Washtenaw County, Michigan


Washtenaw County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 344,791. The county seat is Ann Arbor. The county was authorized by legislation in 1822, and was organized as a county in 1826.
Washtenaw County comprises the Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor Combined Statistical Area.
The county is home to the University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University, Washtenaw Community College, and Concordia University Ann Arbor.

History

The earliest histories mention French trappers and traders conducting trade in the area at the Potawatomi Trail and Pontiac Trail crossings of the Huron River, and later English then American settlers. The first successful settlement was established at the present site of Ypsilanti about 1809 by French traders.
In 1822, the Legislative Council of Michigan Territory government defined the name and boundaries of the county, but attached it to Wayne County for revenue, taxation, and judicial affairs. The word: Washtenaw is a variant of the Ojibwe word: "Wash-ten-ong," meaning what is now called the "Grand River".
At the time of the official naming of the county in 1822, the headwaters of the Grand River fell within the original boundaries of Washtenaw County, which encompassed a much larger area than the present county. In the Ojibwe language, "Wash-ten-ong" literally translates as "far away waters", and was then used by the Ojibwe as the name for the Grand River due to its great length. Thus "Washtenaw" could mean "far away waters".
Four years after the first platting out of the county, Washtenaw was established as a separate self-administered county by an act of the Michigan Territorial Legislature, in 1826. It was attached for administrative purposes to Wayne County until when county government was seated. Ingham and other counties were formed from portions of territorial Washtenaw County.
Swamps were drained and farms were tiled to lower the water table. The swamp northwest of the I-94 and US-23 intersection, and areas within Waterloo Recreation Area still appear as they did to early settlers. As productive farms became established, the local deer herds grew. In the 1820s and 1830s, the events surrounding the independence of Greece from Turkey inspired construction of Greek Revival buildings, and the names of townships, towns, and children.
The "frostbitten constitutional convention" was held at Ann Arbor, the county seat, in 1835. Statehood was delayed because Michigan claimed the Toledo Strip, which was also claimed by Ohio. Following resolution of the Toledo War, in which Michigan Territory ceded its claim to Toledo in exchange for most of the Upper Peninsula, Ohio withdrew its objection and Michigan became a state on January 26, 1837.
The constitutional convention also decided to move the capital from Detroit to a point further away from the Canadian border. After considering many existing communities, the delegates decided to built an entirely new capital city, which became Lansing. The University of Michigan, founded at Detroit in 1817, was moved to Ann Arbor in 1839 as a consolation for the city not being named the new state capital, as it had sought. The University subsequently became and remains Washtenaw County's largest employer.
In 1849, the Michigan State Normal School was established in Washtenaw's oldest settlement, Ypsilanti. It was elevated to collegiate status c. 1891 as Michigan State Normal College. The name was changed in 1956 to Eastern Michigan College, which was elevated to university status in 1959.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.

Adjacent counties

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 344,791 people living in the county. 74.5% were White, 12.7% Black or African American, 7.9% Asian, 0.3% Native American, 1.2% of some other race and 3.4% of two or more races. 4.0% were Hispanic or Latino. 16.0% were of German, 7.6% English, 7.5% Irish, 6.3% American and 5.0% Polish ancestry.
Washtenaw has the highest proportion of Asian-American residents of any Michigan county.
As of the 2000 census of 2000, 17.4% of county residents were of German ancestry; 9.0% cited English, 8.4% Irish, 5.3% Polish and 5.0% American ancestry. According to Census 2000, 87.1% spoke only English at home; 2.7% spoke Spanish and 1.7% Chinese or Mandarin.
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.

Government

Elected officials

The Board of Commissioners has nine members, elected from single member districts, on a partisan ballot, in November of even-numbered years. The term is two years. Information as of May 2017.
CommissionerPartyPositions
1Democrat
2DemocratWorking Session Chair
3Democrat
4Democrat
5Democrat
6DemocratVice Chair of the Board
7Democrat
8DemocratBoard Chair
9DemocratWays & Means Chair

Government services

Parks and recreation

Washtenaw county operates 10 parks and one recreation center. One park has a water sprinkler area, one has a substantial water park component, and there is one golf course. The recreation center has a swimming pool, indoor track, basketball courts, complete set of resistance machines, a weight room, and several multipurpose rooms.
Washtenaw county is in the process of acquiring land for natural preservation. The program started in 2001, was renewed in 2010, and will end in 2021. Eight parcels of land had been purchased by July 2007. These parcels are of special ecological, recreational, and educational benefits. They are preserved in a natural unimproved state and are open to the public during daylight hours.

Wireless communication

In partnership with private enterprise, the county maintains a wireless network which is currently available to approximately 50% of county residents. This is the Wireless Washtenaw Project; its stated aim of this project is to provide wireless access to all county residents.

Miscellaneous

The county government operates the jail, maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, records deeds and mortgages, maintains vital records, administers public health regulations, and participates with the state in providing welfare and 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.

Politics

Since 1988, the county has been a Democratic stronghold in local & national elections, though was reliably Republican at the presidential level from 1896 to 1960, only voting Democratic once in that span in 1912 when the Republican vote was split. George McGovern's win over Richard Nixon in the county in 1972 despite the latter winning nationally by a landslide was a sign of the county's shift towards supporting the Democratic Party, though Michigander Gerald R. Ford won it in 1976 & Ronald Reagan won it in 1984 among his national landslide, being the most recent Republican to win the county.

Economy

The largest employers in Washtenaw County, as of July 2018, are:
#Employer# of full-time employees
1University of Michigan33,225
2Trinity Health7,435
3United States Federal government3,060
4Ann Arbor Public Schools2,225
5Faurecia North America2,178
6Eastern Michigan University1,559
7IHA Health Services1,442
8State of Michigan1,409
9Washtenaw County1,264
10Thomson Reuters1,155
11Domino's Pizza812
12City of Ann Arbor712
13Ford Motor Company700
14NSF International693
15US Postal Service650
16Washtenaw Community College597
17DTE Energy568
18Ypsilanti Public Schools550
19ProQuest542

Communities

Cities