Part of the city (with a population of 8,741) is located within the Isabella Indian Reservation, the base of the federally recognized Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Nation.

The tribe's Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in nearby Chippewa Township is also within the reservation boundaries.

Mount Pleasant is home to the main campuses of Central Michigan University, one of the largest universities in the state with 20,000 students at Mount Pleasant, and Mid Michigan Community College.

Until the mid-19th century, this area was occupied by historical bands of the Ojibwa people, known by English speakers as the Chippewa.

In the early decades of the century, they ceded vast amounts of land to the United States government, which wanted to enable settlement by European Americans.

[5] Many non-natives soon moved to Mount Pleasant, predicting prosperous relations with the natives.

The Homestead Act of 1862 also attracted many new settlers to Mount Pleasant, including new European immigrants, They worked to develop their stake on free lands offered by the US government in exchange for their labor in developing it for residence and agriculture.

In 1875, a devastating fire started at the Fancher Building on the north corner of Broadway and Main streets.

Since the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the role of such schools has been re-evaluated and the damage done to children by such efforts has been acknowledged.

On July 17, 2009, the White Bison Wellbriety Journey for Forgiveness made a stop in the Mount Pleasant community to recognize this part of the city's history.

The boarding school building was abandoned, but the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Nation purchased it from the state of Michigan.

A farm owned by the Lilly family was the first to strike, producing hundreds of barrels a day.

Pleasant High School's mascot, the Oiler, also refers to the city's history of oil production.

Mount Pleasant is located approximately 61 miles (98 km) north of Lansing, Michigan's state capital, along US 127.