Gratiot

Formed March 2, 1831 (28^th county)

Gratiot County (41,752), Ithaca (2,851), Alma (9,489)

The classic brown masonry Beaux Arts courthouse was built in 1902.  Gratiot County was formed on March 2, 1831 from Native American Territory as the 28^th county with Ithaca as the only county seat.  The courthouse is on a square at Center, Jeffrey, Newark and Main streets.  United States Highway 27 Business is Center Street in this part of the town.  Claire Allen provided the courthouse designs.  A Justice Center was added in 1995.  The courthouse features a tower with a working clock.  The grounds have veteran memorials, a military gun, and an Eagle.  The county is named for Captain Charles Gratiot builder of Fort Gratiot.  The county seat is named for Ithaca, New York. 

Gratiot County government consists of a sheriff, an administrator, an attorney, a treasurer and a clerk (executive).  It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.)  Two Circuit Court Judges, One District Court Judge, Two Probate Court Judges and court clerk serve Gratiot County (judicial.) Gratiot County is in the central part of the southern peninsula.  Lansing, Michigan is south and Flint, Michigan is east of the county.  The county center is in Ithaca 1.7 miles North-Northwest of the city center.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Midland, Saginaw, Shiawassee, Clinton, Ionia, Montcalm, and Isabella counties. 

The area of the county is 572 square miles.  It is 69 out of 83 in the state.  It ranks 39 out of 83 in population in the state.  It has a density of 73.0 persons per square mile making it 34 out of 83 in the state.  Gratiot County has 51.6% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 127 goes north to south in the county from Isabella County to Clinton County.  The county is a rectangle.  Ithaca is located near the center of the county.  Alma is in the northern quarter of the county.  Ithaca is the county seat and Alma is the largest city.  Ithaca is 6.8% of the county population while Alma is 22.7% of the county population.  The county is pronounced GRA-TEE-OT.  This county is in the Alma Micropolitan Statistical Area.