thumb|Old specimen of [[native copper from Houghton County. Houghton County hosted a major copper-mining industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.]]

Houghton County (; ) is a county in the Upper Peninsula in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,361. The county seat and largest city is Houghton. Both the county and the city were named for Michigan State geologist and Detroit Mayor Douglass Houghton. In 1845, Houghton County boundaries were defined, with areas partitioned from Marquette and Ontonagon Counties. The new county was named after Douglass Houghton, the new state's first State Geologist, who extensively explored the Upper Peninsula's mineralogy. The original boundaries of Houghton County included the future Keweenaw and Baraga Counties. In 1846, the county was organized into three townships: Eagle Harbor, Houghton, and L'Anse.

Houghton County's history is heavily marked by immigration. At one of the peaks of its population, the 1910 census had 40.6% of its population of 88,098 as foreign-born, with 89.3% of the population being either foreign-born or having at one or both of their parents as foreign-born. 70.6% of all voters were foreign-born, and only 5.1% of voters were native-born with native parents. This amalgam of immigrants from dozens of countries created a unique culture, especially once population growth stopped, and the county shrank in population to its current numbers. Heavily representative among many ethnicities were the Finnish. The 1910 census listed 13.1% of the residents being Finnish-born (out of the 32.3% total of the residents listed as foreign-born). The 2010 census lists almost the same proportion (32.5%) of the population as having Finnish ancestors.

thumb|The former [[Finlandia University in Hancock]]

Amid the Great Depression of the 1930s, a sharp increase in unemployment among workers in the mining and timber industries caused a pivot to potato production. For a brief time in the 1930s and 1940s, the region became a major exporter of potatoes within the United States.

In June 2018, a major flash flood caused sinkholes and washouts in the towns of Chassell, Houghton, Ripley, Lake Linden, and Hubbell.

Geography

thumb|upright|Quincy Street in [[Hancock, Michigan]]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of , of which is land and (33%) is water.

The Portage Lift Bridge crosses Portage Lake, connecting Hancock and Houghton, Michigan, by crossing over Portage Lake, which is part of the river and canal system that spans the peninsula. The Portage Lift Bridge is the world's heaviest and widest double-decked vertical lift bridge. Its center span "lifts" to provide of clearance for ships. Since rail traffic was discontinued in the Keweenaw, the lower deck accommodates snowmobile traffic in the winter. This is the only land-based link between the Keweenaw Peninsula's north and south sections, making it crucial to local transportation.

Major highways

  • runs from the southeast corner of the county, north and northwest to Chassell and Houghton, then northeast to Copper Harbor.
  • enters the western portion of county from Mass City and runs northeast through South Range and Houghton to intersect with US 41 at Keweenaw Park.
  • runs east–west across lower portion of county, past Kenton and Sidnaw.
  • runs east–west across center of county, past White, Nisula, and Alston.
  • runs northwest from Houghton, then loops northeast and east to intersect with US 41.

Airport

  • Prickett-Grooms Field privately owned public-use general-aviation daytime-access airport at Sidnaw (since 1940s).
  • Houghton County Memorial Airport (KCMX) between Hancock and Calumet (since 1948). General-aviation and limited commercial airline service.

Adjacent counties

  • Keweenaw County, north
  • Baraga County, east
  • Iron County, south border (on Central Time Zone)
  • Ontonagon County, west

National protected areas

  • Keweenaw National Historical Park (part)
  • Ottawa National Forest (part)

Climate

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Communities

thumb|right|400px|[[United States Census|U.S. Census data map showing local municipal boundaries within Houghton County. Shaded areas represent incorporated cities.]]

Cities

  • Hancock
  • Houghton (county seat)

Villages

  • Calumet
  • Copper City
  • Lake Linden
  • Laurium
  • South Range

Charter townships

  • Calumet Charter Township
  • Portage Charter Township

Civil townships

  • Adams Township
  • Chassell Township
  • Duncan Township
  • Elm River Township
  • Franklin Township
  • Hancock Township
  • Laird Township
  • Osceola Township
  • Quincy Township
  • Schoolcraft Township
  • Stanton Township
  • Torch Lake Township

Census-designated places

  • Atlantic Mine
  • Chassell
  • Dodgeville
  • Dollar Bay
  • Hubbell
  • Hurontown
  • Painesdale
  • Trimountain

Other unincorporated communities

  • Alston
  • Askel
  • Baltic
  • Beacon Hill
  • Blue Jacket
  • Bootjack
  • Boston
  • Centennial
  • Centennial Heights
  • Champion Mine
  • Chickenville
  • Dakota Heights
  • Donken
  • Dreamland
  • Elo
  • Florida
  • Franklin Mine
  • Freda
  • Frost
  • Gregoryville
  • Kearsarge
  • Kenton
  • Klingville
  • Lake Roland
  • Liminga
  • Mason
  • Nisula
  • Oneco
  • Osceola
  • Oskar
  • Paavola
  • Pewabic
  • Phillipsville
  • Pilgrim
  • Point Mills
  • Pori
  • Portage Entry
  • Rabbit Bay
  • Redridge
  • Ripley
  • Schmidt Corner
  • Seeberville
  • Senter
  • Sidnaw
  • Superior
  • Swedetown
  • Tamarack City
  • Tapiola
  • Toivola
  • Traverse Bay
  • Twin Lakes
  • Winona
  • Wolverine
  • Yellow Jacket

Ghost towns

  • Albion Station
  • Backstreet
  • Bishop
  • Boot Jack Point
  • Craig Roy
  • E-Location
  • Elm River
  • Frenchtown
  • Jacobsville
  • Motley
  • White City
  • Wyandotte

Demographics