Muskegon County, Michigan

Muskegon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of 2014, the population was 172,344. The county seat is Muskegon.Muskegon County comprises the Muskegon, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the larger Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Muskegon, MI Combined Statistical Area. The White River flows through the county to its mouth at Lake Michigan.HistoryAround 1812, Jean Baptiste Recollect and Pierre Constant set up trading posts in the area. By the Treaty of Washington (1836), Native Americans ceded parts of Michigan, including future Muskegon County, to the United States. This opened up the area to greater settlement by European Americans, who developed farms.Muskegon County was organized in 1859. Its name is from the Muskegon River, which runs through it and empties into Muskegon Lake and subsequently flows into Lake Michigan. The word "Muskegon" comes from the Ojibwa/Chippewa word mashkig, meaning "marsh" or "swamp". See List of Michigan county name etymologies.