Delta County is a county in the Upper Peninsula in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 36,903.[2] The county seat is Escanaba.[3] The county was surveyed in 1843 and organized in 1861. Its name originates from the Greek letter delta (Δ), which refers to the triangular shape of the original county[1][4] which included segments of Menominee, Dickinson, Iron, and Marquette counties.[5] Recreation and forest products are major industries, and crops include hay, corn, small grains, potatoes, and strawberries.[6]
Delta County | |
|---|---|
 Delta County Courthouse in Escanaba | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Michigan | |
 Michigan's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 45°47′N 86°52′W / 45.78°N 86.87°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Michigan |
| Founded | March 9, 1843 (authorized) 1861 (organized)[1] |
| Named for | Greek letter Delta |
| Seat | Escanaba |
| Largest city | Escanaba |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,991 sq mi (5,160 km2) |
| • Land | 1,171 sq mi (3,030 km2) |
| • Water | 820 sq mi (2,100 km2) 41% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 36,903 |
| • Density | 32/sq mi (12/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Website | deltacountymi |
Delta County comprises the Escanaba, MI Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
editAccording to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,991 square miles (5,160 km2), of which 1,171 square miles (3,030 km2) is land and 820 square miles (2,100 km2) (41%) is water.[7] It is the fifth-largest county in Michigan by land area.
Adjacent counties
editBy land
- Menominee County (southwest, Central Time Zone border)
- Marquette County (northwest)
- Alger County (north)
- Schoolcraft County (east)
By water
- Leelanau County (southeast)
- Door County, Wisconsin (south, Central Time Zone border)
National protected area
edit- Hiawatha National Forest (part)
Communities
edit
Cities
editVillage
editCivil townships
editUnincorporated communities
edit- Bark River
- Brampton
- Chaison
- Fairport
- Fayette
- Ford River[8]
- Garden Corners
- Harris
- Hyde[8]
- Isabella
- Island View[8]
- Kipling[8]
- Lake Bluff[8]
- Maplewood[8]
- Nahma
- Narenta
- Perkins
- Perronville
- Rapid River
- Riverland[8]
- Rock
- St. Nicholas[8]
- Schaffer
- Wells[8]
- West Gladstone
Indian reservations
edit- A small section of the Hannahville Indian Community, which has most of its territory in neighboring Menominee County to the west, extends into Bark River Township.
- The Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians occupies a very small portion in the southwest city limits of Escanaba.
Demographics
edit| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 1,172 | — | |
| 1870 | 2,542 | 116.9% | |
| 1880 | 6,812 | 168.0% | |
| 1890 | 15,330 | 125.0% | |
| 1900 | 23,881 | 55.8% | |
| 1910 | 30,108 | 26.1% | |
| 1920 | 30,909 | 2.7% | |
| 1930 | 32,280 | 4.4% | |
| 1940 | 34,037 | 5.4% | |
| 1950 | 32,913 | −3.3% | |
| 1960 | 34,298 | 4.2% | |
| 1970 | 35,924 | 4.7% | |
| 1980 | 38,947 | 8.4% | |
| 1990 | 37,780 | −3.0% | |
| 2000 | 38,520 | 2.0% | |
| 2010 | 37,069 | −3.8% | |
| 2020 | 36,903 | −0.4% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 36,790 | [9] | −0.3% |
| US Decennial Census[10] 1790-1960[11] 1900-1990[12] 1990-2000[13] 2010-2018[2] | |||
The 2010 United States census[14] indicated Delta County had population of 37,069. By 2020, its population was 36,903.
Education
editSchool districts include:[15]
Government
edit| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2024 | 14,109 | 64.43% | 7,462 | 34.08% | 326 | 1.49% |
| 2020 | 13,207 | 62.39% | 7,606 | 35.93% | 354 | 1.67% |
| 2016 | 11,121 | 59.81% | 6,436 | 34.61% | 1,037 | 5.58% |
| 2012 | 9,534 | 52.59% | 8,330 | 45.95% | 266 | 1.47% |
| 2008 | 8,763 | 45.97% | 9,974 | 52.32% | 327 | 1.72% |
| 2004 | 9,680 | 50.32% | 9,381 | 48.76% | 177 | 0.92% |
| 2000 | 8,871 | 51.23% | 7,970 | 46.03% | 475 | 2.74% |
| 1996 | 5,925 | 36.69% | 8,561 | 53.01% | 1,664 | 10.30% |
| 1992 | 6,027 | 33.55% | 8,387 | 46.69% | 3,548 | 19.75% |
| 1988 | 7,114 | 44.28% | 8,891 | 55.34% | 60 | 0.37% |
| 1984 | 8,952 | 52.84% | 7,934 | 46.83% | 56 | 0.33% |
| 1980 | 8,146 | 46.04% | 8,475 | 47.90% | 1,071 | 6.05% |
| 1976 | 7,809 | 45.85% | 9,027 | 53.00% | 197 | 1.16% |
| 1972 | 7,647 | 48.14% | 8,003 | 50.38% | 236 | 1.49% |
| 1968 | 5,829 | 40.58% | 7,821 | 54.45% | 714 | 4.97% |
| 1964 | 4,434 | 30.56% | 10,046 | 69.25% | 27 | 0.19% |
| 1960 | 6,460 | 44.82% | 7,924 | 54.98% | 29 | 0.20% |
| 1956 | 7,766 | 54.31% | 6,489 | 45.38% | 45 | 0.31% |
| 1952 | 7,488 | 51.79% | 6,921 | 47.87% | 49 | 0.34% |
| 1948 | 5,414 | 42.86% | 6,943 | 54.96% | 276 | 2.18% |
| 1944 | 5,213 | 41.23% | 7,375 | 58.33% | 56 | 0.44% |
| 1940 | 6,218 | 41.18% | 8,802 | 58.29% | 81 | 0.54% |
| 1936 | 4,527 | 32.83% | 8,954 | 64.93% | 310 | 2.25% |
| 1932 | 4,386 | 35.70% | 7,363 | 59.93% | 536 | 4.36% |
| 1928 | 5,420 | 49.59% | 5,419 | 49.58% | 91 | 0.83% |
| 1924 | 4,761 | 49.83% | 463 | 4.85% | 4,330 | 45.32% |
| 1920 | 4,938 | 65.40% | 1,985 | 26.29% | 627 | 8.30% |
| 1916 | 3,088 | 59.74% | 1,781 | 34.46% | 300 | 5.80% |
| 1912 | 1,111 | 25.38% | 1,066 | 24.35% | 2,201 | 50.27% |
| 1908 | 3,243 | 71.70% | 1,097 | 24.25% | 183 | 4.05% |
| 1904 | 3,332 | 79.88% | 658 | 15.78% | 181 | 4.34% |
| 1900 | 3,081 | 70.94% | 1,210 | 27.86% | 52 | 1.20% |
| 1896 | 2,774 | 67.81% | 1,237 | 30.24% | 80 | 1.96% |
| 1892 | 1,769 | 54.30% | 1,412 | 43.34% | 77 | 2.36% |
| 1888 | 1,587 | 54.16% | 1,332 | 45.46% | 11 | 0.38% |
| 1884 | 1,201 | 66.13% | 609 | 33.54% | 6 | 0.33% |
Delta County operates the County jail, maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, records deeds, mortgages, and vital records, administers public health regulations, and participates with the state in the provision of 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.
Elected officials
edit- Prosecuting Attorney: Lauren Wickman
- Sheriff: Edward Oswald
- County Clerk/Register of Deeds: Nancy Przewrocki
- County Treasurer: Sherry Godfrey
- Drain Commissioner: George Maciejewski
- County Surveyor: Mel Davis
- Circuit Court Judge: John B. Economopoulos
- District Court Judge: Steven C. Parks
- Probate Court Judge: Perry R. Lund
(information as of September 2018)[17]
Transportation
editMajor highways
edit
US 2 runs east–west through the lower part of the county, entering from Schoolcraft County east of Garden Corners and running westward to an intersection with US 41 at Rapid River.
US 41 runs north–south through central part of the county, entering from Alger County at Trenary, running southerly to Rapid River then southwesterly along the Lake Michigan shore to the southwest corner of county.
M-35 enters from Marquette County at the northwest corner of the county and runs southeasterly to intersection with US 41 at Gladstone.
M-69 runs east–west across the southwestern tip of the county, entering from Menominee County at Schaffer and running southeasterly to an intersection with US 41 west of Narenta.
M-183 runs from the southern tip of the Garden Peninsula at Fayette State Park to an intersection with US 2 at Garden Corners.[8]
Airport
editThe county is served by Delta County Airport (KESC), southwest of Escanaba. It provides scheduled airline service to Detroit and Minneapolis.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Bibliography on Delta County". Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
- ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". US Census Bureau. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 103.
- ^ Names of Michigan Counties (accessed July 28, 2009)
- ^ Loren W. Berndt (1977). "Soil Survey of Delta County and Hiawatha National Forest of Alger and Schoolcraft Counties, Michigan" (PDF). United States Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service and Forest Service. p. 1). Archived (PDF) from the original on September 26, 2015. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
- ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". US Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Delta County, MI" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
- ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
- ^ "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
- ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
- ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
- ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
- ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Delta County, MI" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 2, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2022. - Text list
- ^ US Election Atlas
- ^ "Delta County Directory". Retrieved September 16, 2018.