Iron County is one of two landlocked

counties 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 ...

of 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 11,631. 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 Crystal Falls.

History

Iron County was organized in 1885, with territory partitioned from Marquette and

Menominee The Menominee ( ; meaning ''"Menominee People"'', also spelled Menomini, derived from the Ojibwe language word for "Wild Rice People"; known as ''Mamaceqtaw'', "the people", in the Menominee language) are a federally recognized tribe of Na ...

counties. In 1890, the county's population was 4,432. It was named for the valuable

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the f ...

found within its borders.

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 an area of , of which is land and (3.7%) is water. Along with its southeastern neighbor

Dickinson County Dickinson County is the name of three counties in the United States: * Dickinson County, Iowa * Dickinson County, Kansas * Dickinson County, Michigan See also * Dickenson County, Virginia Dickenson County is a county located in the Commo ...

, it is one of only two landlocked counties in the

Major highways

* – runs east–west through lower part of county. Enters west line at above SW corner, then runs east and southeast to Crystal Falls, where it turns south and runs into Wisconsin. Passes Mineral Hills, Iron River, and Fortune Lake. * – runs north–south through center of county. Enters north line of county from Covington in Baraga County, then runs south to intersection with US-2 at Crystal Falls. * – runs east from Crystal Falls into Dickinson County. * – enters south line of county from

Nelma, Wisconsin Alvin is a town in Forest County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 157 at the 2010 census. The town was named after Alvin Spencer, a Baptist minister from Powell County, Kentucky who arrived in the area around 1908. The unincorporate ...

, then runs northeast to intersection with US-2 at Iron River. * – enters south line of county from Tipler, Wisconsin, then runs north to intersection with US-2 at Iron River.''Iron County MI'' Google Maps (accessed 18 September 2018)
/ref>

Adjacent counties

* Houghton County (north) * Baraga County (north) * Marquette County (northeast) *

(east) *

Florence County, Wisconsin Florence County is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 4,558, making it the second-least populous county in Wisconsin after Menominee Coun ...

(southeast) *

Forest County, Wisconsin Forest County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,179. Its county seat is Crandon. The Forest County Potawatomi Community and the Sokaogon Chippewa Community have reservations in Forest C ...

(south) *

Vilas County, Wisconsin Vilas County ( ) is a county in the state of Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,047. Its county seat is Eagle River. The county partly overlaps the reservation of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior ...

(southwest) * Gogebic County (west) * Ontonagon County (northwest)

National protected area

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

Cities

* Caspian * Crystal Falls (county seat) * Gaastra * Iron River

Village

Alpha Alpha (uppercase , lowercase ) is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of one. Alpha is derived from the Phoenician letter ''aleph'' , whose name comes from the West Semitic word for ' ...

Census-designated place

Amasa Amasa (עמשא) or Amessai is a person mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. His mother was Abigail (), a sister of King David (). Hence, Amasa was a nephew of David, and cousin of Joab, David's military commander, as well as a cousin of Absalom, ...

Unincorporated communities

* Beechwood * Colony Corners * Elmwood * Erickson Landing * Forbes * Fortune Lake * Gibbs City – Ghost town on Paint River * Mansfield Location * Pentoga * Rogers * Stager

Townships

* Bates Township * Crystal Falls Township * Hematite Township * Iron River Township * Mansfield Township * Mastodon Township * Stambaugh Township

Demographics

In 2020, its population was 11,631. The 2010 United States census indicates Iron County had a population of 11,817. This decrease of 1,321 people from the 2000 United States census represents a 10.1% population decrease. In 2010 there were 5,577 households and 3,284 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 9,197 housing units at an average density of . 97.1% 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 ...

, 2.9% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% Black or African American, 0.2% of some other race and 1.4% of two or more races; 1.4% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). Culturally, 14.3% were of

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 ...

, 11.5% Finnish, 11.3%

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

, 8.6% 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 ...

, 8.0% Swedish, 6.5% English, 5.8% American and 5.4% Irish ancestry. In 2010, there were 5,577 households, out of which 18.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.6% 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, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.1% were non-families. 36.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.65. The county population contained 17.1% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 17.2% from 25 to 44, 34.1% from 45 to 64, and 26.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 51.9 years. 49.3% of the population was male, 50.7% was female. In 2010, the median income for a household in the county was $35,390, and the median income for a family was $46,337. 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 $20,099. About 6.5% of families and 11.7% 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 18.0% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Iron County was reliably Republican during its first three decades. However, since 1936 its voters have selected the Democratic Party nominee in 16 (out of 23) of the national elections through 2024, though it has voted Republican in the four most recent elections and five of the last six. Iron 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.

Education

* West Iron County Schools * Forest Park School District

References

External links

Iron County website

Iron County Economic Chamber Alliance websiteIron County Profile, Sam M Cohodas Regional Economist, Tawni Hunt Ferrarini, Ph.D.

Western Upper Peninsula Planning & Development Region

Historic photographs of Iron County
via the Upper Peninsula Region of Library Cooperation {{Coord, 46.21, -88.51, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MI_source:UScensus1990 Michigan counties 1885 establishments in Michigan Populated places established in 1885