Ottawa County, Michigan

Ottawa County (/ˈɒtəwə/ OT-ə-wə) is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the United States 2020 Census, the population was 296,200.^[1] The county seat is Grand Haven.^[2] The county is named for the Ottawa Nation. It was set off in 1831 and organized in 1837. Ottawa County is included in the Grand Rapids-Kentwood, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area and has a significant Dutch American population.^[3]

Ottawa County
County
Ottawa County Courthouse in Grand Haven
Logo
Location within the U.S. state of Michigan
Michigan's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 42°55′N 86°14′W
Country	United States
State	Michigan
Founded	1831 (authorized) 1837 (organized)
Named after	Ottawa Nation
Seat	Grand Haven
Largest city	Holland
Government
• Administrator	Gary Rosema
Area
• Total	1,631 sq mi (4,220 km2)
• Land	563 sq mi (1,460 km2)
• Water	1,068 sq mi (2,770 km2)  65%
Population
• Estimate  (2022)	300,873
• Density	526/sq mi (203/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Area code	616
Congressional districts	2nd, 3rd, 4th
Website	miottawa.org

Area farmers produce more than $726 million in products annually, making Ottawa County an "agricultural powerhouse" in the state.^[4]

History

Before European settlers arrived, this area was home to the Potawatomi and Ottawa people for centuries. The Grand River was used as a trade route into the interior of Michigan. Much of what we know about the Native American presence in Ottawa County comes from the excavation of archeological artifacts at places like the Battle Point Site.^[5]

The city dates its European-American founding to French colonial settlers. A fur trading outpost called Gabagouache was first established by Madeline La Framboise and her husband Joseph.^[6]

The first permanent settler of the county was a Presbyterian minister, William Montague Ferry, who settled in Grand Haven in 1834.^[7] Grand Haven quickly grew and became an important port for trade and travel. Ferry is often referred to as the "father" of Ottawa County.^[8]

Dutch settlers started arriving in the area in 1847, led by Albertus van Raalte.^[9] These Dutch Settlers moved into the Holland area. This area was already inhabited by many Odawa (Ottawa) people as well as the Old Wing Mission.^[10] Within just a few years, the new Dutch settlers had forced out the Ottawa people and the Old Wing Mission.^[11]

Geography

According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,631 square miles (4,220 km²), of which 563 square miles (1,460 km²) is land and 1,068 square miles (2,770 km²) (65%) is water.^[12]

Bodies of water

• Bass River
• Black Lake (partially)
• Grand River
• Lake Macatawa
• Lake Michigan
• Macatawa River
• Pigeon River
• Spring Lake

Adjacent counties

By land

• Allegan County – south
• Kent County – east
• Muskegon County – north

By water

• Milwaukee County, Wisconsin – northwest
• Racine County, Wisconsin – southwest

Major highways

• I-96
• I-196
• BL I-196
• US 31
• M-6
• M-11
• M-45
• M-104
• M-121
• M-231
• A-37
• B-31
• B-35
• B-72

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1840	208		—
1850	5,587		2,586.1%
1860	13,215		136.5%
1870	26,651		101.7%
1880	33,126		24.3%
1890	35,358		6.7%
1900	39,667		12.2%
1910	45,301		14.2%
1920	47,660		5.2%
1930	54,858		15.1%
1940	59,660		8.8%
1950	73,751		23.6%
1960	98,719		33.9%
1970	128,181		29.8%
1980	157,174		22.6%
1990	187,768		19.5%
2000	238,314		26.9%
2010	263,801		10.7%
2020	296,200		12.3%
2023 (est.)	303,372	[13]	2.4%
sources 1840-2022 [14]

As of the 2020 United States census,^[15] there were 296,203 people living in the county. 82.9% were non-Hispanic White, 2.1% Black or African American, 2.9% Asian, 0.6% Native American, and 2.2% of two or more races. 10.5% were Hispanic or Latino.

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 263,801 people living in the county. 90.1% were White, 2.6% Asian, 1.5% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 3.4% of some other race and 2.0% of two or more races. 8.6% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). 31.0% were of Dutch, 14.2% German, 5.8% English and 5.7% Irish ancestry.^[3]

As of the 2000 United States Census,^[16] there were 238,314 people, 81,662 households, and 61,328 families in the county. The population density was 421 inhabitants per square mile (163/km²). There were 86,856 housing units at an average density of 154 per square mile (59/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.52% White, 1.05% Black or African American, 0.36% Native American, 2.09% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.48% from other races, and 1.48% from two or more races. 7.00% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 37.3% reported being of Dutch, 14.6% German, 6.2% English, 5.6% Irish and 5.4% American ancestry, 91.5% spoke only English at home; 5.4% spoke Spanish.

There were 81,662 households, out of which 39.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.60% were married couples living together, 7.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.90% were non-families. 19.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.25.

The county has numerous seasonal residents during the summer. Port Sheldon Township has many lakefront homes and other inland retreats that serve as summer getaways for residents of Grand Rapids, Detroit, and Chicago. No official statistics are compiled on seasonal residents.

In the county, 28.70% of the population was under the age of 18, 11.90% was from 18 to 24, 29.30% from 25 to 44, 20.00% from 45 to 64, and 10.10% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.20 males.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation ranks Ottawa County as Michigan's second-healthiest county,^[17] preceded only by the leisure-oriented Traverse City area.

The median income for a household in the county was $52,347, and the median income for a family was $59,896. Males had a median income of $42,180 versus $27,706 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,676. About 3.10% of families and 5.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.70% of those under age 18 and 4.90% of those age 65 or over.

Religion

• The Catholic Church has 11 churches and 24,700 members.^[18]
• The Christian Reformed Church in North America has 67 churches and 33,700 members.
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has two meetinghouses in the county.
• The Protestant Reformed Churches have around 10 large congregations in the county.
• The Reformed Church in America has 47 congregations and 33,300 members.

Government

Ottawa 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.

Most of the county's offices are located in either the city of Grand Haven or at the Fillmore complex in Olive Township.

Elected officials

• County Clerk/Register of Deeds – Justin F. Roebuck
• County Commissioners^[19]
• County Treasurer – Cheryl Clark
• Prosecuting Attorney – Sarah F. Matwiejczyk
• Sheriff – Eric DeBoer
• Water Resources Commissioner – Joe Bush

(information as of January 2025) Since the late 19th century, the county has been strongly supportive of the Republican Party.^[20]

As of 2023, the county's board of commissioners, a majority of whom are members of the advocacy group Ottawa Impact, has been described as "far-right" by national and Michigan-based media organizations. After the 2022 elections in which they took power, the board appointed Trump administration official John Gibbs to serve as the county administrator.^{[21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]} In February 2024, the Board of Commissioners voted 10–1 to fire Gibbs for cause.^[29]

Board of Commissioners

11 members, elected from districts (1 Democrat, 10 Republicans)

District	Commissioner	Party	District's Area
1	Jim Barry	Republican	Townships of Port Sheldon, Olive, and Park
2	Jordan Jorritsma	Republican	Townships of Park and Holland Charter
3	Doug Zylstra	Democratic	City of Holland
4	Jacob Bonnema	Republican	City of Zeeland and Townships of Zeeland Charter and Holland Charter
5	Joe Moss	Republican	City of Hudsonville and Townships of Blendon, Jamestown Charter, and Zeeland Charter
6	Kendra Wenzel	Republican	Township of Georgetown Charter
7	John Teeples (Chairperson)	Republican	Township of Georgetown Charter
8	Sylvia Rhodea	Republican	Township of Allendale Charter
9	Phil Kuyers	Republican	Townships of Grand Haven Charter, Robinson, and Spring Lake
10	Josh Brugger (Vice-Chairperson)	Republican	Cities of Grand Haven and Ferrysburg, Township of Spring Lake
11	Allison Miedema	Republican	City of Coopersville and Townships of Chester, Crockery, Polkton Charter, Tallmadge Charter, and Wright

^[30]

(information correct as of January 2025)

Local policies

Beginning in 2012, County Administrator Alan Vanderberg and the Board of Commissioners adopted the "Four Cs" Initiative including "Cultural Intelligence." At that time, Vanderberg asserted that there was discrimination in the county, and that it could adversely affect the future prosperity of the county.^[31] The county "rebranded" in 2017, adopting the slogan "Where you belong." Vanderberg said the slogan is intended to let everyone know they are welcome in Ottawa County, regardless of color, ethnic background, sexual identity, religion or other qualifier.^[32]

The county board made numerous changes at their first meeting when sworn in on January 3, 2023; the county slogan was changed to "Where Freedom Rings", the Diversity, equity, and inclusion office was dissolved, the head health official was replaced, and a conservative law organization made their main legal representative.^[33] The conservative group that promoted the new board members, according to Fox 17, was against the mandated COVID-19 safety measures and cultural diversity policies.^[24] Instability surrounding the county board raised concerns about the county's bond credit rating being lowered from its AAA status according to MLive.^[34] In May 2023 the county board passed a resolution declared that the county was a "constitutional county."^[35]

Politics

United States presidential election results for Ottawa County, Michigan^[36]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	106,133	59.45%	69,653	39.02%	2,727	1.53%
2020	100,913	59.81%	64,705	38.35%	3,095	1.83%
2016	88,467	61.50%	44,973	31.26%	10,408	7.24%
2012	88,166	66.41%	42,737	32.19%	1,854	1.40%
2008	83,330	61.03%	50,828	37.23%	2,381	1.74%
2004	92,048	71.55%	35,552	27.64%	1,043	0.81%
2000	78,703	71.16%	29,600	26.76%	2,296	2.08%
1996	61,436	64.39%	27,024	28.32%	6,956	7.29%
1992	56,862	59.10%	22,180	23.05%	17,169	17.85%
1988	61,515	76.20%	18,769	23.25%	445	0.55%
1984	60,142	79.69%	15,000	19.88%	326	0.43%
1980	51,217	67.85%	18,435	24.42%	5,832	7.73%
1976	49,196	74.12%	16,381	24.68%	793	1.19%
1972	42,169	71.99%	15,119	25.81%	1,288	2.20%
1968	33,356	67.60%	12,431	25.19%	3,555	7.20%
1964	24,512	54.79%	20,151	45.05%	72	0.16%
1960	32,678	75.26%	10,617	24.45%	128	0.29%
1956	28,611	74.90%	9,459	24.76%	130	0.34%
1952	22,328	72.83%	7,835	25.56%	494	1.61%
1948	16,028	63.38%	8,789	34.76%	471	1.86%
1944	17,077	66.23%	8,511	33.01%	198	0.77%
1940	15,462	62.39%	9,152	36.93%	170	0.69%
1936	11,114	51.35%	9,579	44.26%	952	4.40%
1932	12,076	58.34%	7,981	38.56%	643	3.11%
1928	15,417	85.48%	2,524	14.00%	94	0.52%
1924	11,688	78.55%	1,871	12.57%	1,321	8.88%
1920	10,528	78.74%	2,391	17.88%	451	3.37%
1916	5,484	56.19%	3,941	40.38%	335	3.43%
1912	1,825	20.87%	2,036	23.28%	4,885	55.85%
1908	5,642	66.25%	2,429	28.52%	445	5.23%
1904	5,908	75.33%	1,553	19.80%	382	4.87%
1900	5,324	62.21%	3,050	35.64%	184	2.15%
1896	5,188	58.05%	3,550	39.72%	199	2.23%
1892	3,643	50.82%	2,996	41.79%	530	7.39%
1888	4,302	55.03%	3,191	40.82%	325	4.16%
1884	3,758	53.36%	3,049	43.29%	236	3.35%

Ottawa County has long been the most consistently Republican county in Michigan and one of the most Republican in the country. The last Democratic presidential candidate to carry the county was George B. McClellan in 1864.^[37][20] In 1912, incumbent Republican president William Howard Taft lost the county to "Bull Moose Party" candidate and former Republican President Theodore Roosevelt.

Being part of a local "Bible Belt", the county is very Republican even by the standards of traditionally Republican west Michigan. As a measure of how Republican the county has been since 1864, it has rejected Democratic presidential candidates even in national Democratic landslides. It was one of the few counties where Franklin Roosevelt was shut out in all four of his presidential bids, and was one of only three counties in the state to vote for Barry Goldwater over Lyndon Johnson in 1964. Lyndon Johnson won 45% of the county's vote, the last time a Democrat won at least 40% of the county's vote. During the 1986 gubernatorial election, it was the only county not to back James Blanchard for a second term. Historically,Holland was the only place where Democrats win the majority of residents, though Democrats have recently made gains in Grand Haven.

In 2008, it was one of the only two counties in Michigan where Barack Obama did not win 40 percent of the county's vote, and his weakest county, being the only one where John McCain received more than 60 percent of the vote, as he won it by 24 points while Obama carried the state by 16.5 points.^[38] In 2024, Kamala Harris had the best performance of any Democratic presidential candidate in Ottawa County since 1964, though she still lost the county by 20 points. During the COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan, county officials and their families faced death threats following the introduction of mask mandates at public schools, with conservative groups influencing the 2022 Michigan elections to "preserve local heritage".^[20] A new county government that some described as holding Christian nationalist values was subsequently elected in the 2022 elections.^[22][21][39]

Perhaps the most prominent politician in Ottawa County History was Grand Haven's Thomas W. Ferry. Thomas Ferry served as an Ottawa County Clerk at age 21.^[40] He went on to become a member of the Michigan House of Representatives, the Michigan Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. While in the U.S. Senate, he served as President Pro Tempore (during the 44th and 45th congresses).^[41] As Pro Tempore, he became, upon the death of Vice President Henry Wilson on November 22, 1875, next in the line of presidential succession, and remained so until March 4, 1877.^[42]

Communities

U.S. Census data map showing local municipal boundaries within Ottawa County. Shaded areas represent incorporated cities.

Cities

• Coopersville
• Ferrysburg
• Grand Haven (county seat)
• Holland (partial)
• Hudsonville
• Zeeland

Village

• Spring Lake

Charter townships

• Allendale Charter Township
• Georgetown Charter Township
• Grand Haven Charter Township
• Holland Charter Township
• Jamestown Charter Township
• Polkton Charter Township
• Tallmadge Charter Township
• Zeeland Charter Township

Civil townships

• Blendon Township
• Chester Township
• Crockery Township
• Olive Township
• Park Township
• Port Sheldon Township
• Robinson Township
• Spring Lake Township
• Wright Township

Census-designated places

• Allendale
• Beechwood
• Jenison
• Lamont
• Nunica

Other unincorporated communities

• Agnew
• Bauer
• Beaverdam
• Borculo
• Clark Corners
• Conklin
• Crisp
• Dennison
• Drenthe
• Eastmanville
• Forest Grove
• Forest Grove Station
• Gitchel
• Grand Valley
• Harlem
• Harrisburg
• Herrington
• Jamestown
• Macatawa (partial)
• Marne
• New Holland
• Noordeloos
• North Blendon
• Oaklawn Beechwood
• Olive Center
• Ottawa Center
• Pearline
• Pine Creek
• Port Sheldon
• Reno
• Robinson
• Rosy Mound
• Rusk
• Snug Harbor
• South Blendon
• Tallmadge
• Tasmas Corners
• Virginia Park
• Vriesland
• Waverly
• West Olive
• Wright
• Zutphen

See also

• List of Michigan State Historic Sites in Ottawa County, Michigan
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Ottawa County, Michigan