Cheboygan 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

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 25,579. 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 Cheboygan. The county boundaries were set off in 1840, with land partitioned from Michilimackinac County. The Cheboygan County government was organized and combined with the former Wyandot County in 1853.

Etymology

The name of the county shares the same origin as that of the

Cheboygan River The Cheboygan River ( ) is a river in the U.S. state of Michigan. The U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed November 21, 2011 river flows from Mullett Lake to Lake Huron, with ...

, although the precise meaning is no longer known. It may have come from an

Ojibwe The Ojibwe (; Ojibwe writing systems#Ojibwe syllabics, syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the Great Plains, n ...

word ''zhaabonigan,'' meaning "sewing needle". Alternatively, the origin may have been ''Chabwegan,'' meaning "a place of ore". It has also been described as "a Native American word first applied to the river." ''See'' List of Michigan county name etymologies. "Cheboygan" is pronounced the same as " Sheboygan" (a city in

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

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 (19%) is water. The county is considered to be part of

Northern Michigan Northern Michigan (also known as Northern Lower Michigan and colloquially within Michigan as "Up North") is a region of the U.S. state of Michigan. The region, which is distinct from the more northerly Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Upper Peninsul ...

Adjacent counties

By land * Presque Isle County - east * Montmorency County - southeast * Otsego County - south * Charlevoix County - southwest * Emmet County - west By water *

Mackinac County Mackinac County ( , ) is a County (United States), county in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 10,834. The county seat is St. Ignace, Michigan, St. Ignace. F ...

- north

Communities

City

* Cheboygan (county seat)

Villages

Mackinaw City Mackinaw City ( ) is a village at the northernmost point of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, United States. Divided between Cheboygan and Emmet counties, Mackinaw City is located at the southern end of the Mackinac Bridge, which carries Interst ...

(part) *

Wolverine The wolverine ( , ; ''Gulo gulo''), also called the carcajou or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species, member of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscular carnivore and a solitary animal. The w ...

Civil townships

* Aloha Township * Beaugrand Township * Benton Township * Burt Township * Duncan Township ''(defunct)'' * Ellis Township * Forest Township * Grant Township * Hebron Township * Inverness Township * Koehler Township * Mackinaw Township * Maple Grove Township ''(defunct)'' * Mentor Township * Mullett Township * Munro Township * Nunda Township * Tuscarora Township * Walker Township * Waverly Township * Wilmot Township

Census-designated places

* Indian River *

Tower A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...

Other unincorporated communities

* Afton *

Aloha ''Aloha'' ( , Hawaiian: �ˈlohə is the Hawaiian word for love, affection, peace, compassion and mercy, that is commonly used as a greeting. It has a deeper cultural and spiritual significance to native Hawaiians, for whom the term is use ...

* Alverno * Birchwood *

Burt Lake Burt Lake is a lake in Cheboygan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The western shore of the lake is on the boundary with Emmet County. The lake is named after William Austin Burt, who, together with John Mullett, made a federal survey of ...

* Cordwood Point * Dow * Elmhurst * Fingerboard Corner *

Freedom Freedom is the power or right to speak, act, and change as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving oneself one's own laws". In one definition, something is "free" i ...

* Geyersville * Giauque Beach * Grand View * Haakwood * Long Point *

Mullett Lake Mullett Lake is a lake in Cheboygan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The lake is named after John Mullett, who, together with William A. Burt, made a federal survey of the area from 1840 to 1843. A neighboring lake was named after Burt. Hi ...

* Mullett Lake Woods * Orchard Beach * Point Landing * Pries Landing * Riggsville *

Rondo The rondo or rondeau is a musical form that contains a principal theme (music), theme (sometimes called the "refrain") which alternates with one or more contrasting themes (generally called "episodes", but also referred to as "digressions" or "c ...

* Royal Oak * Silver Beach * Topinabee * Veery Point * Wildwood

Indian reservations

Mackinac Bands of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians The Mackinac Bands of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians is a nonprofit organization and an unrecognized tribe. Located in Michigan, the Mackinac Band identifies as descendants of Bands 11-17 of Ojibwe and Odawa. The organization is headquartered in ...

Demographics

As of the 2000 United States census, there were 26,448 people, 10,835 households, and 7,573 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 16,583 housing units at an average density of . In 2020, its population was 25,279. In 2000, the racial makeup of the county was 94.80%

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 ...

, 0.25%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 2.55% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.15% from other races, and 2.05% from two or more races. 0.76% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 21.4% were of German, 10.4% English, 10.0% French, 9.5% Polish, 9.2% American and 8.9% Irish ancestry. 97.7% spoke English as their first language. There were 10,835 households, out of which 28.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.00% were married couples living together, 8.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.10% were non-families. 25.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.87. The county population contained 23.70% under the age of 18, 6.20% from 18 to 24, 25.80% from 25 to 44, 26.30% from 45 to 64, and 17.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 98.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.50 males. In 2000, the median income for a household in the county was $33,417, and the median income for a family was $38,390. Males had a median income of $30,054 versus $20,682 for females. 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 $18,088. About 8.70% of families and 12.20% 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 17.90% of those under age 18 and 7.10% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Cheyboygan County has tended to vote Republican through the years. Since 1884 its voters have selected the Republican Party nominee in 72% (26 of 36) of the national elections. Cheyboygan 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.

Elected officials

Prosecuting Attorney A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the adversarial system, which is adopted in common law, or inquisitorial system, which is adopted in civil law. The prosecution is the legal party responsible ...

: Melissa Goodrich *

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

: Todd A. Ross *

County Clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts record keeping as well as general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record keepin ...

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 ove ...

: Karen Brewster * County Treasurer: Buffy Jo Werdon *

Drain Commissioner A drain commissioner is an elected official in county government of the U.S. state of Michigan who is responsible for planning, developing and maintaining surface water drainage systems under Public Act 40 of 1956. In counties with a population und ...

: Cameron Cavitt * County Surveyor: James H. Granger (information as of September 2018)

Historical markers

There are eight recognized Michigan historical markers in the county: * Forty Mile Point Lighthouse / Graveyard of Ships * Inland Waterway * Jacob J. Post House * Jail and Sheriff's Residence * Newton-Allaire House * Old Cheboygan County Courthouse * St. Bernard Catholic Church * St. Mary's Church

Transportation

Highways

* * * * * * * (former highway) *

County-designated highways

* * * *

Airports

* Cheboygan County Airport, located in Cheboygan, is a private airport. There are no commercial airline airports in Cheboygan County but the nearest ones are Alpena County Regional Airport, Chippewa County International Airport ( Sault Ste. Marie, MI), and

Cherry Capital Airport Cherry Capital Airport is a Commercial aviation, commercial and general aviation airport located in Traverse City, Michigan, United States. The airport is located southeast of the central business district of Traverse City. The airport is FAA ...

( Traverse City).

Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, operating nine hubs, with Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport being its ...

schedules flights daily out of the

Pellston Regional Airport Pellston Regional Airport , also known as Pellston Regional Airport of Emmet County, is a public airport located northwest of the central business district of Pellston, a village in Emmet County, Michigan, United States. It is included in the ...

References

External links

Cheboygan County official site
*

''Enchanted forest'', Northern Michigan source for information, calendars, etc.

YourCheboygan.org, Open forum for community feedback
{{Coord, 45.48, -84.50, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MI_source:UScensus1990 Michigan counties Michigan placenames of Native American origin 1853 establishments in Michigan Populated places established in 1853