Livingston County, Michigan
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Livingston County is a county located in the state of Michigan. As of 2000, the population is 156,951. Its county seat is Howell6. The county is named for Edward Livingston.
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Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,516 km² (585 mi²). 1,472 km² (568 mi²) of it is land and 44 km² (17 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 2.91% water.
Adjacent counties
- Washtenaw County (south)
- Oakland County (east)
- Ingham County (west)
- Jackson County (southwest)
- Genesee County (northeast)
- Shiawassee County (northwest)
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 156,951 people, 55,384 households, and 43,531 families residing in the county. The population density is 107/km² (276/mi²). There are 58,919 housing units at an average density of 40/km² (104/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 97.13% White, 0.46% Black or African American, 0.43% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races. 1.24% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 55,384 households out of which 39.80% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.50% are married couples living together, 6.80% have a female householder with no husband present, and 21.40% are non-families. 17.10% of all households are made up of individuals and 5.40% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.80 and the average family size is 3.18.
In the county the population is spread out with 28.80% under the age of 18, 6.60% from 18 to 24, 31.70% from 25 to 44, 24.60% from 45 to 64, and 8.30% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 102.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 99.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $67,400, and the median income for a family is $75,284. Males have a median income of $54,358 versus $32,073 for females. The per capita income for the county is $28,069. 3.40% of the population and 2.40% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 3.60% of those under the age of 18 and 4.50% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Livingston County has been the fastest growing county in the state for the past decade and also through the 1970s. More than 50% of all the population of Livingston County is located in the southeastern communities of Brighton Township, Genoa Township, Green Oak Township, the Village of Pinckney, Putnam Township and the City of Brighton.
The US Census Bureau in 2000 identified Brighton, Howell, and the nearby city of South Lyon to be a contiguous, urbanized area, one of the newest such areas in the United States.
Location
Livingston County is in an interesting position in Michigan. The major highways running through it are I-96, US-23, and M-59. Because of this, it is directly in between the cities of Detroit, Lansing, Ann Arbor, and to a lesser extent, Flint. People from Livingston County commute to all four of these cities.
Although predominantly still a bedroom community, there has also been significant recent growth inside the county of both service and industrial firms. Major current employers include Pepsico, Citizens Insurance, and Ogihara Industries.
Media
There are two local newspapers, one being relative newcomer The Livingston Community News, part of the Booth newspaper chain (which also owns The Ann Arbor News), and the other being The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus, part of the HomeTown newspaper chain.
The Daily Press & Argus has been around longer, serving as the two separate weekly newspapers known as The Livingston County Press and The Brighton Argus for many decades. The Daily Press and Argus claims to be a daily newspaper, but only publishes Sunday through Friday, skipping Saturdays entirely. There have been many allegations of an extreme Republican slant connected with the paper, from Republican campaign stickers at reporters desks, to head editor Buddy Moorehouse quitting to run for state office as a Republican, only to lose and come back again as an editor after promising not to do so.
Other media in the county includes WHMI-FM out of Howell, the only radio station for what is considered to be a market two sized area, making the area on par with Lansing, Flint, and other larger cities. They play a Classic Hits format and have local news on the hour. As a privately owned station, they are a rarity in an era of deregulation by the Federal Communications Commission.
Cities, villages, and townships
- Brighton Township
- Brighton, city
- Cohoctah Township
- Conway Township
- Deerfield Township
- Fowlerville, village
- Genoa Township
- Green Oak Township
- Hamburg Township
- Handy Township
- Hartland Township
- Hell, unincorporated community
- Howell Township
- Howell, city
- Iosco Township
- Marion Township
- Oceola Township
- Pinckney, village
- Putnam Township
- Tyrone Township
- Unadilla Township
- Whitmore Lake, CDP
External links
- Livingston County official website (http://www.co.livingston.mi.us/)
- WHMI-FM Radio Station website (http://www.whmi.com)
- Livingston Community News website (http://www.mlive.com/news/aanews/index.ssf?livingston_archive)
- Livingston County Daily Press & Argus website (http://www.hometownlife.com/Howell/News.asp)
