Welcome to Genesee County!
Genesee County, Michigan's fourth largest, is located in southeastern Michigan. It was organized in 1836, named after Genesee County, New York, in an effort to attract settlers from there.
The name means: "Beautiful Valley," which is a good description of the area. It attracted settlers as early as 1829, with Jacob Smith from Quebec as the first. Others, such as Luman Beach, Addison Stewart, Rubin McCrory and Simon King came a few years later, founding the Village of Geneseeville, just a few miles east of Mt. Morris, (which now is the site of the famous Huckleberry Railroad.)
The county grew quickly during the lumber era, especially Flint, which was a good location for sorting and processing lumber floated down the Flint River. A key player in the development of the county was William Durant, who started a carriage factory in Flint, and later invested in a then struggling auto company by the name of Buick. In 1909, he mass-produced a car designed by Louis Chevrolet, and the rest was history: a merger called General Motors.
Today, Genesee County remains on the grow, with half of its villages and cities considered a part of the greater Flint area. It still retains its rich history and country charm, however, with many turn-of-the-century buildings preserved in its smaller towns, such as Flushing, Fenton, Linden and Gaines, to name a few. There is always something to see and do in Genesee County.
Be sure to visit beautiful downtown Flint next time you are in the neighborhood!