Isabella County, Michigan | ||
---|---|---|
|
||
Location in the U.S. state of Michigan |
||
Michigan's location in the U.S. |
||
Founded | 1859 | |
Named for | Queen Isabella I of Castile | |
Seat | Mount Pleasant | |
Largest city | Mount Pleasant | |
Area | ||
• Total | 578 sq mi (1,497 km2) | |
• Land | 573 sq mi (1,484 km2) | |
• Water | 5.0 sq mi (13 km2), 0.9% | |
Population | ||
• (2010) | 70,311 | |
• Density | 123/sq mi (47/km²) | |
Congressional district | 4th | |
Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 | |
Website | www |
Isabella County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 70,311. Its county seat is Mt. Pleasant. The area was known as Ojibiway Besse, meaning "the place of the Chippewa". It was set off as a county in 1831, and county government organized in 1859. It was named after Queen Isabella I of Castile, based on a suggestion by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, US Indian Agent and ethnologist.
Isabella County comprises the Mount Pleasant, MI Micropolitan Statistical Area in Mid-Michigan, also known as Central Michigan. Within the county is located Isabella Indian Reservation, which has a total area of 217.67 square miles (563.8 km2). It is the major land base of the federally recognized Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Nation. Part of the county seat of Mount Pleasant is located within the reservation.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 578 square miles (1,500 km2), of which 573 square miles (1,480 km2) is land and 5.0 square miles (13 km2) (0.9%) is water.
As of the census of 2000, there were 63,351 people, 22,425 households, and 13,006 families residing in the county. The population density was 110 people per square mile (43/km²). There were 24,528 housing units at an average density of 43 per square mile (16/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.51% White, 1.93% Black or African American, 2.75% Native American, 1.40% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.68% from other races, and 1.68% from two or more races. 2.24% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 28.0% were of German, 10.1% English, 10.0% Irish, 7.5% American and 6.0% Polish ancestry according to Census 2000. 95.9% spoke English and 1.6% Spanish as their first language.