Ingham

Formed October 29, 1829 (22^nd county)

Ingham County (284,891), Mason (8,284), Lansing (112,657)

The Classic Revival stone and masonry courthouse was built in 1905 on the square at Jefferson, Maple, Barnes, and Ash streets.  Michigan State Highway 36 is Ash Street.  The Michigan state capitol is located in this county.  The building was renovated in 1995.  Edwyn A. Bowd is the courthouse architect.  It features columns and a tower with a working clock.  Veteran memorials and a canon are on the grounds.  A District Courthouse and a 2001 Lansing courthouse augment the county structure.  The county was established on October 29, 1829 from parts of Shiawassee and Washtenaw counties as the 22^nd county.  Its namesake is United States Secretary of the Treasury Samuel D. Ingham.  The county seat is named for Governor Samuels T. Mason.  He is also the namesake of Mason County.  Ingham County was the birthplace of 1 Michigan Governor, Gretchen E. Whitmer.

Ingham County government consists of a sheriff, an administrator, an attorney, a treasurer and a clerk (executive).  It has 15 Commissioners (legislative.)  Seven Circuit Court Judges, Nine District Court Judges, Two Probate Court Judges and court clerk serve Ingham County (judicial.) The county is in the south-central part of the southern peninsula.  The first county seat was Ingham until 1840 when Mason became the county seat and courthouses were built in 1840, 1843 and 1858.  The county center is 2.3 miles Northeast of Mason.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Shiawassee, Livingston, Washtenaw, Jackson, Eaton, and Clinton counties. 

The area of the county is 561 square miles.  It is 76 out of 83 in the state.  It ranks 8 out of 83 in population in the state.  It has a density of 507.8 persons per square mile making it 7 out of 83 in the state.  Ingham County has 59.7% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 69 crosses the county northeast to southwest from Shiawassee County to Eaton County.  Interstate Highway 96 goes east to northwest from Livingston County to Eaton County.  United States Highway 127 travels north to south from Clinton County to Jackson County.  The county is a rectangle.  Mason is located in the western third of the county.  Lansing is located in the northwest corner of the county and extends into Eaton County.  Mason is the county seat and Lansing is the largest city.  Mason is 2.9% of the county population while Lansing is 39.5% of the county population.  The county is pronounced ING-AM.  This county is in the Lansing-East Lansing Metropolitan Statistical Area.