Marquette 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 ...

located 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 66,017. It is the most populous county in the Upper Peninsula. 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 Marquette. The county is named for Father Marquette, a Jesuit missionary. It was set off in 1843 and organized in 1851. Marquette County comprises the Marquette, MI micropolitan statistical area.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (47%) is water. It is the largest county in Michigan by land area and fourth-largest by total area. The Big Garlic River is located in the county. 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 ...

are located in the county. To the north of the county is

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 ...

Adjacent counties

* Alger County, east * Delta County, southeast * Menominee County, south/WI Border * Dickinson County, south/WI Border * Iron County, southwest/WI Border * Baraga County, west * Houghton County, northwest * Keweenaw County, north

National protected areas

* Hiawatha National Forest (part) * Huron National Wildlife Refuge *

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)

Climate

Communities

Cities

* Ishpeming * Marquette (county seat) * Negaunee

Charter townships

* Chocolay Charter Township * Marquette Charter Township

Civil townships

* Champion Township * Ely Township * Ewing Township * Forsyth Township * Humboldt Township * Ishpeming Township * Michigamme Township * Negaunee Township * Powell Township * Republic Township * Richmond Township * Sands Township * Skandia Township * Tilden Township * Turin Township * Wells Township * West Branch Township

Census-designated places

* Big Bay * Gwinn * Harvey * K.I. Sawyer * Michigamme * Palmer *

Republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...

* Trowbridge Park * West Ishpeming

Other unincorporated communities

Alder Alders are trees of the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus includes about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few species ex ...

* Antlers * Arnold * Beaver Grove *

Birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 3 ...

* Brookton Corners * Carlshend * Clarksburg * Dukes * Eagle Mills * Empire Iron Mine * Gordon * Green Garden * Greenwood * Homeier * Huron Mountain * Lakewood * Lawson * Little Lake * Maple Grove * McFarland * Midway Location * National Mine * North Lake * Northland * Sand River * Selma * Snowville * South Greenwood * South Republic * Suomi Location * Vick *

Witch Lake Witchcraft is the use of Magic (supernatural), magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meanin ...

Indian reservations

*The L'Anse Indian Reservation, which is primarily based in Baraga County to the west, has a small portion within Chocolay Township. *The Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians, which is headquartered in Sault Ste. Marie in Chippewa County, occupies a very small piece of property within the city limits of Marquette.

Demographics

In 2020, the population of the county was 66,017.

Economy

Top employers

''Last updated June 8, 2021.'' According to the Lake Superior Community Partnership website, the top employers in the county are: *Bolded values have been updated for 2021.

Education

Northern Michigan University Northern Michigan University (Northern Michigan, Northern or NMU) is a public university in Marquette, Michigan, United States. It was established in 1899 by the Michigan Legislature as Northern State Normal School. In 1963, the state designa ...

is a four-year university in Marquette. It was established in 1899.

School districts

Marquette County is divided into the following school districts: * Gwinn Area Community Schools * Ishpeming Public School District * Marquette Area Public Schools * Negaunee Public Schools * NICE Community School District * Powell Township Schools * Republic-Michigamme School District

Historical markers

There are ten historical markers in the county: * Cliffs Shaft Mine * Dandelion Cottage * Father Marquette Park * First Steam Railroad in Upper Peninsula * Ishpeming: Historic Ski Center * Jackson Mine * Marquette County Courthouse *

Marquette Iron Range The Marquette Iron Range is a deposit of iron ore located in Marquette County, Michigan in the United States. The towns of Ishpeming and Negaunee developed as a result of mining this deposit. A smaller counterpart of Minnesota's Mesabi Range, t ...

* Sam Cohodas Lodge / Sam Cohodas

Government

Marquette County was reliably Republican following the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

; its voters went Republican (or Republican-splinter) in every election from 1876 through 1932. However, that shifted in 1936; since then, the Republican nominee has carried the county in only five out of 23 elections through 2024, four of which were nationwide Republican landslides and the other had native Michigander

Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was the 38th president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Ford assumed the p ...

as the Republican nominee. At present, it has since become the only Democratic-leaning county in the

. It was the only Upper Peninsula County to vote for Democratic presidential candidates in 2016, 2020, and 2024. The county government operates Sawyer International Airport, 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, 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 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

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 ...

: Linda Talsma * County Treasurer: Jacqueline Solomon * Drain Commissioner: P. Michael Farrell * Mine Inspector: Steve Bertucci *

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 ...

: Jenna M. Nelson * Register of Deeds: Aidan Mckindles *

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 ...

: Gregory S. Zyburt

Transportation

Airports

* Sawyer International Airport, a county-owned public-use facility, south of Marquette on the site of K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base, which closed in 1995.

Transit

* MarqTran provides local transit services in and around Marquette. * Indian Trails provides intercity bus service.

Major highways

* * * * * * In addition to the of state highways in the county, the Marquette County Road Commission maintains of primary county roads which include County Road 492 (CR 492), and of secondary county roads. The road commission provides maintenance such as snow removal under contract with the

Michigan Department of Transportation The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is a constitutional government principal department of the US state of Michigan. The primary purpose of MDOT is to maintain the Michigan State Trunkline Highway System which includes all Interst ...

for the state trunklines. In 2010, the commission planned to build CR 595. The project was canceled after the permit was denied by the

Michigan Department of Environmental Quality The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), formerly Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (Michigan DEQ, MDEQ, or simply DEQ), is a principal department of the U.S. state of Michigan for environmental issues. T ...

and the project funding was diverted.

References

External links

Marquette County web site
{{Coord, 46.66, -87.60, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MI_source:UScensus1990 Michigan counties 1851 establishments in Michigan Populated places established in 1851