This paper was published to provide some perspectives about county government–how it came to be and how its purpose and function evolved over time The first section of this paper will deal with the beginnings of county government and its development in the U.S. and in Michigan. The second and third segments will review some of the ways Michigan state government relates to the counties in the state and how counties relate to the municipal jurisdictions within them. Finally, the paper discusses the nature of the charter in the context of county government.