page_title: St. Joseph County, Michigan
section_title: Communities
hierarchical_section_title: St. Joseph County, Michigan / Communities
caption_attribution_description: English: Front and western side of the Old US Government Land Office Building, located at 113 W. Chicago Road (U.S. Route 12) in White Pigeon, Michigan, United States. Built in 1831, it is Michigan's oldest extant federal land office and one of just a few remaining throughout the former Northwest Territory. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
context_page_description: St. Joseph County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan, on the central southern border with Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 61,295. The county seat is Centreville.
  French colonists in the late 17th century were the first Europeans to explore this territory, and they named the St. Joseph River for the patron saint of New France. This area was not part of the United States until after the American Revolutionary War. After the Treaty of Chicago was signed in 1821, regional tribes of the indigenous peoples ceded much land to the United States, opening the area for American settlement. The county was set off and organized by the Michigan Territory legislature in 1829; it was named for the river.
  St. Joseph County comprises the Sturgis, MI Micropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Kalamazoo-Battle Creek-Portage, MI Combined Statistical Area.
caption: White Pigeon General Land Office
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