Counties
Mason is a quiet little town on the outskirts of the Lansing area -- but Mason and Lansing have been battling it out for which city is more important since the very beginning. Mason was named for the state's first governor, Stevens T. Mason, and is the county seat of Ingham County. Even though Lansing is also in Ingham County, this is the only county in the U.S. where the county seat and state capital aren't the same city.
Today, Mason is clearly winning the battle -- depending on what criteria you use, that is. Mason's population grew 20 percent between 2000 and 2010, perhaps because people are tired of the urban infrastructure in Lansing and want a more rural setting, or because new faculty members at Michigan State University want to settle down in a safe, quiet community. Either way, there's a lot to love about Mason. See more