Roscommon County, Michigan

For the county in Ireland, see County Roscommon.

Roscommon County (/rɒsˈkɒmən/ ross-KOM-ən) is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,459.^[2] The county seat is Roscommon.^[3] The county was founded in 1840 and organized in 1875.^[1]

Roscommon County
County
Roscommon County Building in Roscommon
Location within the U.S. state of Michigan
Michigan's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 44°20′N 84°37′W
Country	United States
State	Michigan
Founded	1840 (created) 1875 (organized)[1]
Named after	County Roscommon, Ireland
Seat	Roscommon
Largest settlement	Houghton Lake Roscommon (incorporated)
Area
• Total	580 sq mi (1,500 km2)
• Land	520 sq mi (1,300 km2)
• Water	60 sq mi (200 km2)  10%
Population  (2020)
• Total	23,459
• Density	47/sq mi (18/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	1st
Website	roscommoncounty.net

History

A detail from A New Map of Michigan with its Canals, Roads & Distances (1842) by Henry Schenck Tanner, showing Roscommon County as "Mickenauk" (a misspelling of Mikenauk, the county's name from 1840 to 1843.^[4]) Several nearby counties are also shown with names that would later be changed.

See also: History of Northern Michigan

The county was formed by the Michigan Legislature in 1840 as Mikenauk County,^[5] then renamed Roscommon County in 1843. It was administered by Michilimackinac (Mackinac), Cheboygan, and Midland counties, in succession, prior to the organization of county government in 1875.^[4] Roscommon County was named after County Roscommon, Ireland.^[1][6]

There are three official Michigan historical markers in the county:^[7]

• Gerrish
• Pioneer House
• Terney House^[8]

Geography

According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 580 square miles (1,500 km²), of which 520 square miles (1,300 km²) is land and 60 square miles (160 km²) (10%) is water.^[9] Roscommon County is considered to be part of Northern Michigan. Part of Michigan's Au Sable State Forest falls within the county. The US Forest Service's Roscoe Fire Management Unit includes Ogemaw and Roscommon Counties.

Geographic features

During prehistoric times, glacial action helped shape the Michigan-area terrain. A large portion of the area is the Grayling outwash plain, which includes sandy ice-disintegration ridges; jack pine barrens, white pine-red pine forest, and northern hardwood forest. Large lakes were created by glacial action.^[10]

Prominent geographic features include:

• Au Sable River
• Backus Creek
• Cut River
• Dead Stream Flooding
• Higgins Lake
• Houghton Lake
• Houghton Lake Flats
• Lake St. Helen
• Marl Lake
• Roscommon Virgin Pine Stand – a 160-acre (650,000 m²) parcel within the Au Sable State Forest, 8 miles (13 km) north of St. Helen, Michigan, and 8 miles east of Roscommon. An old-growth stand of red pine, which includes a former national champion red pine.^[11]
• Underground oil deposits

Major highways

• I-75 – runs south, SE, and east through the NE middle portion of county.
• US 127 – runs north–south through west portion of county. Passes on west side of Higgins and Houghton Lakes.
• M-18 – runs north–south through center of county. Passes Roscommon and Prudenville. Leaving Roscommon, runs east along north line of county for 5.6 miles (9.0 km) before turning to NE.
• M-55 – runs east–west through center of county to intersection with I75, 7 miles (11 km) west of east line of county.
• M-157 – short (1.1 mi; 1.8 km) north-south spur connecting M18 to M55, east of Houghton Lake.
• F-18 – runs south from Prudenville. Exits the county on the line between Clare and Gladwin counties.^[12]

Airports

• Houghton Lake State Airport is located in Roscommon Township.
• Roscommon County–Blodgett Memorial Airport is located in Markey Township.

Adjacent counties

• Crawford County – north
• Oscoda County – northeast
• Ogemaw County – east
• Gladwin County – southeast
• Clare County – southwest
• Missaukee County – west
• Kalkaska County – northwest

Communities

U.S. Census data map showing local municipal boundaries within Roscommon County

Village

• Roscommon (county seat)

Civil townships

• Au Sable Township
• Backus Township
• Denton Township
• Gerrish Township
• Higgins Township
• Lake Township
• Lyon Township
• Markey Township
• Nester Township
• Richfield Township
• Roscommon Township

Census-designated places

• Houghton Lake
• Prudenville
• St. Helen

Other unincorporated communities

• Artesia Beach
• Au Sable River Park
• Geels
• Higgins Lake
• Hillcrest
• Houghton Lake Heights
• Houghton Point
• Keno
• Loxley
• Lyon Manor
• Maple Valley
• Meads Landing
• Michelson
• Nellsville
• Sharps Corner
• Tent City

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	1,459		—
1890	2,033		39.3%
1900	1,787		−12.1%
1910	2,274		27.3%
1920	2,032		−10.6%
1930	2,055		1.1%
1940	3,668		78.5%
1950	5,916		61.3%
1960	7,200		21.7%
1970	9,892		37.4%
1980	16,374		65.5%
1990	19,776		20.8%
2000	25,469		28.8%
2010	24,449		−4.0%
2020	23,459		−4.0%
2023 (est.)	23,863	[13]	1.7%
US Decennial Census[14] 1790-1960[15] 1900-1990[16] 1990-2000[17] 2010-2018[2]

At the 2000 United States census,^[18] there were 25,469 people, 11,250 households, and 7,616 families residing in the county. The population density was 49 people per square mile (19 people/km²). There were 23,109 housing units at an average density of 44 per square mile (17/km²). By the 2020 census, the county's population was 23,459.

In 2000, the racial makeup of the county was 97.99% White, 0.32% Black or African American, 0.64% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.10% from other races, and 0.72% from two or more races. 0.80% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 24.4% were of German, 12.7% English, 9.9% Irish, 9.2% Polish, 9.2% American and 6.7% French ancestry. 97.2% spoke English as their first language. Those citing "American" ancestry in Roscommon County are of overwhelmingly English extraction, however most English Americans identify simply as having American ancestry because their roots have been in North America for so long, in some cases since the 1600s.^{[19][20][21][22][23]}

Attractions and events

The community is centered in the area of two very large lakes, in the middle of large state forests. Wildlife are nearby, including bear, deer, eagles, Kirtland's warblers, and turkeys. Local attractions and activities include:

• Birding
• Bluegill Festival each summer in St. Helen
• Boating, paddling (canoe and kayak)
• Firemen's Memorial Festival, an annual event (September) since 1979.^[24]
• Fishing
• Golf
• Hiking
• Historical Village Days, an annual event (August) held on the grounds of the Houghton Lake Historical Village & Playhouse, since in 1972.
• Hunting
• Kirtland Warbler Habitat and Festival is an annual (held in May) event hosted by Kirtland Community College.^[25]
• Michigan Shore-to-Shore Trail, a 500-mile (800 km) system of interconnected trails, passes through the area. It runs from Empire to Oscoda, and points beyond.^[26]
• Nordic skiing
• ORV and groomed snowmobile trails
• Sailing
• Tip-up-town winter festival, Houghton Lake, an annual event (held in January).^[27]

Roscommon County, Michigan, hosts an event known as Christmas in the Village. This event is held on the first Saturday in December annually. Christmas in the Village began in 1994 when the old Roscommon Middle School was purchased for a dollar and transformed into the community building, called the CRAF Center. The committee for Christmas in the Village was composed of volunteers. Each year features burn barrels, an annual tree lighting, an electric light parade, and more. As time passes, new activities are added annually. Typically, you can find a craft show in the gym of the CRAFT Center and a petting zoo. Vendors set up shops in the CRAF center gym to sell plenty of goods. There is a wide variety, from fudges to quilts. The town gathers to celebrate the holidays together. Santa arrives on the train. ^[28]

Government

Roscommon County voters tend to vote Republican; they have selected the Republican Party nominee in 75% of national elections (27 of 36).

United States presidential election results for Roscommon County, Michigan^[29]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	10,582	65.79%	5,290	32.89%	212	1.32%
2020	9,670	64.32%	5,166	34.36%	198	1.32%
2016	8,141	62.16%	4,287	32.74%	668	5.10%
2012	6,701	51.24%	6,198	47.40%	178	1.36%
2008	6,727	47.72%	7,082	50.24%	287	2.04%
2004	7,364	51.28%	6,810	47.43%	185	1.29%
2000	6,190	47.88%	6,433	49.76%	305	2.36%
1996	4,135	34.94%	6,092	51.48%	1,607	13.58%
1992	4,170	34.73%	5,243	43.67%	2,594	21.60%
1988	5,866	56.93%	4,394	42.65%	43	0.42%
1984	6,419	65.35%	3,359	34.20%	45	0.46%
1980	5,280	54.66%	3,763	38.96%	616	6.38%
1976	4,608	54.85%	3,691	43.94%	102	1.21%
1972	4,136	64.17%	2,187	33.93%	122	1.89%
1968	2,635	55.91%	1,639	34.78%	439	9.31%
1964	1,722	42.27%	2,345	57.56%	7	0.17%
1960	2,731	68.93%	1,226	30.94%	5	0.13%
1956	2,674	76.20%	827	23.57%	8	0.23%
1952	2,547	78.64%	676	20.87%	16	0.49%
1948	2,055	73.89%	687	24.70%	39	1.40%
1944	1,292	72.22%	484	27.05%	13	0.73%
1940	1,360	64.21%	739	34.89%	19	0.90%
1936	836	49.64%	782	46.44%	66	3.92%
1932	601	42.62%	757	53.69%	52	3.69%
1928	780	76.25%	236	23.07%	7	0.68%
1924	484	69.64%	99	14.24%	112	16.12%
1920	652	75.29%	182	21.02%	32	3.70%
1916	311	53.44%	239	41.07%	32	5.50%
1912	134	22.60%	150	25.30%	309	52.11%
1908	427	69.43%	147	23.90%	41	6.67%
1904	373	71.46%	116	22.22%	33	6.32%
1900	327	64.50%	175	34.52%	5	0.99%
1896	282	65.43%	141	32.71%	8	1.86%
1892	239	44.26%	286	52.96%	15	2.78%
1888	360	50.00%	358	49.72%	2	0.28%
1884	427	48.80%	435	49.71%	13	1.49%

The county government operates the 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.

Elected officials

• Prosecuting Attorney: Michael Edwards
• Sheriff: Ed Stern
• County Clerk/Register of Deeds: Michelle Stevenson
• County Treasurer: Rebecca A. Ragan
• Drain Commissioner: Pamela Bale

(information as of January 2021)

See also

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