Keweenaw County, Michigan
| Keweenaw County, Michigan | |
|---|---|
The Keweenaw County Courthouse (built 1866) in Eagle River
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 Location in the U.S. state of Michigan |
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 Michigan's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | March 11, 1861 |
| Seat | Eagle River |
| Largest community | Eagle River |
| Area | |
| • Total | 5,966 sq mi (15,452 km2) |
| • Land | 540 sq mi (1,399 km2) |
| • Water | 5,426 sq mi (14,053 km2), 91% |
| Population (est.) | |
| • (2013) | 2,191 |
| • Density | 4.0/sq mi (2/km²) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 |
| Website | www |
Keweenaw County is a county in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan, the state's northernmost county. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,156, making it Michigan's least populous county. It is also the state's largest county by total area (including waters of Lake Superior). The county seat is Eagle River.
The county was set off and organized in 1861. It is believed "Keweenaw" is a Native American word that means "portage or place where portage is made". Keweenaw County is part of the Houghton, Michigan, Micropolitan Statistical Area. Isle Royale, a national park which no longer has year-round inhabitants, was a separate county that was incorporated into Keweenaw County in 1897.
Two land masses comprise most of the land portion of the county: Isle Royale and the northeastern half of the Keweenaw Peninsula. The county also includes the waters of Lake Superior between the two, extending to the state's water borders with Ontario and Minnesota. It is thus the largest county in Michigan by total area, at 5,966 square miles (15,450 km2), of which 540 square miles (1,400 km2) is land and 5,426 square miles (14,050 km2) (91%) is water. Of all counties (or equivalents) in the United States, Keweenaw County has the highest proportion of water area to total area.
The largest lake entirely within the county is Gratiot Lake at 1,438 acres (5.82 km2), located at the base of the county's two highest peaks: Mt. Horace Greeley at 1,550 feet (470 m) and Mt. Gratiot at 1,490 feet (450 m). Other lakes include Lac La Belle near Bete Grise Bay, Lake Medora, Lake Fanny Hooe near Copper Harbor, Lake Bailey at the base of Mt. Lookout, and Schlatter Lake at the tip of the peninsula.
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