Houghton County, Michigan

Houghton County
Houghton County Courthouse
Official seal of Houghton County
Map of Michigan highlighting Houghton County
Location within the U.S. state of Michigan
Map of the United States highlighting Michigan
Michigan's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 46°59′N 88°39′W / 46.98°N 88.65°W / 46.98; -88.65
Country United States
State Michigan
Founded1843 (set off)
1845 (boundaries described)
1846 (organized)
1848 (re-organized)[1]
Named forDouglass Houghton
SeatHoughton
Largest cityHoughton
Area
 • Total
1,502 sq mi (3,890 km2)
 • Land1,009 sq mi (2,610 km2)
 • Water492 sq mi (1,270 km2)  33%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
37,361
 • Density36/sq mi (14/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district1st
Websitewww.houghtoncounty.net
Old specimen of native copper from Houghton County. Houghton County hosted a major copper-mining industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Houghton County (/ˈhtən/; HOH-tən) is a county in the Upper Peninsula in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,361.[2] The county seat and largest city is Houghton.[3][4] Both the county and the city were named for Michigan State geologist and Detroit Mayor Douglass Houghton.[5][3]

Houghton County is part of the Houghton Micropolitan Statistical Area, which also includes Keweenaw County, and was part of Copper Country during the mining boom of the latter half of the 19th century and the early part of the 20th century.

  1. ^ "Bibliography on Houghton County". Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  2. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Monette, Clarence J. (1975). Some Copper Country Names And Places. Lake Linden, Michigan. ISBN 0-942363-04-3.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  5. ^ "Encyclopedia of Detroit". Detroit Historical Society. 2020.