Branch County, Michigan

Branch County is a county in Michigan, United States, in the south-central part of the state, about 30 miles south of Kalamazoo on the Indiana border. It had a population of 44,862 at the 2020 census, an estimated 45,993 by 2025, and covers 520 square miles (1,300 km2) centred near 41°55′N 85°03′W.

Coldwater is the county seat and its largest city; its postal code is 49036. The county holds 2 cities, 3 incorporated villages and about 16 named unincorporated communities across 16 civil townships, and it runs on Eastern Time. Its FIPS code is 26023.

Towns & Villages in Branch County

Branch County has 21 named places on record: 2 cities, 3 incorporated villages and 16 unincorporated communities with no local government of their own. Unincorp. covers crossroads hamlets that share a name with, but have no separate legal status from, the township around them.

Union City straddles a county line. Most of the village and its 1,714 residents sit in Union Township here in Branch County, but a small northern edge crosses into Burlington Township in Calhoun County. The county’s many lakes — Coldwater Lake, Marble Lake, Randall Lake and others — also carry dozens of platted subdivisions and mobile-home communities (locally known names include Crystal Beach, Pearl Beach and Canada Shores); these are seasonal or residential plats rather than Census-recognized places, so they are not listed separately above.

Townships

Branch County has 16 civil townships: Algansee, Batavia, Bethel, Bronson, Butler, California, Coldwater, Gilead, Girard, Kinderhook, Matteson, Noble, Ovid, Quincy, Sherwood and Union. Coldwater Township surrounds but is legally separate from the city of Coldwater; Bronson, Quincy, Sherwood and Union townships likewise surround their namesake municipalities. Noble and Ovid townships have no incorporated village of their own and are the county’s most rural, with Lockwood the main crossroads settlement in Ovid Township.

ZIP Codes

• 49036 — Coldwater (the county’s most populous ZIP, also covering Hodunk and several outlying townships)
• 49028 — Bronson (also serves Fisher and Bethel)
• 49094 — Union City (shared with the Calhoun County portion of the village)
• 49082 — Quincy (also serves Butler and Girard townships)
• 49089 — Sherwood

Algansee, Batavia Center, California, East Gilead, Gilead, Kinderhook, Lockwood, Matteson, Ray, South Butler, Stringtown and West Kinderhook have no ZIP code of their own; mail there is delivered under the nearest incorporated town’s code.

Geography

Branch County sits in Michigan’s south-central Lower Peninsula, a landscape of glacial moraines and kettle lakes left behind by the last ice age. Of its 520 square miles, 506 are land and 13 are water, about 2.6 percent — a share reflected in the county’s dozens of small glacial lakes rather than any single large body of water. Coldwater Lake and Marble Lake, both near the city of Coldwater, are among the largest. Iyopawa Island, in one of the county’s lakes, is Branch County’s only island, and by total area Branch ranks as Michigan’s third-smallest county.

Calhoun County lies to the north, Kalamazoo County to the northwest, St. Joseph County to the west, LaGrange County, Indiana, to the southwest, Steuben County, Indiana, to the south, and Hillsdale County to the east. Calhoun County, Kalamazoo County, LaGrange County, Steuben County and Hillsdale County all border Branch directly; St. Joseph County, Michigan, does not yet have a page on this site.

Demographics

Branch County had a population of 44,862 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate puts the county near 45,993 residents. Coldwater and Bronson are the two largest communities, together holding well over a third of the county’s population. Median household income runs about $63,724, below Michigan’s statewide 2023 ACS figure of $69,183. Population density works out to roughly 89 people per square mile of land, typical for a rural south-central Michigan county built around a handful of small lake towns rather than a single urban center.

Economy & Local Life

Manufacturing employs the most workers in the county, about 5,203 people, followed by retail trade at 2,520 and health care and social assistance at 2,389. Coldwater is the commercial and institutional center: it hosts branch campuses of Kellogg Community College and Baker College, Coldwater Community Schools, and ProMedica Coldwater Regional Hospital. The Tibbits Opera House, built in 1882 and billed as Michigan’s second-oldest working theater, still stages performances downtown. Agriculture remains a working part of the county’s economy outside the cities, on the cropland between its lakes. Coldwater’s biggest annual events are its Ice Festival each January, Strawberry Fest each June and Apple Fest each September; Union City holds an annual Meteor Festival in early July, tied to the meteorite that inspired children’s author Patricia Polacco’s book about her family’s farm there.

History

Michigan’s territorial legislature authorized Branch County on 29 October 1829 and organized it in 1833. It is one of several Michigan “cabinet counties” named for members of President Andrew Jackson’s administration — Branch honors John Branch, Jackson’s Secretary of the Navy. American settlers, many of them from New York and New England, began arriving around 1830. Coldwater was incorporated as a village in 1837, became the county seat in 1842, and was chartered as a city in 1861.

Union City’s John D. Zimmerman House, built around 1840, served as a documented stop on the Underground Railroad, and the village is recognized as a station on that network. The North Bronson Industrial Area, tied to the city’s earlier manufacturing history, contains three sites the EPA has designated for Superfund cleanup.

Getting There

Interstate 69 runs north–south through the county with exits serving Coldwater. US Route 12 crosses east–west through Coldwater and Girard Township, and state routes M-60, M-66 and M-86 connect the smaller villages.

• Kalamazoo — about 30 miles north
• Battle Creek — about 25 miles north
• Sturgis — about 20 miles west
• Angola, Indiana — about 20 miles south

Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport, roughly 30 miles north of Coldwater, is the nearest major commercial airport. Amtrak’s Blue Water and Wolverine trains stop at the Kalamazoo station, connecting to Chicago and Detroit; Branch County itself has no passenger rail station.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Branch County located?
It sits in south-central Michigan, on the Indiana border, about 30 miles south of Kalamazoo, bordered by Calhoun, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph and Hillsdale counties in Michigan and LaGrange and Steuben counties in Indiana.

What is the population of Branch County?
44,862 at the 2020 census, with a 2025 estimate near 45,993.

How big is Branch County?
520 square miles (1,300 km2), of which 506 square miles are land and 13 square miles are water.

What is the county seat of Branch County?
Coldwater, incorporated as a city in 1861, is the county seat and largest city.

How many towns and villages are in Branch County?
Two cities, Coldwater and Bronson, plus three incorporated villages — Union City, Quincy and Sherwood — and 16 unincorporated communities across the county’s 16 townships.

What ZIP codes does Branch County use?
49036 for Coldwater, 49028 for Bronson, 49094 for Union City, 49082 for Quincy and 49089 for Sherwood.

What is Branch County known for?
The Tibbits Opera House in Coldwater, one of Michigan’s oldest working theaters, and Union City’s Underground Railroad history at the John D. Zimmerman House.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Michigan.