Elmwood Township is a

charter township A charter township is a form of local government in the U.S. state of Michigan. Townships in Michigan are organized governments. A charter township has been granted a charter, which allows it certain rights and responsibilities of home rule that ...

Leelanau County Leelanau may refer to a number of articles relating to the region of the northwestern Lower Peninsula of Michigan: Geography Settlements * Leelanau County, Michigan * Leelanau Township, Michigan * Lake Leelanau, Michigan Landforms * Lak ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. The population was 4,892 at the 2020 census, making it the largest township in Leelanau County by population. The southeasternmost township of Leelanau County, Elmwood Township is suburbanized, as it is immediately adjacent

Traverse City Traverse City ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan region. The population was ...

, the largest city in

Northern Michigan Northern Michigan, also known as Northern Lower Michigan (known colloquially to residents of more southerly parts of the state and summer residents from cities such as Detroit as " Up North"), is a region of the U.S. state of Michigan. A popul ...

History

Elmwood Township was organized on December 21, 1863. In 1987, Elmwood Township was granted a charter, and converted from a

civil township A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States that is subordinate to a county, most often in the northern and midwestern parts of the country. The term town is used in New England, New York, and Wisconsin to ref ...

to a

, due largely to growth in and around

. In 1989, the city of Traverse City annexed the southeasternmost corner of the township.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the township has a total area of , of which is land and (35.08%) is water. Elmwood Township lies upon the West Arm of

Grand Traverse Bay Grand Traverse Bay is a deep bay of Lake Michigan formed by the Leelanau Peninsula in the northwestern Lower Peninsula of Michigan. The bay is long, wide, and up to deep in spots. It is further divided into two east and west arms by the Ol ...

. Part of

Lake Leelanau Lake Leelanau ( ) lies in the Leelanau Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The entire lake—which includes two bodies of water, usually referred to as ''North Lake Leelanau'' and ''South Lake Leelanau''—covers about and lies within ...

is located within the far northwest of Elmwood Township.

Adjacent municipalities

By land *

(southeast) * Garfield Township, Grand Traverse County (south) * Long Lake Township, Grand Traverse County (southwest) * Solon Township (west) * Bingham Township (north) By water * Centerville Township (northwest, through

) * Peninsula Township, Grand Traverse County (east, through

)

Major highways

* runs in the east of the township along

. The highway loops around the Leelanau Peninsula and follows

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

south to Manistee. * runs along the southern border of the township with Grand Traverse County. To the west, the highway ends in nearby Empire. To the east, the highway runs through Traverse City towards Kalkaska and

Lake Huron Lake Huron ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrology, Hydrologically, it comprises the easterly portion of Lake Michigan–Huron, having the same surface elevation as Lake Michigan, to which it is connected by the , Strait ...

Communities

* Crystal Spring is a small settlement in the northeast of the township on M-22. It is located at . Today, Crystal Spring is part of the Greilickville CDP. * Greilickville is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) located within the southeast of the township. The community largely serves as the population center of the township, and serves as a suburb of neighboring

. * Hatchs (also known as Hatch's Crossing) is a former railroad station in the center of the township. The settlement was built on the

Manistee and North-Eastern Railroad The Manistee and North-Eastern Railroad Railway Equipment and Publication CompanyThe Official Railway Equipment Register June 1917, p. 579 was a short, standard-gauge line in the U.S. state of Michigan. Organized in 1887, it served several counti ...

, which is now the

Leelanau Trail The Leelanau Trail is part of U.S. Bicycle Route 35, but also an all paved non-motorized recreational rail trail of in length that extends from the west side of Traverse City, Michigan to Suttons Bay, Michigan. This trail passes through the east ...

. Hatchs is located at . * Heimforth is a former settlement on

, in the northwest of the township, at . * Traverse City shares a border with Elmwood Township.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 4,264 people, 1,697 households, and 1,259 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 1,914 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 97.26%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.28%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.89% Native American, 0.21%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.52% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.84% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 2.39% of the population. There were 1,697 households, out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.8% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.8% were non-families. 20.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.89. In the township the population was spread out, with 23.9% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 28.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.7 males. The median income for a household in the township was $51,063, and the median income for a family was $55,597. Males had a median income of $41,458 versus $27,500 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the township was $27,574. About 1.3% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 3.6% of those under age 18 and 2.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Most of Elmwood Township is served by the

Traverse City Area Public Schools Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS; ) is a public school district based in Traverse City, Michigan, United States. This district includes 10 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, 2 high schools, 1 alternative high school, and 1 Monte ...

district, with

coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

public schools to the south in Grand Traverse County. However, a few square miles of northeastern Elmwood Township are served by Suttons Bay Public Schools, with coeducational public schools to the north in Suttons Bay.

References

External links

Elmwood Charter Township WebsiteElmwood Twp.'s Norris Elementary School Webpage
{{Leelanau County, Michigan Townships in Leelanau County, Michigan Charter townships in Michigan Traverse City micropolitan area