Wexford County, Michigan

Wexford County is a county in the Northern Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 33,673. The seat of Wexford County is Cadillac, which is also the county's largest city.

Wexford County is largely covered by the Manistee National Forest, and thus is heavily wooded. The Manistee River flows from east to west in the north of the county. Briar Hill, the highest point in Michigan's Lower Peninsula, is located in northwestern Wexford County, at .

The county is the location of the first known sighting of the Michigan Dogman, in 1887.

History

thumb|A detail from [[:File:1842 A new map of Michigan with its canals roads distances by H.S. Tanner.jpg|A New Map of Michigan with its Canals, Roads & Distances (1842) by Henry Schenck Tanner, showing Wexford County as "Kawtawwabet" (a misspelling of Kautawaubet, the county's name from 1840 to 1843. from gaa-dawaabide meaning "broken tooth" in the Anishinaabe language, which was the name of a local Potawatomi chief. In 1843, legislators renamed the county Wexford,

In 1851, Wexford County was attached to Grand Traverse County for administrative purposes. It was then attached to Manistee County in 1855, before being organized on its own in 1869. The day following the election, a sheriff's posse left the city for Manton by special train to seize the county records. After they arrived and collected a portion of the materials, however, an angry crowd confronted the Cadillac men and drove them out of town.

When the sheriff returned to Cadillac, he encountered a force consisting of several hundred armed men; this group reportedly included a brass band. The Sheriff's force, some of whom may have been intoxicated, traveled back to Manton to seize the remaining records. Although Manton residents confronted the Cadillac men and barricaded the courthouse, the posse successfully seized the documents. They returned to Cadillac in dubious glory. The terrain slopes to the west, with its highest point, Briar Hill in Manistee National Forest at .

According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 575.46 sqmi (1,490 km2), of which 565.00 sqmi (1,463 km2) is land and 10.46 sqmi (27.1 km2) (1.8%) is water.

Adjacent counties

Grand Traverse County – north
Kalkaska County – northeast
Missaukee County – east
Osceola County – southeast
Lake County – southwest
Manistee County – west
Benzie County – northwest

Protected areas

Brandy Brook Waterfowl Area
Manistee National Forest (part)
Mitchell State Park

Lakes

Source:

| align-fn = center

| footnote = US Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2018]]

Racial and ethnic composition

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Wexford County, Michigan – Racial and ethnic composition

!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!Pop 1980

!Pop 1990

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" | Pop 2020

!% 1980

!% 1990

!% 2000

!% 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020

|White alone (NH)

|24,802

|25,921

|29,469

|31,246

|style='background: #ffffe6; |30,783

|98.80%

|98.33%

|96.67%

|95.45%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |91.42%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|12

|33

|54

|122

|style='background: #ffffe6; |187

|0.05%

|0.13%

|0.18%

|0.37%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.56%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|85

|172

|215

|189

|style='background: #ffffe6; |163

|0.34%

|0.65%

|0.71%

|0.58%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.48%

|Asian alone (NH)

|48

|80

|126

|193

|style='background: #ffffe6; |186

|0.19%

|0.30%

|0.41%

|0.59%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.55%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|18

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1

|0.02%

|0.05%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%

|Other race alone (NH)

|21

|13

|24

|style='background: #ffffe6; |112

|0.08%

|0.00%

|0.04%

|0.07%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.33%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|294

|424

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,451

|0.96%

|1.30%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.31%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|134

|153

|307

|519

|style='background: #ffffe6; |790

|0.53%

|0.58%

|1.01%

|1.59%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.35%

|Total

|25,102

|26,360

|30,484

|32,735

|style='background: #ffffe6; |33,673

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 33,673. The median age was 42.0 years. 23.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.1 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 92.4% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.7% from some other race, and 5.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.3% of the population.

36.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 63.7% lived in rural areas.

There were 13,610 households in the county, of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 47.5% were married-couple households, 19.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Politics

Wexford County is one of the few counties to have given majorities to both the first Republican candidate, John C. Frémont, and to John McCain in his 2008 presidential campaign. The county also twice favored Democrat Bill Clinton.

Wexford County is divided between Michigan's 1st and 2nd congressional districts, both represented by Republicans Jack Bergman and John Moolenaar, respectively.

Tourism

There are many attractions and hot spots in Wexford County. The Manistee National Forest is one recreation site. The Manistee River is used by fishermen, kayakers, and canoers. There are many lakes; the largest are Cadillac and Mitchell. Two hundred miles of snowmobile trails are maintained by the Cadillac Winter Promotions volunteer group. There are at least eight golf courses near Cadillac. There are several museums near Cadillac. The Wexford Civic Center is a 4,000 capacity arena, 300 capacity hockey facility, 300 capacity grand stand, and several buildings for agricultural shows and expos.

Education

The Wexford–Missaukee Intermediate School District, based in Cadillac, services the school districts in the county (with the exception of Buckley Community Schools, which is covered by Northwest Educational Services). The intermediate school district offers regional special education services and technical career programs to students of its districts.

Wexford County is served by the following regular public school districts:

Buckley Community Schools
Cadillac Area Public Schools
Manton Consolidated Schools
Mesick Consolidated Schools

The county also has one charter school, the Highpoint Virtual Academy of Michigan.

Wexford County has the following private schools:

Cadillac Heritage Christian School
Northview Adventist School (Seventh-Day Adventist)
St. Ann School (Catholic)

Historical markers

thumb|right|[[Charles T. Mitchell House in Cadillac]]

There are several recognized Michigan historical markers in the county:

Battle of Manton
Caberfae Ski Resort
Cadillac Carnegie Library
Charles T. Mitchell House
Clam Lake Canal
Cobbs & Mitchell Building
Cobbs and Mitchell Mill No.1
First Wexford County Courthouse
Greenwood Disciples of Christ Church
Shay Locomotive

References

External links

Wexford County
Wexford County Fact Book
Chapter XVII Wexford County in A history of northern Michigan and its people by Perry F. Powers; assisted by H.G. Cutler. Powers, Perry Francis, 1857–1945. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1912. p. 404
History of Wexford County, Michigan, comp. by John H. Wheeler, Logansport, Ind.:B. F. Bowen, 1903.
Wexford County Sheriff's Office