Question

Why are the counties of Michigan organized in a grid pattern?

Answer 1

Answer:

The counties of Michigan are organized in a grid pattern because the internal subdivision of the state followed the pattern of surveying established by the Land Ordinance of 1785, which established a rectangular division of the lands of the Northwest Territory, with the objective of facilitating an equal distribution between settlers who would be sent there to populate the region west of the Appalachians.

Thus, the Northwest Territory began to be subdivided into a rectangular shape, and the counties in this region began to take this shape. So when Michigan was established as a state, its counties (as well as those of the other Midwest states) continued to maintain this rectangular shape.