The county was formed by the Michigan Legislature in 1840 as Mikenauk County,[5] then renamed Roscommon County in 1843. It was administered by Michilimackinac (Mackinac), Cheboygan, and Midland counties, in succession, prior to the organization of county government in 1875.[4] Roscommon County was named after County Roscommon, Ireland.[1][6]
There are three official Michigan historical markers in the county:[7]
According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 580 square miles (1,500 km2), of which 520 square miles (1,300 km2) is land and 60 square miles (160 km2) (10%) is water.[9]
Roscommon County is considered to be part of Northern Michigan. Part of Michigan's Au Sable State Forest falls within the county. The US Forest Service's Roscoe Fire Management Unit includes Ogemaw and Roscommon Counties.
Geographic features
During prehistoric times, glacial action helped shape the Michigan-area terrain. A large portion of the area is the Grayling outwash plain, which includes sandy ice-disintegration ridges; jack pine barrens, white pine-red pine forest, and northern hardwood forest. Large lakes were created by glacial action.[10]
Roscommon Virgin Pine Stand – a 160-acre (650,000 m2) parcel within the Au Sable State Forest, 8 miles (13 km) north of St. Helen, Michigan, and 8 miles east of Roscommon. An old-growth stand of red pine, which includes a former national champion red pine.[11]
I-75 – runs south, SE, and east through the NE middle portion of county.
US 127 – runs north–south through west portion of county. Passes on west side of Higgins and Houghton Lakes.
M-18 – runs north–south through center of county. Passes Roscommon and Prudenville. Leaving Roscommon, runs east along north line of county for 5.6 miles (9.0 km) before turning to NE.
M-55 – runs east–west through center of county to intersection with I75, 7 miles (11 km) west of east line of county.
M-157 – short (1.1 mi; 1.8 km) north-south spur connecting M18 to M55, east of Houghton Lake.
F-18 – runs south from Prudenville. Exits the county on the line between Clare and Gladwin counties.[12]
US Decennial Census[13] 1790-1960[14] 1900-1990[15] 1990-2000[16] 2010-2018[2]
At the 2000 United States census,[17] there were 25,469 people, 11,250 households, and 7,616 families residing in the county. The population density was 49 people per square mile (19 people/km2). There were 23,109 housing units at an average density of 44 per square mile (17/km2). By the 2020 census, the county's population was 23,459.
The community is centered in the area of two very large lakes, in the middle of large state forests. Wildlife are nearby, including bear, deer, eagles, Kirtland's warblers, and turkeys. Local attractions and activities include:
The county government operates the 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.
^Reynolds Farley, 'The New Census Question about Ancestry: What Did It Tell Us?', Demography, Vol. 28, No. 3 (August 1991), pp. 414, 421.
^Stanley Lieberson and Lawrence Santi, 'The Use of Nativity Data to Estimate Ethnic Characteristics and Patterns', Social Science Research, Vol. 14, No. 1 (1985), pp. 44-6.
^Stanley Lieberson and Mary C. Waters, 'Ethnic Groups in Flux: The Changing Ethnic Responses of American Whites', Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 487, No. 79 (September 1986), pp. 82-86.
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United States
Michigan
