Washtenaw 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, ...

. At the 2020 census, the population was 372,258. 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

Ann Arbor Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

. The county was authorized by legislation in 1822 and organized as a county in 1826. Washtenaw County comprises the Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county is home to the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

Eastern Michigan University Eastern Michigan University (EMU, EMich, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern) is a public university, public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1849 as the Michigan State Normal School, it was the fourth normal ...

Washtenaw Community College Washtenaw Community College (WCC) is a public community college in Ann Arbor Charter Township, Michigan.Concordia University Ann Arbor.

History

Native American territories

The first peoples occupying the central portion of what is now Michigan included: "the Pottawattamies, the Chippewas, the Ottawas, the Wyandottes and the Hurons". Early tribes and Ojibwe etymology of the word: Wash-ten-ong". Native Americans whose territories included land within the Washtenaw County boundaries are shown to have included: Myaamia (

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

), Bodéwadmiké (

Potawatomi The Potawatomi (), also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American tribe of the Great Plains, upper Mississippi River, and western Great Lakes region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, ...

), Anishinabewaki ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᐗᑭ, Peoria, Meškwahki·aša·hina (

Meskwaki The Meskwaki (sometimes spelled Mesquaki), also known by the European exonyms Fox Indians or the Fox, are a Native American people. They have been closely linked to the Sauk people of the same language family. In the Meskwaki language, th ...

), and the

Mississauga Mississauga is a Canadian city in the province of Ontario. Situated on the north-western shore of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, it borders Toronto (Etobicoke) to the east, Brampton to the north, Milton to the northwest, ...

nation.

Etymology of Washtenaw

In the

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 ...

language, "Wash-ten-ong" or "Owashtanong" literally translates as "far away waters", and was then used by the Ojibwe as the name for the Grand River due to its great length. At the time of the official naming of the county in 1822, the headwaters of the Grand River fell within the original boundaries of Washtenaw County, which encompassed a much larger area than the present county.

Early colonization

The earliest histories mention French trappers and traders conducting trade in the area at the Potawatomi Trail and Pontiac Trail crossings of the Huron River, and later English then American settlers. The first successful settlement was established at the present site of Ypsilanti about 1809 by French traders. In 1822, the Legislative Council of Michigan Territory government defined the name and boundaries of the county, but attached it to Wayne County for revenue, taxation and judicial affairs. Four years after the first platting out of the county, Washtenaw was established as a separate self-administered county by an act of the Michigan Territorial Legislature, in 1826. It was attached for administrative purposes to Wayne County until (before 1829) when county government was seated. Ingham and other counties were formed from portions of territorial Washtenaw County. Swamps were drained to lower the water table. The swamp northwest of the I-94 and US-23 intersection, and areas within Waterloo Recreation Area still appear as they did to early settlers. As productive farms became established, the local deer herds grew. In the 1820s and 1830s, the events surrounding the independence of

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

from

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

inspired construction of Greek Revival buildings, and the names of townships, towns, and children. The "frostbitten convention" was held at Ann Arbor, the county seat, in 1835. Statehood was delayed because Michigan claimed the Toledo Strip, which was also claimed by

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. Following resolution of the

Toledo War The Toledo War (1835–1836), also known as the Michigan–Ohio War or Ohio–Michigan War, was a boundary dispute between the U.S. state of Ohio and the adjoining territory of Michigan over what is now known as the Toledo Strip. Control of th ...

(1835–1836), in which Michigan Territory ceded its claim to Toledo in exchange for most of the Upper Peninsula (from the

Porcupine Mountains The Porcupine Mountains, or Porkies, are a group of small mountains spanning the northwestern Upper Peninsula of Michigan The Upper Peninsula of Michigan—also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. or Yoop—is the northern ...

eastward), Ohio withdrew its objection and Michigan became a state on January 26, 1837. The convention also decided to move the capital from Detroit to a point further away from the Canadian border. After considering many existing communities, the delegates decided to build an entirely new capital city, which became

Lansing Lansing () is the capital city of the U.S. state of Michigan. The most populous city in Ingham County, parts of the city extend into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. It is the sixth-most populous city in Michigan with a popul ...

. The

, founded at Detroit in 1817, was moved to

in 1839 as a consolation for the city not being named the new state capital, as it had sought. The university subsequently became and remains Washtenaw County's largest employer. In 1849, the Michigan State Normal School (now

) was established in Washtenaw's oldest settlement, Ypsilanti. It was elevated to collegiate status c. 1891 as Michigan State Normal College. The name was changed in 1956 to Eastern Michigan College, which was elevated to university status in 1959.

Geography

Interstate 94 Business Route Ann Arbor Washtenaw Avenue

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 (2.3%) is water.

Adjacent counties

* Livingston County (north) * Oakland County (northeast) * Wayne County (east) * Monroe County (southeast) * Lenawee County (southwest) * Jackson County (west) * Ingham County (northwest)

Major highways

* * * * * * * * * *

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 372,258 people living in the county. 69.2% 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 ...

, 11.5% Black or African American, 9.03% Asian, 0.3% Native American, 1.9% of some other race and 7.8% of two or more races. 5% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). 17.4% 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 ...

, 10.5% English, 10% Irish and 7.1% Polish ancestry. 83.4% spoke only English at home; 3.7% spoke

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

and 12.9% spoke another language. There were 149,379 households, out of which 17.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.9% 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, 29.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.6% were non-families. In the county, 23.77% of the population was under the age of 19, 12.71% was from 19 to 25, 25.74% from 25 to 44, 22.58% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.5 years. The median income for a household in the county was $83,754 and the median income for a family was $116,562. 15.3% of people were under the poverty line.

Government

Washtenaw County Downtown Ann Arbor Campus

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 ...

: Eli Savit ( Democrat) *

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 ...

: Alyshia M. Dyer ( Democrat) *

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:

Lawrence Kestenbaum Lawrence Kestenbaum (born September 13, 1955) is an Attorney at law (United States), attorney, politician, and the creator and webmaster of ''The Political Graveyard'' website. Early life and education Although he was born in Chicago, Illinoi ...

( Democrat) * County Treasurer: Latitia Lamelle Sharp ( Democrat) * Water Resources Commissioner: Gretchen Driskell ( Democrat) The Board of Commissioners has nine members, elected from single member districts, on a partisan ballot, in November of even-numbered years. The term is two years. Information as of October 2024.

Government services

Parks and recreation

Washtenaw County operates 10 parks and one recreation center (

gym A gym, short for gymnasium (: gymnasiums or gymnasia), is an indoor venue for exercise and sports. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasion". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learn ...

nasium). One park has a water sprinkler area, one has a substantial

water park A water park (also waterpark, water world, or aquapark) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming ...

component, and there is one golf course. The recreation center has a swimming pool, indoor track,

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

courts, complete set of resistance machines, a weight room, and several multipurpose rooms. Washtenaw County is in the process of acquiring land for natural preservation. The program started in 2001, was renewed in 2010. The millage was renewed a second time in 2020 with a record high of 72% of votes supporting the renewal. Eight parcels of land had been purchased by July 2007. These parcels are of special ecological, recreational, and educational benefits. They are preserved in a natural unimproved state and are open to the public during daylight hours.

Wireless communication

In partnership with private enterprise, the county maintains a wireless network which is currently available to approximately 50% of county residents. This is the Wireless Washtenaw Project; its stated aim of this project is to provide wireless access to all county residents.

Miscellaneous

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 (through a largely independent road commission), operates the major local courts, records deeds and mortgages, maintains

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 providing welfare and 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.

Politics

Since 1988, when

Michael Dukakis Michael Stanley Dukakis ( ; born November 3, 1933) is an American politician and lawyer who served as governor of Massachusetts from 1975 to 1979 and from 1983 to 1991. He is the longest-serving governor in Massachusetts history and only the s ...

won it, the county has been a Democratic stronghold in local and national elections due to the presence of

and the

. In the

2020 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 3, 2020. The Democratic Party (United States), Democratic ticket of former vice president Joe Biden and California junior senator Kamala H ...

it gave 72.4% of the vote to Democratic nominee

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

, the highest margin for a Democrat in the county, the third-highest for any candidate in the county's history, and the highest in the state at the time as well. Between

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

and 1988 it was generally a swing county:

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

marked the first time that the county supported the same party as in the previous election since 1960. Despite its modern-day Democratic strength, it was reliably Republican at the presidential level from

1896 Events January * January 2 – The Jameson Raid comes to an end as Jameson surrenders to the Boers. * January 4 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state. * January 5 – An Austrian newspaper reports Wilhelm Röntgen's dis ...

to 1960, only voting Democratic once in that span in

1912 This year is notable for Sinking of the Titanic, the sinking of the ''Titanic'', which occurred on April 15. In Albania, this leap year runs with only 353 days as the country achieved switching from the Julian to Gregorian Calendar by skippin ...

when the Republican vote was split. It was one of the few counties where

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

was shut out in all four of his successful campaigns.

George McGovern George Stanley McGovern (July 19, 1922 – October 21, 2012) was an American politician, diplomat, and historian who was a U.S. representative and three-term U.S. senator from South Dakota, and the Democratic Party (United States), Democ ...

's win over

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

in the county in

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

despite the latter winning nationally by a landslide was a sign of the county's shift towards supporting the Democratic Party, though Michigander and former Wolverine

Gerald R. 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 ...

won it in 1976 and

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 ...

won it in 1984 amid his national landslide, being the most recent Republican to win the county.

Economy

The largest employers in Washtenaw County, as of July 2020, are:

Communities

Cities

(county seat) * Chelsea *

Dexter Dexter may refer to: People * Dexter (given name) * Dexter (surname) * Dexter (singer), Brazilian rapper Marcos Fernandes de Omena (born 1973) * Famous Dex, also known as Dexter, American rapper Dexter Tiewon Gore Jr. (born 1993) Places United ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

(partial) * Saline * Ypsilanti

Village

* Barton Hills

Charter townships

* Ann Arbor Charter Township * Augusta Charter Township * Pittsfield Charter Township * Superior Charter Township * York Charter Township * Ypsilanti Charter Township

Civil townships

* Bridgewater Township * Dexter Township * Freedom Township * Lima Township * Lodi Township * Lyndon Township * Manchester Township * Northfield Township * Salem Township * Saline Township * Scio Township * Sharon Township * Sylvan Township * Webster Township

Census-designated place

* Whitmore Lake (partial)

Other unincorporated communities

* Bridgewater * Dixboro * Delhi Mills * Geddes * Mooreville * Paint Creek * Salem * Stony Creek * Whittaker *

Willis Willis may refer to: Places United States * Willis, Florida, an unincorporated community * Willis, Kansas, a city * Willis, Michigan, an unincorporated community * Willis, Nebraska, an unincorporated community * Willis, Oklahoma, an unincorporat ...

Ghost town

* Rawsonville (partial)

Education

School districts include: * Ann Arbor Public Schools * Columbia School District * Chelsea School District * Clinton Community Schools * Dexter Community School District * Grass Lake Community Schools * Lincoln Consolidated School District * Manchester Community Schools * Milan Area Schools * Northville Public Schools * Pinckney Community Schools * Plymouth-Canton Community Schools * Saline Area Schools * South Lyon Community Schools * Stockbridge Community Schools * Van Buren Public Schools * Whitmore Lake Public Schools * Ypsilanti Community Schools Former school districts:
Text list
/ref> * Ypsilanti Public Schools * Willow Run Community Schools

References

Sources

External links

Foodloose in Washtenaw: A Foodie's Guide to Washtenaw County, 2018

Dexter District Library

Washtenaw County Government

''Past and present of Washtenaw County, Michigan''
by Samuel W. Beakes Chicago: The S.J. Clarke publishing co., 1906
Washtenaw Community Cafe
An online discussion group for the county of Washtenaw
Ypsilanti Historical Society
{{Coord, 42.25, -83.84, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MI_source:UScensus1990 Michigan counties Metro Detroit Michigan placenames of Native American origin 1826 establishments in Michigan Territory Populated places established in 1826