Sanilac County, Michigan

Sanilac County Education, Geography, and History

Sanilac County is a county located in the state of Michigan. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 43,114. The county seat is Sandusky. The county, which is part of the Thumb region, was created on September 10, 1822, and was fully organized in 1848.

Sanilac County is considered to be part of the Thumb of Michigan, which in turn is a subregion of the Flint/Tri-Cities

Etymology - Origin of Sanilac County Name

Sanilac County was probably named for a Wyandotte leader named Sanilac.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Sanilac County History

Sanilac County was probably named for a Wyandot (Huron) chief named Sanilac.In the middle of the 19th century, the area now called Port Sanilac was called Bark Shanty. It was named for a lone shanty made of bark, which was used to make shingles from pine. The Algonquin word "zngwak" means pine. Sanilac County was named for Chief Sanilac, who was Wyandotte. The county seat of Sanilac is the city of Sandusky.

Set Off: 1822

Organized: 1848

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,590 square miles (4,100 km²), of which 963 square miles (2,490 km²) is land and 627 square miles (1,620 km²) (39%) is water.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Huron County (north)
• Tuscola County (west)
• St. Clair County (south)
• Lapeer County (southwest)
• Huron County, Ontario, Canada (east)
  

Education

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