Van Buren County, Michigan
| Van Buren County, Michigan | ||
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Van Buren County Courthouse
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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 | 1829 (created) 1837 (organized) |
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| Named for | Martin Van Buren | |
| Seat | Paw Paw | |
| Largest city | South Haven | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 1,090 sq mi (2,823 km2) | |
| • Land | 607 sq mi (1,572 km2) | |
| • Water | 482 sq mi (1,248 km2), 44% | |
| Population | ||
| • (2010) | 76,258 | |
| • Density | 126/sq mi (49/km²) | |
| Congressional district | 6th | |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 | |
| Website | www |
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Van Buren County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 76,258. The county seat is Paw Paw. The county was founded in 1829 and organized in 1837.
Van Buren County is included in the Kalamazoo-Portage, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The county was named for Martin Van Buren before he became president. He was U.S. Secretary of State and later Vice President under President Andrew Jackson, and thus Van Buren is one of Michigan's "Cabinet counties".
The Van Buren County Courthouse was built by Claire Allen, a prominent southern Michigan architect; its cornerstone was laid on September 2, 1901, after a vote to issue $35,000 in county bonds passed 1,355 to 1,097 on July 29, 1901.
The county government operates the jail, 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.
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