Glen Arbor Township is 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 ...

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 859 at the 2010 census. However, the population of the town expands rapidly during the summer months as a result of it being a

summer colony The term summer colony is often used, particularly in the United States, to describe well-known resorts and upper-class enclaves, typically located near the ocean or mountains of New England or the Great Lakes. In Canada, the term cottage countr ...

. The community of

Glen Arbor Glen Arbor Township is a civil township of Leelanau County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 859 at the 2010 census. However, the population of the town expands rapidly during the summer months as a result of it being a summe ...

, which is considered 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 ...

for statistical purposes, is located in the township.

South Manitou Island South Manitou Island ( ) is located in Lake Michigan, approximately west of Leland, Michigan. It is part of Leelanau County and the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The uninhabited island is in land area and can be accessed by a ferry s ...

is also located within the township.

History

John LaRue moved from

to the area of the

Sleeping Bear Bay Sleep is a sedentary state of mind and body. It is characterized by altered consciousness, relatively inhibited Perception, sensory activity, reduced muscle activity and reduced interactions with surroundings. It is distinguished from wakefuln ...

that would eventually become the town in 1848. After establishing a trading post, subsequent settlers began to move to the area with one, Mrs. John E. Fisher, giving the town the name "Glen Arbor" in 1854. Other prominent settlers were John Dorsey, who set up a cooper shop, and C.C. McCarty, who built the Sleeping Bear Inn, originally as a residence for lumbermen. Additionally, George Ray built a dock in 1856 and became the settlement's first postmaster and W. D. Burdick established a sawmill and grist mill nearby in 1864. In 1878, D. H. Day, a land developer and agent for the Northern Transportation Company, took interest in Glen Arbor. Day serves as the namesake for the historic barn that sits opposite of the Sleeping Bear Dunes. The town's economy was largely based around the lumber industry in the mid 19th century. Wood became the first commodity of

as it was used for constructing houses and for fueling the steamers that traversed the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...

. The increase of maritime traffic and the constant threat of shipwrecks along the Manitou Strait led the U.S. Life-Saving Service to establish a small boat station at Sleeping Bear Point in 1901. In 1931, the

U.S. Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, multi ...

moved the facility eastward to its present location near Glen Haven, then closed it in 1944. The station is now a maritime museum that is run by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

. The size of the town has gradually risen over the years with many summer homes and resorts having been constructed. The primary industry of the town today, especially in the summer months, is

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

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 (67.34%) is water. It is located along the

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is a United States National Lakeshore located along the northwest coast of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan in Leelanau and Benzie counties near Empire, Michigan. The park covers a stretch of Lake Michig ...

, which in 2011 was named the "Most Beautiful Place in America" by

Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. Th ...

. The town is bordered by

Glen Lake Glen Lake is a lake located in Northern Michigan. Located in the southwestern Leelanau Peninsula, the lake is directly adjacent to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, and is, at its closed, about from Lake Michigan. The lake consists of two l ...

to its East and

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 ...

to its West. Glen Lake is a popular destination for tourists due to its warm turquoise blue waters. The 6.3 mile long

Crystal River (Michigan) The Crystal River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed November 21, 2011 stream located in the southwest section of Leelanau County in northern Michigan's Lower Peninsul ...

passes through many points of the township during its duration which spans from Glen Lake to Lake Michigan. The river is popular among

fly fisherman Fly fishing is an angling method that uses a light-weight lure—called an artificial fly—to catch fish. The fly is cast using a fly rod, reel, and specialized weighted line. The light weight requires casting techniques significantly diffe ...

and

kayakers A kayak is a small, narrow watercraft which is typically propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word ''qajaq'' (). The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each se ...

who enjoy its clear water and pristine wildlife.

Lifestyle

Glen Arbor is a popular tourist area for a few months during the summer when the local merchants and year-round inhabitants watch the population nearly triple. Residents of

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, and many other parts of the

Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

travel to

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 ...

to enjoy the warm weather and scenic beaches. Glen Arbor is situated on a small strip of land directly between

and

which allows visitors to choose from two different bodies of water from which to waterski, fish, or sunbathe. The community sits in the middle of

, a federally protected park. During the winter months, year-round inhabitants remain in the area to take advantage of outdoor winter sports. Both

downhill skiing Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel Ski binding, bindings, unlike other types of skiing (Cross-country skiing, cross-country, Telemark skiing, Telemark, or ski jumping), w ...

and

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...

are popular pastimes along with hiking and hunting. The closest ski area is located at the Homestead Freshwater Resort approximately 2.2 miles from the town center.

Transportation

Glen Arbor is reachable by Michigan roads M-109 and

M-22 M-22 are a British-German DJ and producer duo consisting of Matt James and Frank Sanders. On March 22, the duo met, through a joint production, which is the reason for their stage name. History On March 22, 2015, the duo met during a joint p ...

. "M22" was ranked as the most beautiful fall scenic road in America in 2017, and has become a symbol of the region. It stretches 116.651 miles around the Leelanau Peninsula, north and then south from

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 closest commercial airport is

Cherry Capital Airport Cherry Capital Airport is a public use airport located southeast of the central business district of Traverse City in Grand Traverse County, Michigan, United States. It is owned by Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties.. Federal Aviation Adm ...

(KTVC), which is located 31.1 miles away.http://www.tvcairport.com Furthermore, Empire Airport (Michigan) (Y87) located in the neighboring community of Empire Township is open to general aviation aircraft.

References

Notes

Sources

External links

Leelanau County Chamber of CommerceGlen Arbor directoryGlen Arbor Township WebsiteThe Leelanau School Website2nd Glen Arbor Township WebsiteGlen Lake Chamber of CommerceGlen Lake Fire DepartmentGlen Arbor Art AssociationGlen Arbor Sun newspaper
{{authority control Townships in Leelanau County, Michigan Traverse City micropolitan area Townships in Michigan States and territories established in 1848 1848 establishments in Michigan