This area was settled by members of the three Algonquian-speaking tribes of the Council of Three Fires: the Potawatomi, Odawa, and Chippewa. French explorers in a party led by Father Hennepin came upriver from Lake Michigan in 1679. A Jesuit mission was established near where the French later built Fort St. Joseph, and they named the waterway as the St. Joseph River. After the United States and tribal representatives made the 1821 Treaty of Chicago, much of the land in this region was ceded by the tribes to Michigan Territory, so more settlers came from Detroit, Monroe and later from New England and upstate New York. The first were ethnic French. The Godfroy brothers of Detroit built a trading post south of the river, near the later Marantette House site. They appointed Frances Mouton as an agent to trade with the natives of the Nottawaseepe settlement. They had another post nearby where Patrick Marantette, also from Detroit, first worked as an agent. He ended up settling in and marrying Mouton's daughter Francis. Theirs was the first marriage in the settlement, and their daughter the first European American born here, in 1836.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. It is the fourth-smallest county in Michigan by total area. The entire county lies in the Saint Joseph River watershed.
Adjacent counties
Van Buren County – northwest
Kalamazoo County – north
Calhoun County – northeast
Branch County – east
LaGrange County, Indiana – south
Elkhart County, Indiana – southwest
Cass County – west
Major highways
– runs east-west across lower portion of the county. Passes White Pigeon and Sturgis.
– runs north-south through the western portion of the county. Passes Three Rivers, Constantine, White Pigeon.
– runs north-south through eastern Three Rivers - length 1.6 mile.
– runs ENE through the upper portion of the county. Passes Three Rivers, Parkville, Mendon, Leonidas.
– enters SE portion of county from Star Mill, Indiana. Runs north to intersection with M60, two miles east of Mendon.
– runs east-west through center of the county. Enters at Colon, passes Nella and Centreville to intersection with M60 at Three Rivers.
– enters SW tip of county; runs north 2 miles to intersection with US12 near west county line.
– enters NW portion of county from Marcellus. Runs east to intersection with US131 four miles north of Three Rivers.
Demographics
The 2010 census indicates St. Joseph County had a 2010 population of 61,295. This decrease of -1,127 people from the 2000 United States Census represents a -1.8% population change in that decade. In 2010 there were 23,244 households and 16,275 families in the county. The population density was 122.4 per square mile. There were 27,778 housing units at an average density of 55.5 per square mile. The racial and ethnic makeup of the county was 88.0% White, 2.5% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 6.6% Hispanic or Latino, 0.1% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. There were 23,244 households out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were husband and wife families, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.0% were non-families, and 24.8% were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.08. The county population contained 25.9% under age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 27.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 97.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.9 males. The 2010 American Community Survey 3-year estimate indicates the median income for a household in the county was $43,964 and the median income for a family was $52,600. Males had a median income of $30,517 versus $16,388 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,737. About 1.8% of families and 16.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.3% of those under the age 18 and 12.3% of those age 65 or over.
Government
St. Joseph County has been reliably Republican since the beginning. Since 1884, the Republican Party nominee has carried 79% of the elections. The county government operates the jail, operates the major local courts, records deeds, mortgages, and vital records, administers public health regulations, and participates with the state in the provision of social services. The county board of commissioners controls the and has limited authority to make laws or ordinances. In Michigan, most local government functions – police and fire, building and zoning, tax assessment, street maintenance, etc. – are the responsibility of individual cities and townships.
