Van Buren County, Michigan

History

The county was named for Martin Van Buren before he became president. He was U.S. Secretary of State and later Vice President under President Andrew Jackson; thus Van Buren is one of Michigan's "Cabinet counties".

The Van Buren County Courthouse was built by Claire Allen, a prominent Southern Michigan architect; its cornerstone was laid on September 2, 1901, after a July vote to issue $35,000 in county bonds.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1090 sqmi, of which 607 sqmi is land and 482 sqmi (44%) is water.

Much of the county is farmland dotted with small towns. Areas near Kalamazoo County, specifically Antwerp Township and Almena Township, are becoming suburbanized. Many of the inland lakes are ringed with homes, either by people living year-round or cottagers, generally people who live the rest of the time in Chicago. As with other areas near Lake Michigan, tourism is a major industry.

Rivers

• Paw Paw River
• Black River

Adjacent counties

By land

• Allegan County (north)
• Kalamazoo County (east)
• St. Joseph County (southeast)
• Cass County (south)
• Berrien County (southwest)

By water

• Lake County, Illinois (west)

Parks, preserves, natural areas

• Dunes Parkway, an 84 acre preserve of dunes in Covert Township
• Hamilton Township Coastal Plain Marsh Nature Sanctuary, a 79 acre preserve of coastal plain marsh in Hamilton Township owned by the Michigan Nature Association
• Jeptha Lake Fen Preserve, a 49 acre preserve in Columbia Township
• Kal-Haven Trail, a multi-use trail converted from old rail line that runs from Kalamazoo to South Haven
• Keeler State Game Area, 400 acres (1.6 km2) in Keeler Township
• North Point Park - high dunes on 17 acre on Lake Michigan, north of Van Buren State Park
• Ross Preserve, a 1,449 acre preserve of coastal plain marsh in Covert Township owned by The Nature Conservancy
• Van Buren State Park
• Van Buren Trail State Park is adjacent to Kal-Haven Trail

Transportation

Highways

Public transportation

• Pere Marquette (Amtrak train)
• Van Buren Public Transit

Railroads

• Amtrak
• CSX Transportation
• Norfolk Southern, through Amtrak owned Michigan Line
• West Michigan Railroad

Demographics

| align-fn = center 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2018

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 75,587. The median age was 42.1 years. 23.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.3 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 81.2% White, 3.2% Black or African American, 1.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 5.8% from some other race, and 8.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 11.9% of the population.

21.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 78.1% lived in rural areas.

There were 29,510 households in the county, of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.5% were married-couple households, 18.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 36,948 housing units, of which 20.1% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 77.8% were owner-occupied and 22.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.0%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, Van Buren County had a 2010 population of 76,258. This decrease of -5 people from the 2000 United States census indicated a nearly-zero population change in the decade. The population density was 125.5 /mi2. There were 36,785 housing units at an average density of 60.6 /mi2. The racial and ethnic makeup of the county was 82.7% White, 3.9% Black or African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 10.2% Hispanic or Latino, 0.1% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races.

There were 28,928 households, out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were husband and wife families, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.4% were non-families, and 24.0% were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.07.

The county population contained 25.5% under age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 29.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96 males.

2010 American Community Survey

The 2010 American Community Survey 1-year estimate indicates the median income for a household in the county was $44,242 and the median income for a family was $53,642. Males had a median income of $28,079 versus $18,124 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,495. About 10.0% of families and 14.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.1% of those under the age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Bangor
• Gobles
• Hartford
• South Haven (partial)

Villages

• Bloomingdale
• Breedsville
• Decatur
• Lawrence
• Lawton
• Mattawan
• Paw Paw (county seat)

Unincorporated communities

• Almena
• Berlamont (originally Bear Lake Mills)
• Columbia
• Corwin
• Covert
• Crystal Beach
• Fritzburg
• Glendale (named Lemont during 1868)
• Grand Junction
• Keeler
• Kibbie
• Kendall
• Lake-of-the-Woods
• Lacota (originally West Geneva, then Irvington)
• Maple Grove Corners
• McDonald
• Mentha (ghost town)
• North Lake
• Pine Grove Mills
• Roth Valley
• Sister Lakes
• Stoughton Corners
• Tea Pot Dome
• Toquin
• West Bangor

Townships

• Almena Township
• Antwerp Township
• Arlington Township
• Bangor Township
• Bloomingdale Township
• Columbia Township
• Covert Township
• Decatur Township
• Geneva Township
• Hamilton Township
• Hartford Township
• Keeler Township
• Lawrence Township
• Paw Paw Township
• Pine Grove Township
• Porter Township
• South Haven Township
• Waverly Township

Former townships

• Clinch Township existed from 1837 until 1842, when it was divided into Waverly Township and Almena Township.

Government

Van Buren County has usually voted Republican in national elections. Since 1884, the county's voters have selected the Republican Party nominee in 81% (29 of 36) of the national elections through 2024. However, the county has become a swing county as well as a bellwether in recent decades, voting for the overall winner in every presidential election from 1964 to 2024 with two exceptions: 1976, when the county backed native Michigander Gerald Ford who narrowly lost his bid for a full term, and 2020, when Van Buren County stayed with Donald Trump, a popular candidate in this county and other rural bellwethers.

Van Buren 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.

Elected Officials

Four-year terms ending 2024-12-31

• Prosecuting Attorney: Susan Zuiderveen (R)
• Sheriff: Dan Abbott (R)
• County Clerk: Suzie Roehm (R)
• County Treasurer: Trisha Nesbitt (R)
• Register of Deeds: Paul W. DeYoung (R)
• Drain Commissioner: Joe Parman (R)
• County Surveyor: Charles Lossie (R)

Board of Commissioners: 7 members, elected from districts

Two-year terms ending 2024-12-31 (changing to four-year terms starting 2025-01-01)

Current partisan breakdown: 1 Democrat, 6 Republicans

References

References

1. Clarke, accessed January 29, 2013
2. "State & County QuickFacts". US Census Bureau.
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
4. O. W. Rowland, [https://books.google.com/books?id=7SjiAAAAMAAJ&q=A+History+of+Van+Buren+County%2C+Michigan ''A History of Van Buren County, Michigan: A Narrative Account of Its Historical Progress, Its People, and Its Principal Interests'']. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1912.
5. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". US Census Bureau.
6. "Ross Coastal Plain Marsh Preserve".
7. [https://web.archive.org/web/20140106032214/http://www.vbco.org/pages5064122.asp Van Buren Public Transit website]
8. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates Tables". United States Census Bureau.
9. "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau.
10. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
11. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau.
12. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". US Census Bureau.
13. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
14. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
15. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
16. "U.S. Census website". US Census Bureau.
17. Walter Romig, ''Michigan Place Names'', p. 121.
18. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
19. "Board of County Commissioners". Van Buren County.