Clinton

Formed March 2, 1831 (26^th county)

Clinton County (79,123), Saint Johns (7,700)                

The Modern looking courthouse was built in 2000 on State Street between Maple and Clinton streets.  Michigan State Highway 21 is State Street.  It replaced an 1872 courthouse in Saint Johns.  Wigen, Tincknell, Meyer & Associates designed this dark red and gray brick facility.  It features a tower with a working clock.  The county was formed on March 2, 1831 from Native American Territory as the 26^th county.  De Witt was the first county seat until 1855 when Saint Johns assumed the role.  The county is named for New York Governor De Witt Clinton.  The county seat presumably is named for the Biblical saint. 

Clinton County government consists of a sheriff, an administrator, an attorney, a treasurer and a clerk (executive).  It has 7 Commissioners (legislative.) Two Circuit Court Judges serve Clinton and Gratiot counties and One District Court Judge, One Probate Court Judge and court clerk serve Clinton County (judicial.) The county is in south central Michigan.  Lansing, Michigan is directly south of the county.  The county center is 3.9 miles Southwest of Saint Johns.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Gratiot, Shiawassee, Ingham, Eaton, Ionia, and Montcalm counties. 

The area of the county is 575 square miles.  It is 64 out of 83 in the state.  It ranks 25 out of 83 in population in the state.  It has a density of 137.6 persons per square mile making it 20 out of 83 in the state.  Clinton County has 25.6% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 69 cuts the southeast corner of the county from Shiawassee County, east, to Ingham County, south.  Interstate Highway 96 clips the southwest corner from Ingham County, south, to Ionia County, west.  United States Highway 127 goes north to south from Gratiot County to Ingham County.  The county is a rectangle.  Saint Johns is in the northern quarter of the county.  Saint Johns is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 9.7% of the county population.  This county is in the Lansing-East Lansing Metropolitan Statistical Area.