Genesee County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan . As of the 2000 census, the population was 436,141. The county seat and population center is Flint6. It was created on March 28, 1835 and fully organized on April 4, 1836 . It was named after Genesee County , New York by settlers from New York . Many local place names in the county are also from New York and Pennsylvania , reflecting the pattern of settlement. A major attraction for visitors is Crossroads Village , a living history village north of Flint .

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,682 km² (649 mi²). 1,657 km² (640 mi²) of it is land and 25 km² (10 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.49% water. Most of the land in the county is very flat, but the southern end is hilly and covered by several lakes. The county is mostly drained by the Flint River , which is dammed into Mott Lake and the Holloway Reservoir in the northeast corner of the county. The southeast corner and southern end are drained by the Shiawassee River.

As of the census2 of 2000, there are 169,825 households, and 115,990 families residing in the county. The population density is 263/km² (682/mi²). There are 183,630 housing units at an average density of 111/km² (287/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 75.29% White, 20.37% Black or African American, 0.55% Native American, 0.81% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.78% from other races, and 2.18% from two or more races. 2.33% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

The median income for a household in the county is $41,951, and the median income for a family is $50,090. Males have a median income of $44,255 versus $27,418 for females. The per capita income for the county is $20,883. 13.10% of the population and 10.20% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 19.10% of those under the age of 18 and 7.70% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Neighboring areas include: Tuscola County , Lapeer County , Oakland County , Livingston County , Shiawassee County , and Saginaw County .