Washtenaw County, Michigan
Encyclopedia : W : WA : WAS : Washtenaw County, Michigan
Washtenaw County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the population was 322,895. It is part of Metro Detroit. The county seat is Ann Arbor6.
The USS Washtenaw County was named in honor of the county.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,871 km² (723 mi²). 1,839 km² (710 mi²) of it is land and 33 km² (13 mi²) of it (1.74%) is water.Adjacent counties
- Livingston County (north)
- Wayne County (east)
- Jackson County (west)
- Monroe County (southeast)
- Lenawee County (southwest)
- Oakland County (northeast)
- Ingham County (northwest)
Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 322,895 people, 125,327 households, and 73,692 families residing in the county. The population density was 176/km² (455/mi²). There were 131,069 housing units at an average density of 71/km² (185/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 77.40% White, 12.29% Black or African American, 0.36% Native American, 6.30% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.04% from other races, and 2.57% from two or more races. 2.74% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.There were 125,327 households out of which 29.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.40% were married couples living together, 9.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.20% were non-families. 29.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the county the population was spread out with 22.10% under the age of 18, 17.10% from 18 to 24, 32.10% from 25 to 44, 20.60% from 45 to 64, and 8.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 98.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $51,990, and the median income for a family was $70,393. Males had a median income of $49,304 versus $33,598 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,173. About 5.10% of families and 11.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.60% of those under age 18 and 5.80% of those age 65 or over.
Cities, villages, and townships
| Cities | Villages | Charter Townships | Townships | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
There are also a number of unincorporated communities, such as Bridgewater, Dixboro, Delhi Mills, Geddes, Mooreville, Salem, Stoney Creek, Whittaker, Whitmore Lake, and Willis.
Government
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.Washtenaw County elected officials
- Prosecuting Attorney: Brian L. Mackie (Democrat)
- Sheriff: Dan Minzey (Democrat)
- County Clerk/Register of Deeds: Lawrence Kestenbaum (Democrat)
- County Treasurer: Catherine McClary (Democrat)
- Drain Commissioner: Janis A. Bobrin (Democrat)
| District | Commissioner | Party | Positions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mark Ouimet | Republican | |
| 2 | Martha Kern | Democrat | Working Sessions Vice-Chair |
| 3 | Stephen Solowczuk | Republican | Working Sessions Chair |
| 4 | Wesley Prater | Democrat | Board Chair |
| 5 | Rolland Sizemore Jr. | Democrat | |
| 6 | Ronnie Peterson | Democrat | |
| 7 | Mandy Grewal | Democrat | |
| 8 | Barbara Levin Bergman | Democrat | Ways & Means Vice-Chair |
| 9 | Lean Gunn | Democrat | Board Vice-Chair |
| 10 | Conan Smith | Democrat | |
| 11 | Jeff Irwin | Democrat | Ways & Means Chair |
Information as of June 2006
External links
- [Washtenaw County Government]
- [Past and present of Washtenaw County, Michigan] by Samuel W. Beakes Chicago: The S.J. Clarke publishing co., 1906.
- [Washtenaw Community Cafe] An online discussion group for the county of Washtenaw.
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.