Wexford County, Michigan

Wexford County
Wexford County Courthouse in Cadillac
Wexford County Courthouse in Cadillac
Flag of Wexford County
Official seal of Wexford County
Nickname: 
"Wex"
Map of Michigan highlighting Wexford County
Location within the U.S. state of Michigan
Map of the United States highlighting Michigan
Michigan's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 44°20′N 85°35′W / 44.34°N 85.58°W / 44.34; -85.58
Country United States
State Michigan
Founded1840 (created)
1869 (organized)[1][2]
Named forCounty Wexford, Ireland
SeatCadillac
Largest cityCadillac
Area
 • Total575.46 sq mi (1,490.4 km2)
 • Land565.00 sq mi (1,463.3 km2)
 • Water10.46 sq mi (27.1 km2)  1.8%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total33,673
 • Density59.2/sq mi (22.9/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts1st, 2nd
Websitewww.wexfordcounty.org

Wexford County is a county in the Northern Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 33,673.[3] The seat of Wexford County is Cadillac, which is also the county's largest city.[4]

Wexford County is largely covered by the Manistee National Forest, and thus is heavily wooded. The Manistee River flows from east to west in the north of the county. Briar Hill, the highest point in Michigan's Lower Peninsula, is located in northwestern Wexford County, at 1,706 feet (520 m).

The county is the location of the first known sighting of the Michigan Dogman, in 1887.[5]

  1. ^ "Bibliography on Wexford County". Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
  2. ^ Cadillac History Archived February 29, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  4. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  5. ^ Royce, Julie Albrecht (2007). Traveling Michigan's Sunset Coast. Dog Ear Publishing. pp. 419–420. ISBN 978-1-59858-321-2. Retrieved October 14, 2010.