Allegan County, located along the sandy shores of Lake Michigan, is a very interesting mix of communities with a wide variety of resources and unique features. With a 2005 population of 113,174, Allegan County is the third largest county in Region 8 (behind Kent and Ottawa), and the second fastest growing county (behind only Ottawa County).

With 24 townships, Allegan County is larger than a "standard" Michigan county. The County has eight cities and two villages. Some of the unique features of the cities and villages include:

● The Allegan County portion of the City of Holland is the largest city in Allegan County (about 20 percent of the City’s population is located in Allegan County) and contains the County’s largest employer (Haworth).

● After its recent decision to become a city, the official name of Douglas is now "The City of the Village of Douglas."

● Otsego and Plainwell, considered the County’s "twin cities" had identical 2000 populations of 3,933. The Plainwell-Otsego area provides many shopping opportunities, restaurants, and attractions.

● There are 282 steps to the top of Saugatuck’s "Mount Baldhead," which you can experience every year by running the 15K Mount Baldhead Challenge in September, or by taking the leisurely route and taking the human powered "Chain Ferry" across the Kalamazoo River.

● The Saugatuck-Douglas area is a major tourist destination with shopping, beaches, and other unique opportunities.

● Andrew Bee is buried in the Martin Cemetery – he is attributed with finding Jefferson Davis dressed as a woman towards the end of the Civil War.

● The City of Allegan, along the banks of the Kalamazoo River, serves as the County Seat and is home to an interesting downtown and Perrigo – which manufactures generic drugs and is the County’s second largest employer.

● In addition to communities within the County, residents are pulled in four different directions outside of the County – with Grand Rapids drawing people to the northeast, Holland pulling them to the northwest, Kalamazoo attracting them to the southeast, and South Haven tugging residents to the southwest.

● The other cities, villages, and townships in Allegan County all have unique features that attract residents and visitors and provide a great quality of life for people seeking small town or rural experiences – while being near several of Michigan’s urban centers.

The County’s natural features are varied and include Lake Michigan and miles of sandy beaches and dunes, the Allegan State Game Area, the Kalamazoo River, a diverse agricultural base that includes everything from blueberries to dairies, and many nice recreation-related lakes including the western shore of Gun Lake.

The County is well served by north-south expressways including US-131 along the eastern boundary of the County and US-31/I-196 along the western boundary. For more leisurely drives, take the M-40/M-89 Corridor from Plainwell to Holland or M-222 from Martin to Allegan. From personal experience, make sure you drive the speed limit on M-222...