Newaygo County ( ) is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. As of the

2020 United States Census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, the population was 49,978. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

is White Cloud. The county was created in 1840, and was organized in 1851. It was either named for an

Ojibwe The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...

leader who signed the

Treaty of Saginaw The Treaty of Saginaw, also known as the Treaty with the Chippewa, was made between Gen. Lewis Cass and Chief Mash Kee Yosh, Chief John Okemos, Chief Wasso and other Native American tribes of the Great Lakes region (principally the Ojibwe, b ...

in 1819 or for an Algonquian word meaning "much water".

Geography

According to the

US Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the county has an area of , of which is land and (5.6%) is covered by water. The county is considered to be part of

West Michigan West Michigan and Western Michigan are terms for an arbitrary region in the U.S. state of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Most narrowly it refers to the Grand Rapids- Muskegon-Holland area, and more broadly to most of the region along the Lower Pe ...

. The county has more than 230 natural lakes. The combined total length of all the county's rivers and streams exceeds 350 miles (560 km). Three huge dams, Croton, Hardy, and Newaygo, were built at the beginning of the 20th century. The Hardy Dam is the largest earthen dam east of the Mississippi. Over half of the county is in the

Manistee National Forest The Manistee National Forest is a national forest located in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. It has a total area of . It was established in 1938, and combined with the Huron National Forest in 1945 for administrative purposes, creating the Hur ...

Rivers

Muskegon River Muskegon River is a river in the western portion of the lower peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The river source is located at Houghton Lake in Roscommon County, flowing out of the North Bay into neighboring Missaukee County. The river ...

* Pere Marquette River * Rogue River * White River

Major highways

* runs east–west through center of county. Passes Hesperia, Aetna, and White Cloud. * runs north–south through center of county. Passes Bitely, Brohman, White Cloud, Newaygo, Grant, and Ashland. * runs east–west through southern part of county. Goes through Newaygo. Ends at county line tri-point of

Muskegon Muskegon ( ') is a city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Muskegon County. Muskegon is known for fishing, sailing regattas, pleasure boating, and as a commercial and cruise ship port. It is a popular vacation destination because of the expans ...

, Oceana, and Newaygo Counties. * runs the length of county's west line. Terminates in Hesperia.

County designated highways

Adjacent counties

* Mason County – northwest * Lake County – north * Osceola County - northeast * Mecosta County – east * Montcalm County – southeast * Kent County – south * Muskegon County – southwest * Oceana County – west

National protected area

(part)

Demographics

As of the

2000 United States Census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 cen ...

, there were 47,874 people, 17,599 households, and 12,935 families in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 57 people per square mile (22/km²). There were 23,202 housing units at an average density of 28 per square mile (11/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.80%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 1.12%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.65% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 1.63% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.48% from two or more races. 3.85% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race. 21.5% were of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

ancestry, 20.5% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

ancestry, 14.4% were of

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

ancestry, 8.1% were of

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

ancestry and 5.0% were of

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

ancestry according to the 2010 American Community Survey. 95.7% spoke

and 3.2%

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

as their first language. There were 17,599 households, out of which 35.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.20% were married couples living together, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.50% were non-families. 22.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.13. The county population contained 29.10% under the age of 18, 7.40% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 12.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $37,130, and the median income for a family was $42,498. Males had a median income of $35,549 versus $22,738 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $16,976. About 9.00% of families and 11.60% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 14.60% of those under age 18 and 8.50% of those age 65 or over.

Religion

* The

Catholic church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

– 3,242 members * The Christian Reformed Church in North America – 7 congregations and 2,056 members * The

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelic ...

– 7 congregations and 1,600 members * The Reformed Church in America – 3 congregations and 1,000 members *

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...

- 1 meetinghouse in the county. * The Seventh-day Adventist Church has only one church in Newaygo County. Newaygo County is part of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids The Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids ( la, Dioecesis Grandcataractensis) is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in western Michigan, in the United States. It comprises 80 parishes in 11 counties in West Michigan. It is a suffragan see t ...

Economy

Tourism is the most important economic activity in Newaygo County. Secondly is a blend of agricultural and small manufacturing. International baby food manufacturer

Gerber Products Company Gerber Products Company is an American purveyor of baby food and baby products headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, with plans to relocate to Arlington, Virginia. Gerber is a subsidiary of Nestlé. Other Gerber products currently produced ...

is currently the county's largest employer with approximately 1,300 employees. Newaygo County also has a large number of summer cottage residents. Fishermen can find many

steelhead Steelhead, or occasionally steelhead trout, is the common name of the anadromous form of the coastal rainbow trout or redband trout (O. m. gairdneri). Steelhead are native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific basin in Northeast Asia and ...

in the spring and

salmon Salmon () is the common name for several commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family Salmonidae, which are native to tributaries of the North Atlantic (genus ''Salmo'') and North Pacific (genus '' Oncorhy ...

in the fall within the county's rivers and streams. Camping, hunting, cross country skiing, bicycling, birding and ORVing is common in the

Notable companies

* County of Newaygo - White Cloud * Dura Automotive Systems - Fremont * Gerber Memorial Health Services - Fremont *

- Fremont
Magna Donnelly
- Newaygo
North American Refractories
- White Cloud * Valspar Corporation - Fremont
Wilbur Ellis
- Grant
Newaygo Brewing
- Newaygo

Government

Newaygo County has been strongly Republican since the Civil War era. Since 1884, the Republican Party nominee has carried the county vote in 91% of the national presidential elections (31 of 34). It has only supported a Democrat for president once in that time, in 1964. The Democrats have managed even 40 percent of the county's vote only four other times. Newaygo County operates the County jail, maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, records deeds, mortgages, and vital records, administers

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

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.

Elected officials

Prosecuting Attorney A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the case in a criminal trial ...

: Worth Stay * Sheriff: Robert "Bob" Mendham * County Clerk: Jason VanderStelt * County Treasurer: Holly Moon *

Register of Deeds Recorder of deeds or deeds registry is a government office tasked with maintaining public records and documents, especially records relating to real estate ownership that provide persons other than the owner of a property with real rights over ...

:Stewart K. Sanders * Drain Commissioner: Dale Twing (information as of September 2018)

Festivals and events

* Memorial Weekend Arts & Crafts Festival - Newaygo * River Country Home & Garden Show - Newaygo Middle School * Newaygo County Kids' Day - Downtown Newaygo * Trail Town Celebration - Celebrating White Clouds Trails & Waterways * City-Wide Yard Sales - Grant * Harvest Celebration - Grant * Harvest Festival - Fremont * Logging Festival - Mid-Michigan Lumberjack Competition in Newaygo * Bitely Homecoming - Bitely * National Baby Food Festival - Fremont * Pow Wow - White Cloud * Santa Parade - Fremont * West Michigan's Longest Yard Sale - Grant, Newaygo, White Cloud, Bitely * Winterfest - Newaygo * Christmas in Newaygo * Christmas in Grant * Christmas in White Cloud

Historic sites

In Newaygo County there are 16 locations that the State Historic Preservation Office has designated as historical. Two of the sixteen have been listed with the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

: * Big Prairie Grange Hall No. 935 - Goodwell Twp * Birch Grove School - Lincoln Twp * Croton Congregational Church - Croton Twp * Croton Hydroelectric Plant - Croton Twp * Ensley Windmill Tower * First Christian Reformed Church (Demolished) - Fremont * Gerber, Cornelius, Cottage - Sheridan Charter Twp * Grant Depot and Water Tower - Grant * Hardy Hydroelectric Plant - Big Prairie - Twp * Lilley District No. 5 School - Lilley Twp * Oak Grove District No. 3 Schoolhouse - Croton Twp * Penoyer's Sawmill - Newaygo * Saint Mark's Episcopal Church - Newaygo * Weaver, Daniel, House - Denver Twp * White Cloud Village Hall (Demolished) - White Cloud * Woods, John F., Residence - Newaygo

Communities

Cities

* Fremont *

Grant Grant or Grants may refer to: Places *Grant County (disambiguation) Australia * Grant, Queensland, a locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia United Kingdom * Castle Grant United States * Grant, Alabama * Grant, Inyo County, ...

* Newaygo * White Cloud (county seat)

Village

* Hesperia (partially)

Unincorporated communities

* Bitely * Brunswick (partially) * Riverview * Woodland Park * Croton

Townships

* Ashland Township * Barton Township * Beaver Township * Big Prairie Township * Bridgeton Township * Brooks Township * Croton Township * Dayton Township * Denver Township * Ensley Township * Everett Township * Garfield Township * Goodwell Township * Grant Township * Home Township * Lilley Township * Lincoln Township * Merrill Township * Monroe Township * Norwich Township * Sheridan Charter Township * Sherman Township * Troy Township * Wilcox Township

References

External links

County of Newaygo

Newaygo County Convention and Visitors Bureau

Newaygo County Road Commission

Newaygo County Regional Educational Service Agency

Recycling for Newaygo County
{{Coord, 43.55, -85.80, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MI_source:UScensus1990 Michigan counties Grand Rapids metropolitan area 1851 establishments in Michigan Populated places established in 1851