thumb|right|300px|1842 map, showing Missaukee County, then existing only on paper.
Missaukee County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,052. The county seat is Lake City.
Missaukee County is part of the Cadillac, MI micropolitan statistical area. The county is considered to be part of Northern Michigan.
History
Missaukee County was partitioned from Mackinac County, on April 1, 1840, due to expected population growth. In 1851, the county was attached to Grand Traverse County for legal purposes. It was subsequently attached to Manistee County in 1855 and Wexford County in 1869, before being organized in its own right in 1871.
Etymology
Missaukee County may be named after a prominent Ottawa chief, Nesaukee, who signed the treaties of 1831 and 1833. However, it may also derive from misizaagii, meaning 'large mouth of the river' (and thus a doublet of Mississauga and massasauga).
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.6%) is water.
Lakes and rivers
There are 33 natural freshwater lakes in Missaukee County. The largest of these, Lake Missaukee, has a surface area of . The lakes and streams in much of the county drain into the Muskegon River, which flows generally north to south through its eastern tier of townships. The Clam River, a tributary of the Muskegon, flows generally west to east through the county. The Reedsburg Dam is located within Missaukee County. The Manistee River also flows southwesterly through the extreme northwest of the county.
Major highways
- is a short east–west route in the northwest of the county, connecting M-66 near Lake City to US Highway 131 at Manton.
- is an east–west route traversing the Lower Peninsula.
- is a north–south route running from the Indiana border to US Highway 31 in Charlevoix.
Adjacent counties
- Kalkaska County - north
- Crawford County - northeast
- Roscommon County - east
- Clare County - southeast
- Osceola County - southwest
- Wexford County - west
- Grand Traverse County - northwest
Communities
thumb|right|400px|[[United States Census|U.S. Census data map showing local municipal boundaries within Missaukee County. Shaded areas represent incorporated cities.]]
Cities
- Lake City (county seat)
- McBain
Civil townships
- Aetna Township
- Bloomfield Township
- Butterfield Township
- Caldwell Township
- Clam Union Township
- Enterprise Township
- Forest Township
- Holland Township
- Lake Township
- Norwich Township
- Pioneer Township
- Reeder Township
- Richland Township
- Riverside Township
- West Branch Township
Census-designated places
- Falmouth
- Jennings
Other unincorporated communities
- Arlene
- Butterfield
- Dinca
- Lucas
- Merritt
- Moddersville
- Moorestown
- Pioneer
- Prosper
- Star City
- Vogel Center
Ghost towns
- Barger
- Dolph
- Edson Corners
- Forward
- Frey
- Galt
- Garfield
- Keelans Corner
- Missaukee
- Mynnings
- Stratford