Coastal Services Center

Jones County is a coastal county characterized by rolling hills and gently sloping shorelines with substantial dunes and extensive salt marshes. The county has a rich natural resource-based history depicted in its mix of rural agricultural landscapes interspersed with meandering streams, forest, salt marshes, and lagoons.

Many of the communities that dot the coastal fringe of the county are undergoing rapid change. Changes in the use of natural resources from consumptive (e.g., fishing, logging) to passive (e.g., recreation and tourism) are influencing the demographic makeup and character of many small coastal communities and leading to population growth in the county's largest city, Jonesville.

Jones County has a current population of 63,870 people, an increase of 13 percent from 1990. Jonesville's population has grown to 32,240, an increase of more than 25 percent from 1990. The steady growth over the past ten years has caused the county to reevaluate the future direction of infrastructure, residential, and commercial development within the county.