Arenac County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 15,002. The county seat is Standish.
History
Arenac County was created by the Michigan Territory on 2 March 1831, then attached on 2 March 1836 to Saginaw County for administration. The creation and organization of Bay County overlaid Arenac and annexed portions of Saginaw and Midland Counties, causing the legal elimination of Arenac County on 20 April 1857. On 21 April 1883 Arenac County was re-created from the then existing northern townships of Bay County, with somewhat different boundaries than its previous creation. The name Arenac, coined by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, a US Indian Agent and ethnologist, is a derivation of the Latin arena and the Native American ac. The combined words mean “A sandy place for a good footing.”
The county includes some off-reservation trust lands held by the federal government for the federally recognized Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Nation, which is based in Isabella County. In early 2007, plans were confirmed for a casino to be constructed outside of the city of Standish with a scheduled opening by the end of the year. It is owned and operated by the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe. The Saganing Eagles Landing Casino grand opening was held on January 24, 2008.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (47%) is water. It is the third-smallest county in Michigan by land area. Arenac County can be considered a part of either Northern Michigan or Central Michigan.
Geographic features
- Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron
- Au Gres River
- Rifle River
- Pine River (Arenac County)
Major highways
Adjacent counties
By land
- Iosco County (northeast)
- Bay County (south)
- Gladwin County (west)
- Ogemaw County (northwest)
By water
- Tuscola County (south)
- Huron County (southeast)
National protected area
- Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge (part)