Mecosta

Formed April 1, 1840 (53^rd county)

Mecosta County (39,713), Big Rapids (7,732)

The Modern 1970 tan brick structure replaced an 1886 classier courthouse.  Elm and Stewart streets is the location for this courthouse.  United States Highway 131 Business passes two blocks to the west.  Stephen T. Gerganoff is the courthouse architect.  Veteran memorials are on the grounds.  Mecosta County was formed on April 1, 1840 from parts of Mackinac and Oceana counties as the 53^rd county with Big Rapids as the only county seat.  The county is named for a Native American chief.  The county seat is named for local river rapids. 

Mecosta 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, Two District Court Judges, and Two Probate Court Judges serve Mecosta and Osceola counties and a court clerk serves Mecosta County (judicial.) Mecosta County is in the western part of the southern peninsula.  Grand Rapids, Michigan is south of the county.  The county center is 10.6 miles Southeast of Big Rapids nearer Canadian Lakes.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Osceola, Clare, Isabella, Montcalm, Newaygo, and Lake counties. 

The area of the county is 571 square miles.  It is 72 out of 83 in the state.  It ranks 41 out of 83 in population in the state.  It has a density of 69.5 persons per square mile making it 35 out of 83 in the state.  Mecosta County has 23.3% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 131 travels north to south in the county from Osceola County to Montcalm County.  Mecosta County is a rectangle.  Big Rapids is in the northwest quarter of the county.  Big Rapids is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 19.5% of the county population.  The county is pronounced MEE-KOS-TA.  This county is in the Mecosta Micropolitan Statistical Area.