Manistee County is a county in Michigan, United States, on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan in the northern Lower Peninsula. It had a population of 25,032 at the 2020 census and covers 1,281 square miles (3,320 km2), of which 738 square miles are the open waters of Lake Michigan, centred near 44°18′N 86°19′W.
Manistee is the county seat, and its postal code is 49660. The county has one city, five villages and roughly two dozen unincorporated communities spread across fourteen civil townships. Manistee County observes Eastern Time.
Towns & Villages in Manistee County
Manistee County has one incorporated city — the county seat, Manistee — and five incorporated villages: Bear Lake, Copemish, Eastlake, Kaleva and Onekama. The rest of the places below are unincorporated communities, small platted settlements, hamlets or lakeshore clusters that have no independent municipal government and are administered by their surrounding township.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manistee | City · seat | Manistee Twp. (surrounds) | — | 49660 |
| Bear Lake | Village | Bear Lake | — | 49614 |
| Copemish | Village | Cleon | — | 49625 |
| Eastlake | Village | Manistee | — | 49626 |
| Kaleva | Village | Stronach / Maple Grove | — | 49645 |
| Onekama | Village | Onekama | — | 49675 |
| Arcadia | Unincorp. | Arcadia | — | 49613 |
| Bar Lake | Unincorp. | — | — | 49660 |
| Brethren | Unincorp. | — | — | 49619 |
| Chief Lake | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Douglas | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| East Lake | Unincorp. | Manistee | — | — |
| Filer City | Unincorp. | Filer Charter | — | 49634 |
| Humphrey | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Kampvilla MH Park | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Malcolm | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Marilla | Unincorp. | Marilla | — | — |
| Maue Corners | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Newland | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Norwalk | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Oak Hill | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Onekama Junction | Unincorp. | Onekama | — | — |
| Parkdale | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Pierport | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Pleasanton | Unincorp. | Pleasanton | — | — |
| Pomona | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Red Park | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| River Haven MH Park | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Stronach | Unincorp. | Stronach | — | — |
| Udell | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Wellston | Unincorp. | Norman / Brown | — | 49689 |
| Wic-a-te-wah | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Williamsport | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
Kaleva village sits astride the Stronach–Maple Grove township line, and Wellston sits astride Norman and Brown townships — both are counted once above with both townships noted. Bar Lake is a small lakeside cluster east of the city of Manistee and shares its 49660 ZIP.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Manistee | — | East Lake, Eastlake |
| Filer Charter | — | Filer City |
| Bear Lake | — | Bear Lake village |
| Onekama | — | Onekama village, Onekama Junction, Portage Point |
| Cleon | — | Copemish |
| Stronach | — | Stronach, Kaleva (part) |
| Maple Grove | — | Kaleva (part) |
| Marilla | — | Marilla |
| Arcadia | — | Arcadia |
| Pleasanton | — | Pleasanton |
| Norman | — | Wellston (part) |
| Brown | — | Wellston (part) |
| Dickson | — | Brethren |
| Springdale | — | rural, no platted village |
ZIP Codes
- 49660 — Manistee (also serves Bar Lake)
- 49614 — Bear Lake
- 49625 — Copemish
- 49626 — Eastlake (P.O. box only)
- 49645 — Kaleva
- 49675 — Onekama
- 49613 — Arcadia
- 49619 — Brethren
- 49634 — Filer City (P.O. box only)
- 49689 — Wellston
Smaller unincorporated places such as Marilla, Pleasanton, Stronach and Williamsport have no ZIP of their own and are served by the nearest post office town listed above.
Geography
Manistee County lies where the Manistee River empties into Lake Michigan, giving the county its name and its historic sawmill-era port. The terrain is a mix of forested moraine ridges, inland lakes — including Bear Lake and Portage Lake — and a roughly 25-mile stretch of Lake Michigan shoreline and dune bluffs along the county’s western edge. Much of the eastern half of the county is within the Manistee National Forest.
Manistee County is bordered by Benzie County to the north, Grand Traverse County to the northeast, Wexford County to the east, Lake County to the southeast, Mason County to the south, and the open waters of Lake Michigan to the west.
Demographics
The 2020 census counted 25,032 residents. Manistee, the county seat, and Onekama village are the two largest incorporated communities in the county, though most residents live in unincorporated areas within the fourteen townships — about two-thirds of the population is classified as rural. Household income in Manistee County trails the Michigan median of $69,183; the county’s economy leans more on tourism, manufacturing and retirement households than the state average. Population density works out to roughly 46 people per square mile of land.
Economy & Local Life
Manistee County’s economy rests on a mix of light manufacturing, tourism and forestry. West Shore Community College’s main campus sits just south of the county in Scottville, and Munson Healthcare and West Shore Medical Center are among the larger employers based in the city of Manistee. Lake Michigan charter fishing, the Manistee National Forest’s hunting and hiking trade, and the historic downtown Manistee riverwalk draw seasonal visitors each summer. The Manistee National Forest Festival and the county’s several inland-lake resort communities anchor the summer tourist season.
History
Manistee County was set off from the original Michilimackinac County in 1840 as an unorganized county, briefly attached to Grand Traverse County for legal purposes in 1851, and organized in its own right on February 13, 1855. The name is believed to come from an Ojibwe word for the river, possibly meaning “river with islands at its mouth.” Nineteenth-century lumbering built the city of Manistee into one of Michigan’s busiest sawmill and shipping ports on Lake Michigan, and salt production later grew alongside the timber trade as the two industries shared brine wells along the riverfront.
Getting There
US-31 runs the length of the county north–south, M-55 crosses it east–west toward Cadillac, and the M-22 and M-115 scenic routes serve the Lake Michigan shoreline and the eastern townships.
- Traverse City — about 30 miles northeast
- Cadillac — about 30 miles east
- Ludington — about 25 miles south
- Grand Rapids — about 100 miles south
Manistee County-Blacker Airport, just outside the city of Manistee, offers scheduled commercial service to Chicago. Cherry Capital Airport in Traverse City is the nearest larger regional airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Manistee County?
Manistee County is in the northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan, on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan.
What is the population of Manistee County?
25,032 people, as of the 2020 census.
How big is Manistee County?
1,281 square miles (3,320 km2) in total, of which 542 square miles are land and 738 square miles are Lake Michigan waters.
What is the county seat of Manistee County?
Manistee is the county seat.
How many towns and villages are in Manistee County?
One city and five villages — Bear Lake, Copemish, Eastlake, Kaleva and Onekama — plus about two dozen unincorporated communities across fourteen townships.
What ZIP codes are in Manistee County?
Ten ZIP codes serve the county, led by 49660 (Manistee), 49614 (Bear Lake) and 49645 (Kaleva); see the ZIP Codes section above for the full list.
Where does the name Manistee come from?
It comes from the Manistee River, whose name is believed to be an Ojibwe word possibly meaning “river with islands at its mouth.”
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Michigan.