Isabella

Formed March 2, 1831 (30^th county)

Isabella County (64,396), Mount Pleasant (21,700)

The Modern brown stone and concrete facility was built in 2000.  The previous 1972 courthouse became the Administration Office.  An 1876 courthouse preceded the current ones.  The current courthouse is on Main Street at Lincoln Street.  United States Highway 127 Business is five blocks west of the site.  Othe, Duffy, Bassinger, & Dice are the architects.  The county was established on March 2, 1831 from parts of Mackinac County and Native American Territory as the 30^th county.  Isabella Centre was the first county seat until 1860 when Mount Pleasant assumed the role.  The county is named for Spanish Queen Isabella.  The county seat’s name is presumably a geographical description.  Isabella County was the birthplace of 1 Michigan Governor, John M. Engler. 

Isabella 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, One Probate Court Judge and court clerk serve Isabella County (judicial.) The county is in the central part of the southern peninsula.  Lansing, Michigan is south and Grand Rapids, Michigan is southwest.  The county center is in Mount Pleasant 5.7 miles Northwest of the city center.  The county surrounded clockwise by Clare, Gladwin, Midland, Gratiot, Montcalm, Mecosta, and Osceola counties. 

The area of the county is 578 square miles.  It is 60 out of 83 in the state.  It ranks 31 out of 83 in population in the state.  It has a density of 111.4 persons per square mile making it 27 out of 83 in the state.  Isabella County has 39.6% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 10 clips the northeast corner of the county from Clare County, north, to Midland County, east.  United States Highway 127 passes north to south from Clare County to Gratiot County.  The county is a rectangle.  Mount Pleasant is in the southeast quarter of the county.  Mount Pleasant is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 33.7% of the county population.  This county is in the Mount Pleasant Micropolitan Statistical Area.