Genesee County lies in east-central Michigan, with Flint at the center of a large urban area that extends through Burton and toward Grand Blanc, while Flushing and Swartz Creek lie to the west and Fenton anchors the southern end. The county becomes noticeably hillier toward the south and southeast, while the Flint River and its tributaries occupy broad lower corridors through the center and north.
This page uses the supplied general county, city-distribution, terrain-and-water, and elevation maps to explain those differences. High-resolution JPG originals are available together in a ZIP download for printing, classroom materials, presentations, and detailed local reference. Reading the maps together makes it easier to connect Flint’s transportation network, river valleys, southern lake country, and the county-wide change in relief.
The main road pattern is centered on Flint. I-69 runs east and west, I-75 and I-475 provide north-south movement, and M-21 crosses the central county. Farther south, US-23 and I-75 lead toward Grand Blanc and Fenton, while M-54 and M-15 provide additional local orientation around the eastern and southeastern county.
Table of Contents
Flint anchors the I-69, I-75, and I-475 road network
Flint is the clearest road reference on the general county map. I-69 crosses the urban area from west to east, I-75 approaches from the southwest and continues north, and I-475 provides another north-south route on the eastern side of the city. M-21 also crosses the Flint area, giving the center of the county several strong transportation references.
West of Flint, Swartz Creek sits close to the I-69 corridor, while Flushing is farther north in a more open road environment. Montrose appears near the northwestern side. Compared with central Flint, these areas have wider spacing between major roads and many more small streams crossing the rural landscape.
South of Flint, Grand Blanc and Fenton become the main settlement references. I-75 and US-23 organize travel through this corridor, while M-54 provides another connection between Flint and the southern county. Fenton lies near the southern projection of the county and helps orient the border area with Livingston and Oakland counties.
Burton extends east from Flint, with Davison and Goodrich farther toward the eastern side. M-15 and I-69 provide useful references in this direction. Clio, Mount Morris, and Otisville help define the northern county, where settlement density decreases and roads become more widely spaced.
Bishop International Airport is labeled southwest of Flint, and Dalton Airport appears near the Flushing side. These facilities provide additional orientation within the urban and suburban landscape. The map is intended for regional reference rather than live navigation, so current traffic, construction, and closures should be checked separately.
Six highlighted cities spread from Flint to the southern lake country
The city-distribution map highlights Flint, Burton, Fenton, Flushing, Grand Blanc, and Swartz Creek while removing most road detail. Flint and Burton form the central-eastern concentration, Flushing sits to the northwest, Swartz Creek to the southwest, Grand Blanc to the southeast, and Fenton occupies the far southern portion. There are no connector lines or distance measurements, so the map should be used for relative position rather than travel distance.
The CITY INDEX lists reference values of 80,175 for Flint, 29,500 for Burton, 11,906 for Fenton, 8,284 for Flushing, 7,987 for Grand Blanc, and 5,853 for Swartz Creek. These figures are best treated as ranking values used for the map rather than as the latest official population counts. Current population estimates should be checked in the relevant U.S. Census Bureau release.
Flint is by far the largest highlighted community and also the county’s strongest transportation center. Burton sits directly east, creating a large continuous-looking urban area on the general map even though the city-distribution view separates the two places. Their proximity helps explain why road density remains high across the central-east county.
Grand Blanc and Fenton provide the main southern references. Grand Blanc lies between the Flint urban area and Fenton along the I-75 and US-23 side, while Fenton is closely associated with the county’s southern lake country. Flushing and Swartz Creek define the western side and occupy much lower-density road settings.
Clio, Mount Morris, Davison, Goodrich, Montrose, and other places appear on the general map but are not part of the six-city ranking. The city-distribution view is therefore a selective overview of highlighted communities, not a complete inventory of every named place in Genesee County.
Flint River and its creeks meet the southern lake district
Flint River is the strongest water reference in the county. It crosses the central and northeastern area and receives numerous smaller tributaries, including Butternut Creek. C S Mott Lake appears along the river system, providing another recognizable feature near the Flint-side drainage network.
Kearsley Creek and Black Creek occupy the eastern and southeastern county, while Thread Creek forms a long, curved drainage feature farther south. These streams cross or approach the Burton and Grand Blanc side of the urban area, showing that the county’s developed center is also crossed by a dense natural drainage network.
Swartz Creek provides the most obvious western stream reference and passes through the area that shares its name. Shiawassee River appears near the southwestern boundary as a separate major drainage feature. Brent Run and many smaller tributaries cover the northwestern county, where relief is gentle but water channels are still numerous.
The southern end around Fenton contains a much more lake-oriented landscape. Lake Fenton, Silver Lake, Lobdell Lake, and other smaller waters cluster near the county boundary. This creates a clear contrast with the central and northern areas, where rivers and branching creeks dominate the water map.
This water map is a geographic reference, not a flood, navigation, depth, or legal-access product. It does not provide current water levels, channel suitability, water quality, or property rights. Fishing, paddling, flood planning, and other regulated activities should use current Michigan and federal information in addition to this county-scale view.
Low Flint River corridors rise toward the southern and southeastern hills
The elevation legend reports an actual range of about 183 to 314 meters with a mean of 241 meters. Dark green marks the lower parts of Genesee County, lighter green and yellow indicate intermediate ground, and orange to brown identifies the higher terrain. The palette is locally scaled, so the same color on another county map should not be assumed to represent the same elevation.
The broadest dark-green lowlands occupy the northwest and follow the Flint River and other major stream valleys through the central county. River bends and tributary corridors create long lower pathways across the surface. The water and elevation maps align especially clearly around Flint and the northern drainage system.
Central Genesee County is mostly moderate in elevation. Light green and yellow terrain surrounds Flint, Burton, and nearby suburban areas, with low stream channels cutting through the rolling surface. The county does not have mountain-scale relief, but the terrain becomes steadily more varied moving south.
Orange and brown terrain becomes much more common around Fenton and across the southeast. Lake Fenton and Silver Lake occupy lower basins between higher ridges, while the eastern boundary also contains broad areas of elevated ground. This makes the southern lake country one of the clearest contrasts with the low northwestern side.
This county-scale elevation surface is useful for broad terrain comparison but is not survey-grade or engineering-grade measurement. Exact parcel elevations, drainage design, construction, and slope calculations require authoritative detailed data such as the USGS 3D Elevation Program.
Flint, Burton, Grand Blanc, and Fenton show the county’s main transitions
Flint and Burton represent the county’s most urbanized setting. I-69, I-475, and M-21 concentrate transportation here, while Flint River, Kearsley Creek, and related waterways pass through or near the developed area. Elevation is generally lower than in the southern county, making this a useful place to compare roads, water, and relief together.
Flushing and Swartz Creek show the western side of the county. Their road networks are less dense than central Flint, and small creeks spread through a broad rural landscape. Swartz Creek lies closer to I-69, while Flushing occupies a more northerly setting within the lower terrain.
Grand Blanc forms a transition between the Flint urban area and the higher southern county. I-75 and US-23 provide strong transportation references, while small stream valleys interrupt the increasingly rolling terrain. On the city map, its position between Flint and Fenton is especially clear.
Fenton represents the southern lake-and-hill setting. Lake Fenton and Silver Lake are nearby, and the elevation map shows substantially more orange and brown terrain than the northwestern county. Comparing Fenton with Flint makes the county’s strongest water and relief contrast easy to see.
For practical use, the general map is best for roads and named places, the city map for relative settlement positions, the water map for the Flint River and its creeks plus the southern lakes, and the elevation map for the north-to-south relief change. Used together, the maps provide a fuller picture of Genesee County.
Choosing a Genesee County map and using the high-resolution files
Use the general county map when you need Flint, Burton, Fenton, Flushing, Grand Blanc, Swartz Creek, I-69, I-75, I-475, and M-21 in one view. The city-distribution map is cleaner when the main question is where the six highlighted communities sit within the county. Choose the terrain-and-water map for Flint River, Kearsley Creek, Thread Creek, Swartz Creek, and Lake Fenton, and the elevation map for the contrast between northwestern lowlands and southern hills.
The WebP images on this page are optimized for browser viewing. The ZIP below contains the original high-resolution JPG versions of the general county map, city-distribution map, terrain-and-water map, and elevation map. Those originals are better suited to printing, classroom handouts, presentations, and large displays where additional image detail is useful.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which map is best for finding Flint, Burton, and Grand Blanc together?
Use the general county map. It shows I-69, I-475, and M-21 around Flint together with the road connections toward Burton and Grand Blanc. The city-distribution map is also useful when you only need the relative positions of the highlighted communities.
Which map shows Flint River and the southern lakes?
Use the terrain-and-water map. It shows Flint River, Butternut Creek, Kearsley Creek, Thread Creek, Swartz Creek, Shiawassee River, Lake Fenton, Silver Lake, and other waters. It is a location reference and does not provide flood, depth, navigation, water-quality, or access information.
Where does Genesee County appear highest on the elevation map?
The northwestern side and Flint River corridors are generally lower, while orange and brown terrain becomes much more common around Fenton and across the south and southeast. The legend reports an actual range of roughly 183 to 314 meters with a mean of 241 meters, but exact site elevations should be checked in authoritative elevation data.
Map File Information
The ZIP contains the high-resolution JPG originals for the Genesee County general map, city-distribution map, terrain-and-water map, and elevation map.
- Included Files: general county map, city-distribution map, terrain-and-water map, elevation map
- File Type: JPG
Related Maps
Sources and reference links
For county government and local information, see the official Genesee County website. For boundary and road-reference data, consult U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line. Water features can be cross-checked with USGS National Hydrography, and elevation data with the USGS 3D Elevation Program. These page maps are general reference products and do not replace legal boundaries, surveys, navigation charts, or flood determinations.
Green Map creates custom-edited map images using open geographic data sources such as geoBoundaries, Natural Earth, OpenStreetMap, and government open data. These maps are edited visual materials, not raw data files, and are provided for education, documents, presentations, and graphic reference.
