Formed April 1, 1840 (40th county)
Alpena County (28,909), Alpena (10,207)
The 1935 concrete and masonry Art Deco building replaced a nicer 1881 version. The courthouse is on Chisholm Street, 8th Avenue, Lockwood Street, and 9th Avenue. Chisholm Street is United States Highway 23 in this part of the town. An Annex was added in 1975. William H. Kuni provided the designs for the courthouse. Veteran memorials are on the grounds. The county was formed on April 1, 1840 from parts of Mackinac County and Native American Territory as the 40th county. The county and county seat are Native American for “a good partridge community.” Alpena is the only county seat. Alpena County was the birthplace of 1 Michigan Governor, William A. Comstock.
Alpena County government consists of a sheriff, an administer, an attorney, a treasurer and a clerk (executive). It has 8 Commissioners (legislative.) One Circuit Court Judge and Two District Court Judges serve Alpena and Montmorency counties and Two Probate Court Judges and court clerk serve Alpena County (judicial.) The county is in the northeast part of the southern peninsula on Lake Huron. The county center is 8.7 miles Southwest of Alpena. The county is surrounded clockwise by Presque Isle County and Canada and Alcona, Oscoda, and Montmorency counties.
The area of the county is 1695 square miles. It is 16 out of 83 in the state. It ranks 50 out of 83 in population in the state. It has a density of 17.1 persons per square mile making it 66 out of 83 in the state. Alpena County has 35.3% of its population in its incorporated areas. United States Highway 23 crosses north to south in the county from Presque Isle County to Alcona County. The county looks like a wave. Alpena City is in the northeast quarter of the county. Alpena is the county seat and the largest city. It is 35.3% of the county population. The county and county seat are pronounced AL-PEE-NA. This county is in the Alpena Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Alpena
Hillman
