- Houghton County -

Houghton County is located in the western portion of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the northern portion of it is on the Keweenaw Peninsula. The county was organized by legislative enactment on May 18, 1846, and named in honor of Dr. Douglass Houghton who was Michigan's first State geologist.

The Houghton-Hancock Bridge, also known as the Portage Lake Lift Bridge, spans the Portage River (part of the Keweenaw Waterway) to connect the cities of Houghton and Hancock and lifts to allow large vessels to pass through. The original wooden swing bridge, built in 1875, was replaced with a steel swing bridge in 1901. In 1959 it was replaced with the current bridge which is the widest and heaviest double-decked vertical lift bridge in the world.

Houghton County has an area of 1,502 sq. mi., however 492 sq. mi. is water. The county seat, and largest city, is Houghton.