Osceola County is a county in Michigan, United States, in the north-central Lower Peninsula between Cadillac and Big Rapids. It had a population of 22,891 at the 2020 census and covers 573 square miles (1,484 km2), centred near 43°59′N 85°20′W.
Reed City is the county seat, and its postal code is 49677. The county has 2 cities, 4 villages and several unincorporated communities spread across 16 civil townships. Osceola County runs on Eastern Time.
Towns & Villages in Osceola County
Reed City and Evart are the county’s two incorporated cities; Hersey, LeRoy, Marion and Tustin are incorporated villages. The rest of the list below is unincorporated communities and small crossroads settlements — some are little more than a name on a plat map. “CDP” marks a Census Bureau statistical place with no city or village government; “Unincorp.” marks a community with no municipal boundary at all.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reed City | City · seat | Richmond | 2,490 | 49677 |
| Evart | City | Evart | — | 49631 |
| Marion | Village | Marion | — | 49665 |
| Hersey | Village | Hersey | — | 49639 |
| LeRoy | Village | LeRoy | — | 49655 |
| Tustin | Village | Cedar | — | 49688 |
| Sears | Unincorp. | — | — | 49679 |
| Ashton | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Avondale | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Chippewa | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Dighton | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Highland | Unincorp. | Highland | — | — |
| Ina | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Orono | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Park Lake | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
Hersey, LeRoy, Marion and Tustin villages each sit inside the civil township that shares their name, which is common in Michigan — the village government and the township government are separate but the boundaries overlap.
Townships
Osceola County has 16 civil townships. The table below gives the township each village or unincorporated place above sits in; population figures for the townships themselves are not verified for this profile and are omitted rather than guessed.
| Township | Main settlement |
|---|---|
| Burdell | — |
| Cedar | Tustin |
| Evart | Evart |
| Hartwick | — |
| Hersey | Hersey |
| Highland | Highland |
| LeRoy | LeRoy |
| Lincoln | — |
| Marion | Marion |
| Middle Branch | — |
| Orient | — |
| Osceola | — |
| Richmond | Reed City |
| Rose Lake | — |
| Sherman | — |
| Sylvan | — |
ZIP Codes
- 49677 — Reed City
- 49631 — Evart
- 49665 — Marion
- 49639 — Hersey
- 49655 — LeRoy
- 49688 — Tustin
- 49679 — Sears
Seven ZIP codes cover Osceola County, one per incorporated place plus Sears. Smaller unincorporated communities such as Ashton, Avondale, Chippewa, Dighton, Highland, Ina, Orono and Park Lake share the ZIP code of the nearest post office town rather than having their own.
Geography
Osceola County sits in the north-central Lower Peninsula, a landscape of low sandy hills, glacial moraines and river bottomland left by the last ice sheet. The Muskegon River crosses the southern part of the county and branches of the Manistee River drain the north, with numerous small lakes scattered across the county’s 16 townships. Of the county’s 573 square miles, 566 square miles are land and about 6.7 square miles are water.
Osceola County borders Wexford County to the northwest, Missaukee County to the northeast, Clare County to the east, Isabella County to the southeast, Mecosta County to the south, Newaygo County to the southwest and Lake County to the west.
Demographics
Osceola County had a population of 22,891 at the 2020 census. Reed City, the county seat, is the largest place with 2,490 residents; Evart is the second-largest incorporated place. Median household income in the county runs below the Michigan median of $69,183, typical for a rural north-central county built on agriculture, forestry and small manufacturing. Population density works out to roughly 40 people per square mile, one of the lower densities in the Lower Peninsula.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture — dairy, field crops and Christmas tree farms — and forest-products manufacturing anchor the county economy, alongside small-scale tourism tied to the Muskegon River and the county’s lakes and state forest land. Reed City hosts the annual Reed City Sparta Foundation Days and serves as the retail and school-district hub for the surrounding townships; Evart is known locally for its Fourth of July Strawberry Festival.
History
The Michigan legislature first laid out the county in 1840 under the name Unwattin County. It was renamed Osceola on March 8, 1843, after Osceola, the Seminole leader who resisted removal from Florida during the Second Seminole War — one of several Michigan counties given Native American or invented Native-sounding names in that era. Osceola County was not organized as a functioning county government until 1869, once settlement in the area was dense enough to support one.
Getting There
US-131 runs north–south through the county past Reed City, and US-10 crosses it east–west; M-66 and M-115 provide secondary routes to the surrounding towns.
- Cadillac — 20 miles north
- Big Rapids — 25 miles south
- Mount Pleasant — 40 miles southeast
- Grand Rapids — 75 miles south
The nearest commercial airport is Cherry Capital Airport in Traverse City, about an hour’s drive north.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Osceola County, Michigan?
It is in the north-central Lower Peninsula, between Cadillac and Big Rapids, roughly 75 miles north of Grand Rapids.
What is the population of Osceola County?
22,891, according to the 2020 census.
How big is Osceola County?
573 square miles (1,484 km2), of which 566 square miles is land.
What is the county seat of Osceola County?
Reed City is the county seat.
How many towns and villages are in Osceola County?
Two cities (Reed City and Evart) and four villages (Hersey, LeRoy, Marion and Tustin), plus a number of smaller unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Osceola County?
49677 (Reed City), 49631 (Evart), 49665 (Marion), 49639 (Hersey), 49655 (LeRoy), 49688 (Tustin) and 49679 (Sears).
Why is it called Osceola County?
It was renamed in 1843 for Osceola, the Seminole leader, replacing the original 1840 name Unwattin County.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Michigan.