Bay County is one of 83 counties in Michigan. The county is in the Bay City metro area.

Bay City was once the camping ground of the Chippewa Indians, later the community began as five separate and distinct villages. It eventually merged into a picturesque riverfront city of historic homes and shops. It is a city loaded with historical items related to Native Americans, lumbering, ship building, archaeology, agriculture, commerce and highlighted with historical architecture from 1830 to 1940. It has the Saginaw River traveling directly through the center of the city, with riverside parks and walkways.

More than 160 years have elapsed since Leon Trombley accepted a federal government assignment and built a small log house on the bank of the Saginaw River. However, Leon made at least one mistake. He turned down an offer to trade a horse for a section of land, which he considered an uninhabitable swamp.