Isabella County (pop. 70,311) was named for Queen Isabella I of Castille (1451-1504), who financed Christopher Columbus’s 1492 voyage to the Americas.

The only Isabella County

The county seat of Isabella County is Mount Pleasant (pop. 26,016).

Part of Mount Pleasant is on the Isabella Indian Reservation of the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Council.

The Soaring Eagle Casino is east of Mount Pleasant.

The Michigan Condensed Milk Factory (1908) in Mount Pleasant is now used for city offices.

It was owned by the Borden family.

Oil-drilling was an important part of Mount Pleasant’s economy beginning in 1928. The high school’s sports teams are known as the Oilers.

Mount Pleasant is the home of Central Michigan University, a public research university established in 1892. It has about 28,000 students.

Third-largest university in Michigan

The village of Shepherd (pop. 1,515) has an annual Maple Syrup Festival in late April. The festival began in 1958.

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