The United States Attorney's Office - Western District of Michigan

          The Western District of Michigan is unique not only because it is one of the nation's longest federal law enforcement districts, but also because it is broken into two peninsulas. Altogether, the Western District extends more than 700 miles from the southern extremity to the northwest border. To be exact, the Western District of Michigan covers 35,229 square miles and encompasses forty-nine counties, thirty-four of them in the lower peninsula.

          The Western District is diversely populated and split into two divisions. The Southern Division is the western half of the lower peninsula and comprises thirty-four counties. There are three U.S. Attorney's Offices in the lower peninsula, Grand Rapids and Lansing (staffed offices) and Kalamazoo (un-staffed office). The northern Division is in the upper peninsula, and has a staffed office in Marquette. See the list of counties below that are in the Western District of Michigan.

          The northern part of the district and upper peninsula has a number of Native American reservations that are also under the auspices of the U.S. Attorney. The southern areas are more intensely populated and centralized in Grand Rapids, which is the 52nd largest metropolitan area in the country. The Western District also includes the state capitol, Lansing.

Northern Division:

          Alger, Baraga, Chippewa, Delta, Dickinson, Gogebic, Houghton, Iron, Keweenaw, Luce, Mackinac, Marquette, Menominee, Ontonagon, Schoolcraft

Southern Division:

          Allegan, Antrim, Barry, Benzie, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Charlevoix, Clinton, Eaton, Emmet, Grand Traverse, Hillsdale, Ingham, Ionia, Kalamazoo, Kalkaska, Kent, Lake, Leelanau, Manistee, Mason, Mecosta,  Missaukee,   Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, Osceola, Ottawa, St. Joseph, Van Buren, Wexford

          The state of Michigan has two penninsulas; the upper penninsula and the lower penninsula. These two penninsulas are separated by the Straits of Mackinac and until 1957 there was no way of going directly from one penninsula to the other. On May 7 - 8, 1954 construction began on the Mackinac Bridge and the bridge opened to traffic on November 1, 1957.

          The Mackinac Bridge is the longest suspension bridge in the western hemisphere and the third longest suspension bridge in the world. The total length of the Mackinac Bridge is 26,372 feet, or about 5 miles in length. If you would like more information on the Mackinac Bridge, view the Mackinac Bridge Authority's web site at: http://www.mackinacbridge.org/