Newaygo

Formed April 1, 1841 (65^th county)

Newaygo County (49,971), White Cloud (1,478), Fremont (4,511)

A Modern tan brick building was constructed in 1992 for Newaygo County.  It is located on Newell Street between North and Williams streets.  Michigan State Highway 82 is one block to the east.  Manyam and Associates are the building designers.  It was enlarged in 2002.  A County Administration building was built in 1980.  There were 1868 and 1910 versions of the courthouse.  Newaygo was the first county seat until 1910 when White Cloud took over.  Newaygo County was founded on April 1, 1841 from parts of Mackinac and Oceana counties as the 65^th county.  The county name is Native American for “much water.”  The county seat presumably is a geographical description. 

Newaygo 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 and One District Court Judge serve Newaygo and Oceana counties and Two Probate Court Judges and court clerk serve Newaygo County (judicial.) The county is in the western part of the southern peninsula.  Grand Rapids, Michigan is south of the county.  The county center is 1.1 miles North-Northeast of White Cloud.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Lake, Osceola, Mecosta, Montcalm, Kent, Muskegon, Oceana, and Mason counties. 

The area of the county is 861 square miles.  It is 36 out of 83 in the state.  It ranks 36 out of 83 in population in the state.  It has a density of 58.0 persons per square mile making it 40 out of 83 in the state.  Newaygo County has 19.6% of its population in its incorporated areas.  There are no Interstates or United States Highways in the county.  The county is a tall rectangle.  White Cloud is located near the center of the county.  Fremont is in the southwest quarter of the county.  White Cloud is the county seat and Fremont is the largest city.  White Cloud is 3.0% of the county population while Fremont is 9.0% of the county population.  The county is pronounced NEE-WAE-GOE.  This county is in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming Metropolitan Statistical Area.