Baraga County ( ) is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the

Upper Peninsula The Upper Peninsula of Michigan—also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. or Yoop—is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula b ...

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 so ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,158, making it Michigan's fifth-least populous county. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is L'Anse. The county is named after Bishop Frederic Baraga, a Catholic missionary who ministered to the Ojibwa Indians in the

Michigan Territory The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroit ...

. The L'Anse Indian Reservation of the

Ojibwa The Ojibwe (; syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the northern plains, extending into the subarctic and thro ...

is within Baraga County.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (16%) is water. The county is located in the state's Upper Peninsula on the shore of

Lake Superior Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. Lake Michigan–Huron has a larger combined surface area than Superior, but is normally considered tw ...

, at the southeast base of the

Keweenaw Peninsula The Keweenaw Peninsula (, ) is a peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. Part of the greater landmass of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Upper Peninsula, the Keweenaw Peninsula projects about northeasterly into Lake Superior, forming Keweena ...

. The villages of Baraga and L'Anse are located at the base of Lake Superior's Keweenaw Bay. Point Abbaye projects north into the lake, enclosing Huron Bay. The eastern two-thirds of the county includes much of the

Huron Mountains The Huron Mountains are located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan, mostly in Marquette County, Michigan, Marquette County, and extending into Baraga County, Michigan, Baraga County, overlooking Lake ...

, including

Mount Arvon Mount Arvon ( ) at , is the highest natural point in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located in L'Anse Township, Baraga County, Mount Arvon is part of the Huron Mountains. It rises about south of Lake Superior (elevation ). On the list of highes ...

—the highest natural point in Michigan at .

Major highways

* : runs north–south through the upper central part of county. The highway enters at the northeast corner of the county on the west shore of Keweenaw Bay and runs south along the shoreline to Baraga and L'Anse, then turns inland (south) past Alberta, then east through Nestoria and Three Lakes. It exits into Marquette County at Imperial Heights. * : runs south from its intersection with US-41 south of Alberta into Iron County. * : enters the west side of the county then runs east and east-northeast to the intersection with US-141 at Covington. * : runs east–west through the northwest corner of county. It enters from Alston in Houghton County, then runs east to intersection with US-41 at Baraga.

Adjacent counties

* Marquette County (east) * Iron County (south) * Houghton County (west)

National protected areas

Keweenaw National Historical Park Keweenaw National Historical Park is a unit of the U.S. National Park Service. Established in 1992, the park celebrates the life and history of the Keweenaw Peninsula in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a federal-local ...

(part) *

Ottawa National Forest The Ottawa National Forest is a national forest that covers in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It includes much of Gogebic County, Michigan, Gogebic and Ontonagon County, Michigan, Ontonagon counties, as well as slices of Iro ...

(part)

Communities

Villages

* Baraga * L'Anse (county seat)

Civil townships

* Arvon Township * Baraga Township * Covington Township * L'Anse Township * Spurr Township

Census-designated places

* Covington * Pelkie * Skanee * Three Lakes * Zeba

Other unincorporated communities

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

* Arnheim * Assinins * Aura * Bear Town *

Bovine Bovines (subfamily Bovinae) comprise a diverse group of 10 genera of medium to large-sized ungulates, including Bos, cattle, bison, African buffalo, Bubalus, water buffalos, and the four-horned and spiral-horned antelopes. The members of this gro ...

* Glovers Corner * Herman * Imperial Heights * Keweenaw Bay * McComb Corner * Nestoria * Pequaming * Tioga *

Tunis Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...

* Vermilac * Watton

Indian reservations

* The L'Anse Indian Reservation occupies two sections of Baraga County within portions of Baraga, L'Anse, and Arvon townships. The reservation also has very small portion in Chocolay Charter Township in neighboring Marquette County to the east.

Demographics

The 2010 United States census indicated Baraga County had a population of 8,860. This was an increase of 114 people from 2000. In 2010 there were 3,444 households and 2,209 families in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

was . There were 5,270 housing units at an average density of . Among the county, 75.0% of the population was

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 13.1% Native American, 7.2% Black or African American, 0.1% Asian, 0.2% of some other race and 4.4% of two or more races; 1.0% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). Additionally, 22.5% were of Finnish, 9.1%

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, 8.8% French,

French Canadian French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French people, French colonists first arriving in Canada (New France), France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of ...

Cajun The Cajuns (; French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French ethnicity mainly found in the US state of Louisiana and surrounding Gulf Coast states. Whi ...

, 5.6% English and 5.5% Irish ancestry. By the 2020 census, its population was 8,158. In 2010, there were 3,444 households, out of which 25.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. Of all households, 31.6% were made up of individuals, and 13% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.82. The age distribution of the county population was the following: 20.2% were under the age of 18, 7% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 29.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.9 years; 54.9% of the population was male, 45.1% was female. As of 2010, the median income for a household in the county was $40,115, and the median income for a family was $50,996. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $19,076. About 9.5% of families and 13% 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 ...

, including 19.2% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over. By the 2021 census estimates, its median household income was $45,792.

Government

Baraga County has tended to support Republican candidates. Since 1884 its voters have selected the Republican Party nominee in 67% (24 of 36) of the national elections through 2024, and in all presidential elections since 2000. Baraga County operates the county jail, maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, records deeds, mortgages, and

vital records Vital records are records of life events kept under governmental authority, including birth certificates, marriage licenses (or marriage certificates), separation agreements, divorce certificates or divorce party and death certificates. In some j ...

, 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 de ...

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.

References

External links

Baraga County Government website

Baraga County Profile, Sam M Cohodas Regional Economist, Tawni Hunt Ferrarini, Ph.D.

Western Upper Peninsula Planning & Development Region
{{Authority control 1875 establishments in Michigan Michigan counties