Livingston County occupies an area that was originally part of Shiawassee and Washtenaw counties and it was named after Edward Livingston, Secretary of State under President Andrew Jackson, and also Minister to France .   Livingston County is located in southeastern Michigan 's Lower Peninsula . Livingston County is located at the crossroads of I-96 and US-23 which puts it within one hours drive from Detroit, Flint, Ann Arbor, and Lansing which is a good thing because the county only has 6 jobs for every 10 residents. Today Livingston County is one of, or may be, the fastest growing county in Michigan (2003).   In the Early 1800's following the war of 1812 the Federal Government offered free land to those who fought in the war.   A Federal Survey in 1815 reported the land was extremely wet and the soil was unsuitable for farming. Most veterans took free land in other states.   The State of Michigan did not see things the same way; partially due to the fact history indicates both the Pottawatomie and Chippewa Indians had farmed the area. The State ordered up its own survey and found that much of the land to be very well suited for agricultural purposes. This prompted the State to begin selling parcels for $2.00 to $3.00 an acre rather than give it away. And, Hell,   I almost forgot, Hell is also located in Livingston County there are a couple of theories of how it became know as Hell, I like the one that goes like this; a man by the name of George Reeves, who found the soil for farming to be so good he had bumper crops of grain, so much that he decided to build a distillery to convert the extra grain to whisky, George was asked just what he thought the town he founded should be named and George reportedly replied, "I don't care, you can name it Hell if you want to."

Livingston County Websites and Locations of Interest

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livingston_County%2C_Michigan

http://www.infomi.com/county/livingston/