Roscommon 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

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 23,459. 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 ...

Roscommon Roscommon (; ; ) is the county town and the largest town in County Roscommon in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is roughly in the centre of Ireland, near the meeting of the N60 road (Ireland), N60, N61 road (Ireland), N61 and N63 road (Irelan ...

. The county was founded in 1840 and organized in 1875.

History

The county was formed by the Michigan Legislature in 1840 as Mikenauk County, then renamed Roscommon County in 1843. It was administered by Michilimackinac (Mackinac), Cheboygan, and Midland counties, in succession, prior to the organization of county government in 1875. Roscommon County was named after

County Roscommon County Roscommon () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of the province of Connacht and the Northern and Western Region. It is the List of Irish counties by area, 11th largest Irish county by area and Li ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. There are three official Michigan historical markers in the county: * Gerrish * Pioneer House * Terney House

Geography

According to the

US 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 (10%) is water. Roscommon County is considered to be part of Northern Michigan. Part of Michigan's Au Sable State Forest falls within the county. The US Forest Service's Roscoe Fire Management Unit includes Ogemaw and Roscommon Counties.

Geographic features

During prehistoric times, glacial action helped shape the Michigan-area terrain. A large portion of the area is the Grayling outwash plain, which includes sandy ice-disintegration ridges; jack pine barrens, white pine-red pine forest, and northern hardwood forest. Large lakes were created by glacial action. Prominent geographic features include: * Au Sable River * Backus Creek * Cut River * Dead Stream Flooding * Higgins Lake * Houghton Lake * Houghton Lake Flats * Lake St. Helen * Marl Lake * ''Roscommon Virgin Pine Stand'' – a parcel within the Au Sable State Forest, north of St. Helen, Michigan, and 8 miles east of Roscommon. An old-growth stand of

red pine ''Pinus resinosa'', known as red pine (also Norway pine in Minnesota), is a pine native to Eastern North America. Description Red pine is a coniferous evergreen tree characterized by tall, straight growth. It usually ranges from in heigh ...

, which includes a former national champion red pine. * Underground oil deposits

Major highways

* (future) * – runs south, SE, and east through the NE middle portion of county. * – runs north–south through west portion of county. Passes on west side of Higgins and Houghton Lakes. * – runs north–south through center of county. Passes Roscommon and Prudenville. Leaving Roscommon, runs east along north line of county for before turning to NE. * – runs east–west through center of county to intersection with I75, west of east line of county. * – short () north-south spur connecting M18 to M55, east of Houghton Lake. * – runs south from Prudenville. Exits the county on the line between Clare and Gladwin counties.

Airports

* Houghton Lake State Airport is located in Roscommon Township. * Roscommon County–Blodgett Memorial Airport is located in Markey Township.

Adjacent counties

* Crawford County – north * Oscoda County – northeast * Ogemaw County – east * Gladwin County – southeast * Clare County – southwest * Missaukee County – west * Kalkaska County – northwest

Communities

Village

(county seat)

Civil townships

* Au Sable Township * Backus Township * Denton Township * Gerrish Township * Higgins Township * Lake Township * Lyon Township * Markey Township * Nester Township * Richfield Township * Roscommon Township

Census-designated places

* Houghton Lake * Prudenville * St. Helen

Other unincorporated communities

* Artesia Beach * Au Sable River Park * Geels * Higgins Lake * Hillcrest * Houghton Lake Heights * Houghton Point * Keno * Loxley * Lyon Manor * Maple Valley * Meads Landing * Michelson * Nellsville * Sharps Corner * Tent City

Demographics

At the 2000 United States census, there were 25,469 people, 11,250 households, and 7,616 families residing 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 23,109 housing units at an average density of . By the 2020 census, the county's population was 23,459. In 2000, the racial makeup of the county was 97.99%

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 ...

, 0.32%

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 ...

, 0.64% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.04%

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 ...

, 0.10% from other races, and 0.72% from two or more races. 0.80% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. 24.4% were of German, 12.7% English, 9.9% Irish, 9.2% Polish, 9.2% American and 6.7% French ancestry. 97.2% spoke English as their first language. Those citing " American" ancestry in Roscommon County are of overwhelmingly English extraction, however most

English American English Americans (also known as Anglo-Americans) are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in England. In the 2020 United States census, English Americans were the largest group in the United States with 46.6 million America ...

s identify simply as having American ancestry because their roots have been in North America for so long, in some cases since the 1600s.

Attractions and events

The community is centered in the area of two very large lakes, in the middle of large state forests. Wildlife are nearby, including bear, deer, eagles, Kirtland's warblers, and turkeys. Local attractions and activities include: * Birding * Bluegill Festival each summer in St. Helen * Boating, paddling (canoe and kayak) * Firemen's Memorial Festival, an annual event (September) since 1979. * Fishing * Golf * Hiking * Historical Village Days, an annual event (August) held on the grounds of the Houghton Lake Historical Village & Playhouse, since in 1972. * Hunting * Kirtland Warbler Habitat and Festival is an annual (held in May) event hosted by Kirtland Community College. * Michigan Shore-to-Shore Trail, a system of interconnected trails, passes through the area. It runs from

Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

to Oscoda, and points beyond. * Nordic skiing * ORV and groomed snowmobile trails * Sailing * Tip-up-town winter festival, Houghton Lake, an annual event (held in January). Roscommon County, Michigan, hosts an event known as Christmas in the Village. This event is held on the first Saturday in December annually. Christmas in the Village began in 1994 when the old Roscommon Middle School was purchased for a dollar and transformed into the community building, called the CRAF Center. The committee for Christmas in the Village was composed of volunteers. Each year features burn barrels, an annual tree lighting, an electric light parade, and more. As time passes, new activities are added annually. Typically, you can find a craft show in the gym of the CRAFT Center and a petting zoo. Vendors set up shops in the CRAF center gym to sell plenty of goods. There is a wide variety, from fudges to quilts. The town gathers to celebrate the holidays together. Santa arrives on the train. https://roscommonchristmasinthevillage.com/history/

Government

Roscommon County voters tend to vote Republican; they have selected the Republican Party nominee in 75% of national elections (27 of 36). 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, 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

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 ...

: Michael Edwards *

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 ...

: Ed Stern *

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: Michelle Stevenson * County Treasurer: Rebecca A. Ragan * Drain Commissioner: Pamela Bale (information as of January 2021)

References

External links

Roscommon County

Higgins Lake/Roscommon Chamber of Commerce

Houghton Lake/Roscommon Chamber of Commerce
*
''A history of northern Michigan and its people''
Powers, Perry Francis. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1912. pp. 554–5
''History of Michigan.''
Moore, Charles. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1915. p. 709 {{Coord, 44.33, -84.61, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MI_source:UScensus1990 Michigan counties 1875 establishments in Michigan Populated places established in 1875