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Livingston County Master Plan 8

Livingston County is diverse in its composition; within a 585 square mile geography are varied experiences such as small town life, community

festivals, agricultural farmlands, an abundance of lakes, and large state and regional parks.

Regional Setting:

Livingston County is located in Southeastern Michigan, the most populous region of Michigan

where nearly 50% of the state population resides. Livingston County is one of seven counties

in the Metropolitan Planning Organization known as the Southeast Michigan Council of

Governments or SEMCOG. Detroit, Michigan has been the historic center of this region and the

City’s prosperity greatly impacts the economy and

identity of Southeast Michigan communities.

Livingston County’s regional location has also been

described as midway between the state capital of

Lansing and the state’s largest city of Detroit, or

midway between Michigan’s largest institutions of

higher education, the University of Michigan and

Michigan State University. Each of these

descriptions has influenced the placemaking

identity of the County.

A SEMCOG 2017 estimated population of 189,985,

places Livingston county as the 11th most

populous county in Michigan. Livingston is

bordered on the north by Shiawassee and Genesee

counties, on the east by Oakland County, on the

south by Washtenaw and Jackson counties, and on

the west by Ingham County. Genesee, Oakland,

and Washtenaw counties are among the top 10

most populated counties in Michigan.

COMMUNITY PROFILE

Livingston County At A Glance

585 square miles in size

16 townships

2 cities

2 villages

The City of Howell is the county seat of

government

Most populated county community -Hamburg

Township, 21,213

2017 County Population Estimate - 189,985

11th largest county in Michigan

One of 7 counties in the Southeast Michigan

Council of Governments

Fowlerville Family Fair

Michigan Challenge Balloonfest

Livingston County Master Plan 9

Livingston County

Character:

Most residents of

Livingston County

would say that an

imaginary north/

south line can be

drawn nearly through

the middle of the

County to illustrate

how Livingston

County’s character

differs between its

urbanization in the

eastern half and its

agricultural farmland

in the western half.

There is some truth

to this

demarcation because

nearly half (46%) of

the population

resides in the

southeast quadrant

of the County, in the

townships of

Brighton, Genoa,

Hamburg, and Green

Oak, and the City of

Brighton. It is also

true that the majority of the 96,806 acres of farmland in Livingston County lies in the western

half of the county in an L-shaped band located along the northern and western County lines in

the townships of Unadilla, Iosco, Handy, Conway, Cohoctah and Deerfield.

Historically, Livingston County was regionally recognized as a recreation destination with over

75 inland lakes and 20,000+ acres of park and recreation areas that include: 7 State Parks, 2

Huron Clinton Metropolitan Authority “Metro Parks”, and multiple county, city, village and

township parks. Southeast Michigan residents often escaped the congestion of city life for the

rural and natural beauty of nearby Livingston County. Numerous metropolitan camps were

present and several still remain although their names and ownership may have changed.

Metropolitan camps such as: Detroit Fresh Air Camp, Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries

(Wildwood Ranch) the Girl Scout USA Organization and faith-based camps. Additionally,

private cottage communities flourished on the inland lakes. Rapid population growth since

1970 has transformed this recreation destination into a suburban county where former

cottages are now year-round dwellings. Today Livingston County is more often recognized for

its commuter lifestyle where according to the Workforce Intelligence Network for Southeast

Michigan, 74.8% of the resident population commutes outside of the County to their place of

work. The County is traversed by Interstate 96 and U.S. Highway 23 which links County

residents to the surrounding job markets of Lansing, Flint, Detroit and Ann Arbor.

Livingston County Master Plan 10

Livingston County Quality of Life:

In partnership with SPARK, Livingston County’s

Economic Development consultant, Livingston

County Planning has developed Master Plan

Community Profiles for each of the 20 local

communities in Livingston County to showcase

some of the unique attributes of each locale. The

information in each profile includes demographics

and other locally gathered information in the

form of narratives, tables, charts, and maps.

These profiles are intended to inform potential

residents, investors and developers about the

community, in order to attract new economic

development. An example of a profile can be

found in the appendix of this plan and on the

Livingston County Planning website

Livingston County Communities:

Livingston County is composed of 21 political

jurisdictions including 16 townships, 2 cities, 2

villages and Livingston County government. Thirteen of the 16 townships are general law

townships and 3 are charter townships including: Brighton, Genoa and Green Oak Charter

Townships. The City of Howell is the county seat of government. Livingston County has a

county-wide master plan, but does not have a county-wide zoning ordinance. Each of the 20

local communities maintains their own master plan and zoning ordinance.

Quality of Life Characteristics

Numerous regional festivals such as the

Michigan Challenge Balloonfest

Over 20,000 acres of parks and recreation

areas

Tanger Outlet and Green Oak Village Place

shopping malls

Numerous medical centers including providers

such as St. Joseph Mercy, St. John Providence

and University of Michigan

5 public school districts, 5 public school

academies, and 14 private schools

Cleary University campus and Lansing

Community College off-campus learning center

plus 5 additional university or college learning

facilities

Livingston County Master Plan 11

Through the economic recession of the late 2000’s and early 2010’s, the majority of

Livingston County communities did not lose population but continued to grow at a much

slower rate than they had previously. This population growth was in sharp contrast to the

population loss experienced in many Southeast Michigan communities.

The population chart below illustrates that overall, population in Livingston County has grown

by 9,028 new residents between 2010– 2017, with the most growth experienced in Oceola

Township and a minimal decrease in population experienced in Conway and Iosco Townships,

the Villages of Fowlerville and Pinckney, and the City of Howell.

LIVINGSTON COUNTY POPULATION CHANGE

Community 2010 Census

Population

2017 Estimated

Population

# Population

Change

% Population

Change

Brighton Township 17,791 18,602 811 4.6%

Cohoctah Township 3,317 3,436 119 3.6%

Conway Township 3,546 3,523 -23 -0.6%

Deerfield Township 4,170 4,192 22 0.5%

Genoa Township 19,821 20,881 1,060 5.3%

Green Oak Township 17,476 19,168 1,692 9.7%

Hamburg Township 21,165 21,213 48 0.2%

Handy Township 5,120 5,337 217 4.2%

Hartland Township 14,663 15,490 827 5.6%

Howell Township 6,702 7,140 438 6.5%

Iosco Township 3,801 3,582 -219 -5.8%

Marion Township 9,996 10,771 775 7.8%

Oceola Township 11,936 14,034 2,098 17.6%

Putnam Township 5,821 6,076 255 4.4%

Tyrone Township 10,020 10,816 796 7.9%

Unadilla Township 3,366 3,463 97 2.9%

City of Brighton 7,444 7,899 455 6.1%

Village of Fowlerville 2,886 2,763 -123 -4.3%

City of Howell 9,489 9,420 -69 -0.7%

Village of Pinckney 2,427 2,169 -258 -10.6%

LIVINGSTON COUNTY 180,957 189,985 9,028 5.0%

SOURCE: Population and Household Estimates for Southeast Michigan, July 2017, SEMCOG

Livingston County Master Plan 12

SEMCOG produces a new forecast of the region’s future population every 4 to 5 years. In

their 2045 forecast they project population at 10 year intervals. The table below shows us the

projected population between 2015-2045 of each of the 20 local governments. It is projected

that the communities of Cohoctah and Iosco Townships will lose population over this span of

time, while Handy Township will experience the largest percent growth in population. Overall,

Livingston County is expected to gain 54,279 new residents for a 29% change.

LIVINGSTON COUNTY FORECASTED POPULATION

Community 2015 Forecasted

Population

2025 Forecasted

Population

2035 Forecasted

Population

2045 Forecasted

Population

% Population

Change

2015-2045

Brighton Township 18,503 20,579 21,585 21,883 18.3%

Cohoctah Township 3,430 3,116 3,077 3,142 -8.4%

Conway Township 3,473 3,166 3,614 3,788 9.1%

Deerfield Township 4,292 4,337 4,594 5,019 16.9%

Genoa Township 20,416 25,972 30,999 32,907 61.2%

Green Oak Township 18,851 20,724 22,082 22,750 20.7%

Hamburg Township 21,053 22,098 22,645 23,325 10.8%

Handy Township 5,268 6,533 8,075 8,780 66.7%

Hartland Township 15,558 17,184 19,201 19,871 27.7%

Howell Township 9,439 10,221 10,491 11,256 19.2%

Iosco Township 3,608 3,303 3,280 3,242 -10.1%

Marion Township 10,418 12,248 12,507 13,071 25.5%

Oceola Township 13,204 16,615 19,646 20,327 53.9%

Putnam Township 6,003 5,781 6,106 6,333 5.5%

Tyrone Township 10,793 11,064 11,906 12,486 15.7%

Unadilla Township 3,383 3,279 3,896 4,246 25.5%

City of Brighton 7,478 11,147 11,595 12,127 62.2%

Village of Fowlerville 2,674 2,643 3,138 3,144 17.6%

City of Howell 9,439 10,221 10,491 11,256 19.2%

Village of Pinckney 2,226 2,046 2,058 2,845 27.8%

LIVINGSTON

COUNTY

187,287 210,770 230,740 241,566 29.0%

SOURCE: Southeast Michigan 2045 Forecast Summary, December 2017, SEMCOG