Schoolcraft County

Schoolcraft County is a county in the Upper Peninsula of the state of Michigan. As of the2010 census, the population was 8,485.[3] Thecounty seat is Manistique,[4][1] which lies along the northern shore of Lake Michigan. The county is named in honor of Henry Schoolcraft, who explored the area with the expedition of Lewis Cass.[1] The county is largely rural and forested, with much of the western portion of the county located withinHiawatha National Forest.



GeographyEdit
According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 1,883.98 square miles (4,879.5 km2), of which 1,171.36 square miles (3,033.8 km2) (or 62.17%) is land and 712.62 square miles (1,845.7 km2) (or 37.83%) is water.[5]

Highways

 * US 2
 * M‑28
 * M‑77
 * M‑94
 * M‑149
 * H-13 / FFH 13
 * H-42
 * H-44

Adjacent counties

 * Luce County (northeast)
 * Mackinac County (southeast)
 * Delta County (southwest)
 * Alger County (northwest)

National protected areas

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

Demographics
Rural road in Schoolcraft County

The 2010 United States Census[8] indicates Schoolcraft County had a population of 8,485. This is a decrease of 418 people from the2000 United States Census. This is a -4.7% change in population. In 2010 there were 3,759 households and 2,425 families in the county. The population density was 7 people per square mile (3/km²). There were 6,313 housing units at an average density of 5 per square mile (2/km²). 87.6% of the population were White, 8.8% Native American, 0.2%Asian, 0.1% Black or African American, 0.1% of some other race and 3.3% of two or more races. 0.8% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). 16.2% were of German, 13.2% French,French Canadian or Cajun, 7.8% Swedish, 6.7% Irish, 5.3% Polish, 5.2% English and 5.1%American ancestry.[9]

There were 3,759 households out of which 22.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.9% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.5% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.72.

In the county the population was spread out with 19.9% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 19.6% from 25 to 44, 33.3% from 45 to 64, and 21.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48.3 years. The population was 49.5% male and 50.5% female.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,367, and the median income for a family was $49,561. The per capita income for the county was $21,134. About 11.7% of families and 15.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.3% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.

GovernmentEdit
Schoolcraft County operates the County jail, Schoolcraft County Public Transit, maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, keeps files of deeds and mortgages, maintains vital records, administers public health regulations, 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.

Registered historic places
The National Register of Historic Places listings in Schoolcraft County, Michigan are
 * Ten Curves Road – Manistique River Bridge— Ten Curves Rd. over Manistique River in Gemfask Township (added 1999-12-17)
 * Manistique East Breakwater Light — at offshore end of east breakwater, approx. 1,800 ft. from shore in Manistique (added 2005-09-06
 * Manistique Pumping Station — Deer St. in Manistique (added 1981-10-26)
 * Seul Choix Pointe Light Station — County Rd. 431 in Manistique (added 1984-07-19)
 * Ekdahl-Goudreau Site — address restricted (added 1978-11-16)