County Overviews 2# - Midland County, MI

Hello everybody and welcome back. As you may know from yesterday, I've started my County Overviews series, and yes, it will be quite long. So, in the future, I may combine counties in one overview just to shave off some time. I also may gather a team, who knows. Moving on, our next county on the list is Midland County, Michigan! Let's begin our journey once more!

Midland County is a county located in the east central area of Michigan. The county seat shares the same name as its county, Midland. The county was named 'Midland' due to its geographical location in the Lower Peninsula, hence the name. The county was found in 1831, but it wasn't until in 1855 where the county was officially organized.

As of 2022, the population is estimated to be at 83,503 at a total area of 528 mi^2, making the total population density about 158/mi^2. Most residents are over the age of 50, making up about 40% of the population. The median household income in Midland County is $73,643. The poverty rate in Midland County is 10.1%.

Many centuries before Europeans arrived, the vicinity was conquered by numerous Native Americans. By the time the Europeans did arrive, the Chippewa inhabited the area.

In 1831, the county's borders were made. In 1850, it was organized, but in 1855, it was officially organized. A year after, Midland became the county seat. In 1897, Herbert H. Dow founded the Dow Chemical Corporation. This corporation was key during the world wars. During WWI, the corporation produced poisonous gases and ammunition. In WWII, the corporation supplied the war effort by producing explosives, flares, and medicine.

Politically, Midland County is republican. Since 1880, it has been republican except for two times, 1912 for Theodore Roosevelt and 1964 for Lyndon B. Johnson. It is home to Northwood University. In 2020, two dams on the border of Gladwin and Midland counties failed, resulting in an evacuation of 10,000 people in Midland. Due to influence from the Dow Chemical Corporation, a plant opened in Handa, Japan. Due to this, Midland and Handa are sister cities. Aside from the Dow Chemical Corporation, you can visit the Midland Mall, Courthouse, the Midland Center for the Arts, the Tittabawasee River, the Chippewa Nature Center, the Pere Marquette Trail, and the Tridge.

I hope you enjoyed and learned something for the second blog of the series! Midland County sure is interesting. Here's the currently list of upcoming counties:

3# - Haakon County, SD

4# - Multnomah County, OR

5# - Osceola County, FL (KiloNova)

6# - King County, TX (Capybarra)

7# - Kalawao County, HI (Xtrordinary)

8# - Summit County, OH (cathlete)

9# - Alpine County, CA (FlabberBapper)

10# - Oakland County, MI (Noivern)

Again, you can recommend a county and you'll be on the list! See you next time!