of county residents. This is the Wireless Washtenaw Project; its stated aim of this project is to provide wireless access to all county residents. The county government operates the jail , maintains rural roads (through a largely independent road commission), operates the major local courts, records deeds and mortgages, maintains vital records , administers public health regulations, and participates with
168-589: Is land and 16 square miles (41 km ) (2.3%) is water. As of the 2020 United States census , there were 372,258 people living in the county. 69.2% were White , 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% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). 17.4% were of German , 10.5% English , 10% Irish and 7.1% Polish ancestry. 83.4% spoke only English at home; 3.7% spoke Spanish and 12.9% spoke another language. There were 149,379 households, out of which 17.9% had children under
196-688: The Ojibwe language, "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. At the time of the official naming of the county in 1822, the headwaters of the Grand River fell within the original boundaries of Washtenaw County, which encompassed a much larger area than the present county. The earliest histories mention French trappers and traders conducting trade in
224-536: The Clouds in the heart of the mountains, and is part of Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park . The Porcupine Mountains were the site of copper mining in the 19th century. One of these mines is the Nonesuch Mine , which operated sporadically from 1867 to 1912. Because of its copper mining history, the state park is a cooperating unit of Keweenaw National Historical Park . The most striking geological feature of
252-519: 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 of Greece from Turkey inspired construction of Greek Revival buildings, and the names of townships, towns, and children. The "frostbitten convention"
280-590: The Michigan State Normal School (now Eastern 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. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 722 square miles (1,870 km ), of which 706 square miles (1,830 km )
308-633: The Porcupine Mountains is the long basalt and conglomerate escarpment parallel to the Lake Superior shore and overlooking Lake of the Clouds, a continuation of the same copper-bearing bedrock found farther northeast on the Keweenaw Peninsula . A second ridge farther inland, on the other side of Lake of the Clouds, includes Summit Peak, the highest point in the mountains at 1,958 feet (595 m). Rivers, waterfalls, swamps, and lakes lie between
SECTION 10
#1732884404702336-412: The age of 18 living with them, 43.9% were married couples living 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
364-622: 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 of Ypsilanti about 1809 by French traders. In 1822, the Legislative Council of Michigan Territory government defined the name and boundaries of the county, but attached it to Wayne County for revenue, taxation and judicial affairs. Four years after
392-528: 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 became Lansing . The University of Michigan , founded at Detroit in 1817, was moved to Ann Arbor in 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,
420-781: The central portion of what is now Michigan included: "the Pottawattamies, the Chippewas, the Ottawas, the Wyandottes and the Hurons". Native Americans whose territories included land within the Washtenaw County boundaries are shown to have included: Myaamia ( Miami ), Bodéwadmiké ( Potawatomi ), Anishinabewaki ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᐗᑭ , Peoria , Meškwahki·aša·hina ( Meskwaki ), and the Mississauga nation. In
448-460: The county was $ 83,754 and the median income for a family was $ 116,562. 15.3% of people were under the poverty line. 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. Washtenaw County operates 10 parks and one recreation center ( gymnasium ). One park has
476-488: The county. The largest employers in Washtenaw County, as of July 2020, are: School districts include: Former school districts: 42°15′N 83°50′W / 42.25°N 83.84°W / 42.25; -83.84 Porcupine Mountains The Porcupine Mountains , or Porkies , are a group of small mountains spanning the northwestern Upper Peninsula of Michigan in Ontonagon and Gogebic counties, near
504-511: 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. It was attached for administrative purposes to Wayne County until (before 1829) when county government was seated. Ingham and other counties were formed from portions of territorial Washtenaw County. Swamps were drained to lower the water table. The swamp northwest of
532-602: The most abundant tree species. Area fauna includes moose , gray wolves , white-tailed deer , coyotes , gray and red foxes , cougar , river otters , beaver , fisher , marten , mink , bobcats , lynx , black bears , and porcupines . Endangered, threatened and special concern species found in the Porkies include small blue-eyed mary , ram's head ladyslipper , Hooker's fairy-bells , slender cliff brake , male fern , gray wolf , wood turtle , peregrine falcon , merlin , and bald eagle . Porcupine Mountains State Park
560-501: The mountains. The closest National Weather Service station is in the coastal community of Ontonagon, where the annual average is about 200 inches (510 cm). Totals of well over 250 inches (640 cm) annually are likely in the higher elevations. It is not uncommon to have 300-inch (760 cm) seasons in this region. The Porkies are the location of a large stand of old growth forest . In these virgin forests, sugar maple , American basswood , eastern hemlock , and yellow birch are
588-501: The rocky outcroppings. There are a number of waterfalls on the Presque Isle River in the extreme western side of the park. The mountains are the remnants of an old stratovolcano . The mountains are subject to heavy lake-effect snow from Lake Superior . The relatively high elevation of the mountains and their proximity to the lake provide perfect conditions for lake-effect snow, but no official records are maintained anywhere in
SECTION 20
#1732884404702616-535: The shore of Lake Superior . The Porcupine Mountains were named by the native Ojibwa people, supposedly because their silhouette had the shape of a crouching porcupine . They are home to the most extensive stand of old growth northern hardwood forest in North America west of the Adirondack Mountains , spanning at least 31,000 acres (13,000 ha). The area is popular among tourists, especially Lake of
644-413: The state in providing welfare and 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. Since 1988 , when Michael Dukakis won it, the county has been
672-705: Was established in 1945 to protect the area's large stand of old-growth forest, much of it of the "maple-hemlock" type. In 1972, Michigan passed the Wilderness and Natural Areas Act. This act gave the park the new designation of the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. Facilities provided by the park include an extensive network of backcountry trails for hiking and wilderness backpacking, rustic trailside cabins, modern campgrounds, swimming and boating areas, and various interpretive programs led by park rangers . The North Country Trail passes through
700-460: Was generally a swing county: 1992 marked 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 from 1896 to 1960, only voting Democratic once in that span in 1912 when the Republican vote was split. It was one of the few counties where Franklin D. Roosevelt
728-684: Was held at Ann Arbor, the county seat, in 1835. Statehood was delayed because Michigan claimed the Toledo Strip , which was also claimed by Ohio . Following resolution of the Toledo War (1835–1836), in which Michigan Territory ceded its claim to Toledo in exchange for most of the Upper Peninsula (from the Porcupine Mountains eastward), Ohio withdrew its objection and Michigan became a state on January 26, 1837. The convention also decided to move
756-417: Was renewed a second time in 2020 with a record high of 72% of votes supporting the renewal. Eight parcels of land had been purchased by July 2007. These parcels are of special ecological, recreational, and educational benefits. They are preserved in a natural unimproved state and are open to the public during daylight hours. In partnership with private enterprise, the county maintains a wireless network which
784-484: Was shut out in all four of his successful campaigns. George McGovern 's win over Richard Nixon in the county in 1972 despite the latter winning nationally by a landslide was a sign of the county's shift towards supporting the Democratic Party, though Michigander and former Wolverine Gerald R. Ford won it in 1976 and Ronald Reagan won it in 1984 amid his national landslide, being the most recent Republican to win
#701298