Formed January 1, 1887 (82nd county)
Luce County (5,339), Newberry (1,453)
A dark red/brown brick Modern courthouse built in 1974 replaced the classier 1890 facility. The building is on Harrie, East Court, McMillan, and West Court streets. Michigan State Highway 123 travels four blocks east of the site. Gordon Buitendorp Associates are the current courthouse architects. The structure has been enlarged in 1979. Luce County was established on January 1, 1887 from parts of Chippewa and Mackinac counties as the 82nd county with Newberry as the only county seat. It is named for Governor Cyrus G. Luce. The county seat is named for United States Representative John. S. Newberry.
Luce County government consists of a sheriff, an administrator, an attorney, a treasurer and a clerk (executive). It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.) One Circuit Court Judge serves Luce, Alger, Mackinac, and Schoolcraft counties, One District Court Judge and Two Probate Court Judges serve Luce and Mackinac counties and a court clerk serves Luce County (judicial.) The county is on the northern border of the northern peninsula. Lake Superior provides its northern border. The county center is 22 miles North of Newberry nearer Deer Park. The county is surrounded clockwise by Canada and Chippewa, Mackinac, Schoolcraft, and Alger counties.
The area of the county is 1912 square miles. It is 11 out of 83 in the state. It ranks 82 out of 83 in population in the state. It has a density of 2.8 persons per square mile making it 80 out of 83 in the state. Luce County has 27.2% of its population in its incorporated areas. There are no Interstates or United States Highways in the county. The county is a rectangle with a scooped northern border. Newberry is in the southern quarter of the county. Newberry is the county seat and, as the only incorporated city, it is the largest city. It is 27.2% of the county population.
Newberry
