Van Buren County, Michigan
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Van Buren County is a county located in the state of Michigan. As of 2000, the population is 76,263. Its county seat is Paw Paw6. It was named for Martin Van Buren, before he became president. Much of the county is farmland dotted with small towns. Areas near Kalamazoo County are becoming suburbanized. Many of the inland lakes are ringed with homes, either by people living year-round or cottagers, generally people who live the rest of the time in Chicago. Tourism is a major industry in the areas near Lake Michigan.
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Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,824 km² (1,090 mi²). 1,582 km² (611 mi²) of it is land and 1,241 km² (479 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 43.97% water.
Geographic features
Parks, preserves, natural areas
- Dunes Parkway, an 84 acre (340,000 m²)preserve of dunes in Covert Township
- Jeptha Lake Fen Preserve, a 49 acre (200,000 m²) preserve in Columbia Township
- Kal-Haven Trail, a multi-use trail converted from old rail line runs from Kalamazoo to South Haven. Also the Van Buren Trail State Park.
- Keeler State Game Area, 400 acres (1.6 km²) in Keeler Township
- Ross Preserve, a 1,449 acre (5.9 km²) preserve of coastal plain marsh in Covert Township owned by The Nature Conservancy
- Van Buren State Park
Major highways
- Interstate 94
- Interstate 196, a long spur along Lake Michigan from Interstate 94 near Benton Harbor to Interstate 96 in Grand Rapids.
- United States Highway 31
- Michigan State Highway 40
- Michigan State Highway 43
- Michigan State Highway 51
- Michigan State Highway 140
- Michigan State Highway 152
Adjacent counties
- Berrien County southwest
- Cass county south
- St. Joseph County southeast
- Kalamazoo County east
- Allegan County north and northeast
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 76,263 people, 27,982 households, and 20,314 families residing in the county. The population density is 48/km² (125/mi²). There are 33,975 housing units at an average density of 21/km² (56/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 87.92% White, 5.25% Black or African American, 0.92% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 3.43% from other races, and 2.17% from two or more races. 7.39% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 27,982 households out of which 35.00% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.70% are married couples living together, 11.20% have a female householder with no husband present, and 27.40% are non-families. 22.50% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.90% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.66 and the average family size is 3.10.
In the county the population is spread out with 28.10% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 23.70% from 45 to 64, and 12.30% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 37 years. For every 100 females there are 98.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 94.60 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $39,365, and the median income for a family is $45,824. Males have a median income of $35,317 versus $25,063 for females. The per capita income for the county is $17,878. 11.10% of the population and 7.80% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 13.20% of those under the age of 18 and 10.90% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Cities, villages, and townships
- Almena Township
- Antwerp Township
- Arlington Township
- Bangor Township
- Bangor, city
- Bloomingdale Township
- Bloomingdale, village
- Breedsville, village
- Columbia Township
- Covert Township
- Decatur Township
- Decatur, village
- Geneva Township
- Gobles, city
- Hamilton Township
- Hartford Township
- Hartford, city
- Keeler Township
- Lawrence Township
- Lawrence, village
- Lawton, village
- Mattawan, village
- Paw Paw Township
- Paw Paw, village
- Pine Grove Township
- Porter Township
- South Haven Charter Township
- South Haven, city
- Waverly Township
External links
- Van Buren County Government Information (http://www.vbco.org/government0002.asp)
