Bad Axe is in Huron County (of which it is the county seat), and in the Central Region. This community is located northeast of Bay City between Port Austin and Sandusky along Highway 53 on the banks of the Pinnebog River near Lake Huron.

1861, while surveying a road through this area, Captain Rudolph Papst made camp at an old hunter's cabin where he found in it a much-used axe. Rudolph used the name on the Minutes of Survey and later on his county map. For a short time the name was changed to Huron but the townspeople voted the name back to it's original name.

Today, Pioneer Log Village is a favorite tourist attraction. It is a unique settlement of historic buildings.