Mackinac County, Michigan

Mackinac County
Location within the U.S. state of Michigan
Michigan's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 46°01′N 85°01′W / 46.01°N 85.01°W / 46.01; -85.01
Country United States
State Michigan
FoundedOctober 26, 1818
organized 1849
Named afterStraits of Mackinac
SeatSt. Ignace
Largest citySt. Ignace
Area
  Total
2,101 sq mi (5,440 km2)
  Land1,022 sq mi (2,650 km2)
  Water1,079 sq mi (2,790 km2)  51%
Population
 (2020)
  Total
10,834
  Estimate 
(2023)
10,851
  Density5.2/sq mi (2.0/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
  Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district1st
Websitewww.mackinaccounty.net

Mackinac County (/ˈmækənɔː/ MAK-ə-naw, locally /ˈmækənə/ MAK-ə-nə) is a county in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,834. The county seat is St. Ignace. Formerly known as Michilimackinac County, in 1818 it was one of the first counties of the Michigan Territory, as it had long been a center of French and British colonial fur trading, a Catholic church and Protestant mission, and associated settlement. The county's name is shortened from "Michilimackinac", which referred to the Straits of Mackinac area as well as the French settlement at the tip of the lower peninsula. Mackinac County is one of two U.S. counties to feature shorelines on two Great Lakes, being Lake Huron and Lake Michigan (the other county being neighboring Chippewa County).