Otsego County is located in Michigan 's northern Lower Peninsula - you'll go through it if you take I-75 to the Mackinac Bridge . The county was initially a part of Michilimackinac County and in 1840 was formed as " Okkuddo " County. Okkuddo didn't stick, and it was renamed three years later as Otsego, after Otsego Lake and Otsego County in New York State . The name "Otsego" has differing translations, but appears to have come from a Mohawk-Iroquoian word that meant either "clear water", "meeting place" or "place on the rock."   The area was settled in the mid-1800's when lumbering lured people to Otsego. At that time in the area of Otsego Lake , a Great White Pine, called the Cork Pine, grew in great numbers. The Cork Pine was known as the finest of the white pines and was highly sought after by the loggers. Today the only large remaining stand of these Great White Pines is in Hartwick Pines State Park just above Grayling in the neighboring county of Crawford to the south. Some early industries using local wood included wagon and sleigh making. The county seat is located in the "Alpine Village" of Gaylord which is a must-see with its alpine theme. Gaylord is the county's largest city (2004), but it has another claim to fame -- it's also the geographic center of Michigan and has the distinction of being located along the 45 th parallel, which is exactly halfway between the North Pole and the Equator.   At one time Gaylord manufactured cars, a business that didn't last in that area. The first car produced was known as the "Gaylord 30," and the only one that's still in existence has been restored and can be viewed at the Chamber of Commerce Welcome Center in Gaylord.   The town of Vanderbilt on the outskirts of the Pigeon River State Forest is the site of the DNR headquarters that manages Michigan 's elk herd, planted in the Pigeon River country and now flourishing in many parts of the northeastern Lower Peninsula . With hundreds of acres of state forests, the headwaters of the Sturgeon, Pigeon, and Black Rivers , plus Otsego Lake , Otsego County contributes numerous opportunities in Outdoor Michigan.

Otsego County Websites and Locations of Interest

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

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