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Genesee 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 of
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 406,211, making it the fifth-most populous county in Michigan, and the most populous in Mid Michigan. 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 ...
and largest city is
Flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Historically, flint was widely used to make stone tools and start ...
(birthplace of
General Motors General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...
). Genesee County consists of 33
cities A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
,
township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...
s, and
village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...
s. It is considered to be a part of Mid Michigan. The county was named after Genesee County, New York, which in turn comes from the Seneca word Gen-nis'-hee-yo, meaning "Beautiful Valley". Genesee County comprises the Flint, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area. A major attraction for visitors is Crossroads Village, a living history village north of Flint. Genesee County is noted for having had the fossil of an ancient
whale Whales are a widely distributed and diverse group of fully Aquatic animal, aquatic placental mammal, placental marine mammals. As an informal and Colloquialism, colloquial grouping, they correspond to large members of the infraorder Cetacea ...
known as '' Balaenoptera Lacepede'' unearthed in Thetford Township during quarry work and estimated at 11,000 years old.


History


Formative period

Genesee County was created on March 28, 1835, from territory taken from Lapeer, Shiawassee and Saginaw counties. The county was attached to Oakland County for judicial purposes. The only township organized at the time was Grand Blanc, formed in 1833 consisting of additional township areas of the present Fenton, Mundy, Flint, Mount Morris, Genesee, Burton, Atlas and Davison townships. (Atlas and Davision township survey areas were then in Lapeer County.) Flint Township followed in formation by the legislature on March 2, 1836, splitting away from Grand Blanc with the township areas of Burton, Genesee and Mount Morris plus additional township areas of the present day Clayton, Montrose, Flushing, Thetford and Vienna. On April 4, 1836, the county was fully organized. Organized on July 26, 1836, Argentine Township included two township survey areas taking Fenton away from Grand Blanc Township plus the current Argentine area west of Fenton. In the organizing act of March 11, 1837, two townships (Mundy and Vienna) were organized in the county. Mundy had an additional township area to the west. Vienna consisted of the northern tier of three township areas in the county at the time taking two areas from Flint Township. With this act just a week after Michigan's admission as a state, the county was fully cover with 5 township governments. The townships of Genesee, Fenton, and Flushing were formed on March 6, 1838. Genesee and Flushing were split off from Flint Township. Fenton was split off from Argentine Township. Genesee included half the survey area to the west. While Flushing included the other half of that survey area (township 8 North range 6 East), the full township area further west (township 8 North range 5 East) then another survey area and half the row below (township 7 North range 5,6 East). Thus Flint Township consisted of one and a half township survey areas. Fifteen northerly sections of survey area township 7 north range No. 7 east in Flint Township plus southerly sections of Genesee Township were set off by the Michigan Legislature as Kearsley Township in 1839. On March 7, 1843, the legislature abolished this township returning the sections back to Flint and Genesee townships. Thus Flint Township consisted of approximately one and a half township survey areas. Two new townships were formed by the state on March 9, 1842.
Thetford Thetford is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Breckland District of Norfolk, England. It is on the A11 road (England), A11 road between Norwich and London, just east of Thetford Forest. The civil parish, coverin ...
was the eastmost survey area split off from Vienna. While Gaines was formed with the western township survey of Mundy. The county was enlarged on March 9, 1843, by adding a column of townships on its east from Lapeer County. From north to south, the townships were
Forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...
, Richfield, Davison and
Atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of world map, maps of Earth or of a continent or region of Earth. Advances in astronomy have also resulted in atlases of the celestial sphere or of other planets. Atlases have traditio ...
. On March 25, 1846, an additional two townships were formed, Clayton and Pewanagawink. Clayton split the southernmost survey area from Flushing Township. Pewanagawink took the westernmost survey area from Vienna and changed its name to Montrose by act of January 15, 1848. Mount Morris Township was created on February 12, 1855, from a single survey township area with its two halves taken from Flushing and Genesee townships. Flint Township was split into three parts upon the formation of the City of Flint. The County Board of Supervisors split the remaining township survey area into two; the western area become Garland Township (this name only last until the Flint name was restored on February 5, 1856) and the remaining eastern survey area became Burton Township.


Modern era

Plans for the Genesee Recreation Area was placed in Flint's master plan in 1950. This was present to Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Board of Trustees in 1964 with C.S. Mott getting behind the plan. In 1968, the county park system was started with the purchase of vacant land. with funds from the Mott Foundation, with a stipulation that a parks commission be formed. Flint Community Junior College was turned into a county-wide institution with a referendum and millage proposal passing the voters in 1969. To reflect this, the college was renamed Genesee Community College on July 5, 1970. In 1973, it was renamed to Charles Stewart Mott Community College after the death of C.S. Mott. In October 2009, County Commissioners directed County Corporate Counsel to discuss with the County Prosecuting Attorney a possible merger of his office with the County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. As of December 2011, County Counsel Ward Chapman was intending to retire by the end of the year raising the possibility again of a merger. By August 9, 2016, the two offices were merged. Emergency Management & Homeland Security Department was merged by the County Commission into the Sheriff's Department in June 2010 with the department director position being demoted to a manager level post while eliminating a programming coordinator. In July 2010, the County Board voted to merge the clerk and register of deeds offices, effective January 1, 2013. On October 26, 2010, Genesee County became a founding member of the Karegnondi Water Authority with Board of Commissioners Chair Jamie W. Curtis representing the County on the Authority Board. On May 30, 2012, it was reported Genesee County has had 45 confirmed tornadoes since 1950 (most notably the 1953 Flint–Beecher tornado), more than any other county in Michigan in that time period.


Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.9%) is water. Most of the land in the county is very flat, but the southern end is hilly and covered by several lakes. The county is mostly drained by the Flint River, which is dammed into Mott Lake and the Holloway Reservoir in the northeast corner of the county. The southeast corner and southern end are drained by the Shiawassee River.


Adjacent counties

* Tuscola County (northeast) * Lapeer County (east) * Oakland County (southeast) * Livingston County (southwest) * Shiawassee County (west) * Saginaw County (northwest)


Transportation

* Bishop International Airport is served by several major airlines. * The inter-modal Flint Amtrak station offers daily service on the '' Blue Water'' route west to
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
and east to Port Huron. It doubles as a bus station for Greyhound Lines, Indian Trails and Flint Mass Transportation Authority.


Major highways

* - runs north and south through central Genesee County, merges with US 23 in Mundy Township * - runs north and south through central Genesee County, merges with I-75 in Mundy Township * - alternate route of I-75/US23, runs north and south through central Genesee County * - runs north and south through central Genesee County * - runs north and south through western Genesee County, along the borders with Shiawassee County and Saginaw County, terminating north of I-69 * - runs north and south through eastern Genesee County * - runs east and west through central Genesee County * - runs east and west through central Genesee County, west of I-475 * - runs east and west through northern Genesee County, west of M-15


Demographics

The 2010 United States Census indicates Genesee County had a 2010 population of 425,790. This is a decrease of 10,351 people from the 2000 United States Census. Overall, the county had a -2.4% growth rate during this ten-year period. In 2010 there were 169,202 households and 111,620 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 668.5 per square mile (258.1 square kilometers). There were 192,180 housing units at an average density of 301.7 per square mile (116.5 square kilometers). 74.5% of the population were
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 ...
, 20.7% Black or African American, 0.9% Asian, 0.5% Native American, 0.7% of some other race and 2.6% of two or more races. 3.0% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). 18.0% were of German, 11.0% Irish, 10.6% English, 5.5% Polish 5.4% American and 4.8% French ancestry. , There were 169,202 households, out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.3% were husband and wife families, 17.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.0% were non-families, and 28.4% were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.03. In the county, 25.0% of the population was under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 27.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.4 males. The 2010 American Community Survey 1-year estimate indicates the median income for a household in the county was $38,819 and the median income for a family was $48,979. Males had a median income of $27,269 versus $18,082 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 $19,860. About 16.9% of families and 21.0% 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 31.0% of those under the age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.


Government and politics

Genesee County is a Democratic stronghold. It has only voted for a Republican candidate five times since 1932. The county, however, has shifted to the right since
2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
, with the Democrats carrying it by less than 10 points in each election since, including by less than 5 points in
2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...
. It last voted for a Republican during the
1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...
landslide reelection of
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...
. The county government operates the
jail A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where people are imprisoned under the authority of the state, usually as punishment for various cr ...
, maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, keeps files of deeds and mortgages, maintains 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 de ...
regulations and safeguards public health, and participates with the state in the provision of welfare and other social services. The county board of commissioners controls the budget but has only 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. The Genesee County Road Commission, an independent county government unit, is head of a five-member Road Commission. Road Commissioners are appointed by the County Board of Commissioners with the daily management is handled by a manager-director. Genesee County, except for the City of Flint, is under the jurisdiction of the 67th District Court of Michigan. District Courts have a limited jurisdiction as charged under state law. The 67th District Court operates in seven divisions, each with a single judge except for the Central Court Division, which is used for jury and felony cases. Genesee County is a founding member of the Karegnondi Water Authority The "outcounty" area (all but the city of Flint) receives library services from the Genesee District Library. The county equivalent for school is the Genesee Intermediate School District, which consist of school districts considered primarily within Genesee County. Charles Stewart Mott Community College is the local
community college A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...
serving the same area as the GISD. * Flint Area Narcotics Group is a Genesee County area anti-drug units head by the Michigan State Police consisting of 17 local members, some of whom loan police officers and resources to the group. * Genesee Auto-Theft Investigation Network (GAIN) is a Genesee County Sheriff Department led anti-auto theft task forces with local government members.


Elected officials

* Probate Court Judges ** Jennie E. Barkey, chief ** F. Kay Behm


Recreation

The county has a park system headed by a Parks and Recreation Commission and a director appointed by the county board of commissioners recommended by the parks commission. Commission president is Joe Krapohl with Barry June as acting director. In 1968, the county park system was started with the purchase of vacant land with funds from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, with a stipulation that a parks commission be formed. In January 2018, Genesee County Parks & Recreation purchased land along the Kearsley Creek for $700,000 from the Poulos family, owners of the White Horse Tavern in Flint, with assistance from a Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grant. The new Atlas County Park opened on April 29, 2018. Parks and other venues in the county system totaling 11,500 acres are: * Buell Lake Park, Thetford Township, fishing site, picnic area, playground, ball diamond, picnic pavilions to rent, snowmobile area and radio-controlled model airplane field * Davison Roadside Park, Burton, picnic area and beginner sledding hill * Flushing County Park, Flushing Township, picnic pavilions, ball diamond, playgrounds, tennis courts, cross country ski trails * Holloway Reservoir Regional Park, Richfield and Oregon townships, 5,500 acres, canoe launch below Holloway Reservoir Dam, Walleye Pike Boat Launch ** Buttercup Beach ** Elba Equestrian Complex ** Hogback Hills, snowmobile area and sledding/tobogganing ** Wolverine Campground * Linden County Park, Fenton Township, picnic pavilions, playgrounds, ball diamond, snowmobile area, intermediate sledding, toboggan hill and walking trails ** Clover Beach on Byram Lake * Richfield County Park, Richfield Township, ball diamonds, bicycle-motocross track, canoe-launching site, cross-country ski trails, picnic pavilions, playgrounds, snowmobile area, tennis courts and walking trails * Goldenrod Disc Golf Course, Richfield Township, 18-basket disc golf course. * Genesee Recreation Area on Mott Lake, Township ** Bluebell Beach and Splash Pad * For-Mar Nature Preserve and Arboretum, Burton * Atlas County Park, Hegel Road in Atlas Township * Crossroads Village and Huckleberry Railroad * Stepping Stones Falls - has a trail that connects to the Flint River Trail Genesee County is the only one in Michigan without a state park.


Communities


Cities

* Burton *
Clio In Greek mythology, Clio ( , ; ), also spelled Kleio, Сleio, or Cleo, is the muse of history, or in a few mythological accounts, the muse of lyre-playing. Etymology Clio's name is derived from the Greek root κλέω/κλείω (meaning ...
* Davison * Fenton (partial) *
Flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Historically, flint was widely used to make stone tools and start ...
(county seat) * Flushing * Grand Blanc * Linden * Montrose * Mount Morris * Swartz Creek


Villages

* Gaines * Goodrich * Lennon (partial) * Otisville * Otter Lake (partial)


Charter townships

* Clayton Charter Township * Fenton Charter Township * Flint Charter Township * Flushing Charter Township * Genesee Charter Township * Grand Blanc Charter Township * Montrose Charter Township * Mount Morris Charter Township * Mundy Charter Township * Vienna Charter Township


Civil townships

* Argentine Township * Atlas Township * Davison Township * Forest Township * Gaines Township * Richfield Township * Thetford Township


Census-designated places

*
Argentine Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...
* Beecher * Lake Fenton


Other unincorporated communities

*
Argentine Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...
*
Atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of world map, maps of Earth or of a continent or region of Earth. Advances in astronomy have also resulted in atlases of the celestial sphere or of other planets. Atlases have traditio ...
* Bayport Park * Beecher * Brent Creek * Duffield * Farrandville * Genesee * Huntingtown * Kipp Corners * Lake Fenton * Lakeside * Pine Run * Rankin * Richfield Center * Rogersville * Russellville * Thetford Center * Whigville * Whitesburg


Education

Public school districts include: *
Atherton Community Schools Atherton Community School District is one of five public school districts serving Burton Genesee County in the U.S. state of Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of ...
* Beecher Community School District * Bendle Public Schools * Bentley Community Schools * Birch Run Area School District * Brandon School District * Byron Area Schools * Carman-Ainsworth Community School District * Clio Area School District * Davison Community Schools * Durand Area Schools * Fenton Area Public Schools * Flint City School District * Flushing Community Schools * Genesee School District * Goodrich Area Schools * Grand Blanc Community Schools * Kearsley Community Schools * Lake Fenton Community Schools * Lakeville Community Schools * Linden Community Schools * Millington Community Schools * Montrose Community Schools * Mount Morris Consolidated School District * Swartz Creek Community Schools * Westwood Heights Schools There is a state-operated school: Michigan School for the Deaf (MSD). In 1994 the Michigan School for the Blind moved back to Flint with MSD when the blind school's Lansing campus closed.
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See also

*
Back to the Bricks Back to the Bricks is a car show held annually in Genesee County, Michigan. The five-day event is structured with the first day having a Kick off party and "Brick Flick" automotive movie seen at the US 23 Drive-in Theatre, at least two days of R ...
* List of Michigan State Historic Sites in Genesee County, Michigan * National Register of Historic Places listings in Genesee County, Michigan * The Flint Enquirer


References


External links

*
Genesee County Road Commission
Official website

{{Coord, 43.02, -83.71, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MI_source:UScensus1990 Michigan counties Michigan placenames of Native American origin 1836 establishments in Michigan Territory Populated places established in 1836