Marquette County, Michigan

Marquette County Education, Geography, and History

Marquette County is a county located in the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 67,077. The county seat is Marquette. The county is named for Father Marquette, a Jesuit missionary. It was set off in 1843 and organized in 1851. Marquette County is the largest county in land area in Michigan, and the most populous county in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Marquette County comprises the Marquette, MI Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Etymology - Origin of Marquette County Name

Marquette County is named for French Jesuit missionary Pere Jacques Marquette.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Marquette County History

Marquette County is named for French Jesuit missionary Pere Jacques Marquette.

Set Off: 1843

Organized: 1851

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,425 square miles (8,870 km²), of which 1,808 square miles (4,680 km²) is land and 1,616 square miles (4,190 km²) (47%) is water. It is the largest county in Michigan by land area and fourth-largest by total area.

The Huron Mountains are located in the county. To the north of the county is Lake Superior.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Alger County (east)
• Delta County (southeast)
• Menominee County (south)
• Dickinson County (south)
• Iron County (southwest)
• Baraga County (west)
  

Education

Northern Michigan University is a four-year university, established in 1899, located in Marquette, Michigan, on Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The school is home to over 9,000 students and offers over 100 academic programs leading to degrees at the levels of bachelor, associate, certificate, as well as several graduate programs. Their Teaching, Learning and Communication (TLC) program, which is the largest of its kind in the country, gives every student an IBM ThinkPad or Apple MacBook. NMU has the world's largest wooden dome, the Superior Dome. It is also home to the United States Olympic Education Center, or USOEC, one of only four US Olympic training centers and the only one affiliated with a university. Athletes receive scholarships and utilize the school's facilities training in several sports: Men's and Women's Weightlifting; Boxing; Men's and Women's Speedskating; Greco-Roman Wrestling; and Women's Freestyle Wrestling.

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