Genesee County History began in 1836, when a group of settlers gather to name the county Genesee County after Genesee County , New York . This was done as an effort to attract settlers from that region. Its name means " Beautiful Valley and It attracted settlers as early as 1829, with Jacob Smith from Quebec as the first. Others, such as Luman Beach , Addison Stewart, Rubin Mc Crory and Simon King came a few years later, founding the Village of Geneseeville , just a few miles east which now is the site of the famous Huckleberry Railroad. During the lumber era, the county grew quickly. The Flint River made this location a good one for sorting and processing lumber.

William Durant was the key player in the development of the county. He started a carriage factory in Flint . Later in life he invested in a then struggling auto company by the name of Buick. In 1909, he mass-produced a car designed by Louis Chevrolet, and the rest was history -- a merger called General Motors. Genesee County remains on the grow, with half of its villages and cities considered a part of the greater Flint area. It still retains its history and country charm, however, with many turn-of-the-century buildings preserved in its smaller towns.