Interlochen ( ') is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and

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) in Grand Traverse County in the U.S. state of

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 ...

. At the 2020 census, the population was 694, up from 583 at the 2010 census. The community is located within Green Lake Township. The community is home to the

Interlochen Center for the Arts Interlochen Center for the Arts is a non-profit corporation which operates arts education institutions and performance venues in northwest Michigan. It is situated on a campus in Interlochen, Michigan, roughly southwest of Traverse City. In ...

and also contains

Interlochen State Park Interlochen State Park is a public recreation area covering between Green Lake and Duck Lake in Grand Traverse County, Michigan. It was the State of Michigan's first officially recognized state park. It was established by the Michigan Legisla ...

between the shores of Green Lake and Duck Lake. Interlochen is a designated

Michigan State Historic Site The Michigan State Historic Preservation Office is one of 59 state historic preservation offices established according to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 that plays a role in implementing federal historic preservation policy in the ...

History

Interlochen takes its name from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

"''inter''", meaning "between", and the

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

"''lochen''", meaning lakes. Before the arrival of European settlers, members of the

Odawa The Odawa (also Ottawa or Odaawaa ), said to mean "traders", are an Indigenous American ethnic group who primarily inhabit land in the Eastern Woodlands region, commonly known as the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. They ha ...

people lived between the lakes they called ''Wahbekaness'' and ''Wahbekanetta'' (now named Duck Lake and Green Lake, respectively). Beginning in the late 19th century, European settlers began

logging Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks or skeleton cars. Logging is the beginning of a supply chain ...

and

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

industries in the area, and founded the small village of Wylie, one mile south of present-day Interlochen. Because of logging, 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 ...

(owned by the Buckley and Douglas Lumber Company of Manistee) extended its line north from Nessen City and arrived between the lakes in the fall of 1889. Similarly, the

Chicago and West Michigan Railway The Chicago and West Michigan Railway (C&WM) is a defunct railroad which operated in the state of Michigan between 1881 and 1899.Baldwin on its way to

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 ...

in 1890. The two lines crossed in current-day downtown Interlochen where a depot and

interlocking In railway signalling, an interlocking is an arrangement of signal apparatus that prevents conflicting movements through an arrangement of tracks such as junction (rail), junctions or crossings. The signalling appliances and Track (rail transpor ...

tower were located. The original townsite, however, was platted just south of the depot along either side of the M&NE rail line in late 1889 or early 1890, with the business district centering on the now-former M-137 and Riley Rd/10th Street. As the lumber industry grew, the area became more deforested. However, it was predicted from the beginning that the area would become a popular summer resort, and so Buckley and Douglas set aside 186 acres of virgin pines between Duck and Green lakes for preservation. The result was Pine Park, a public retreat boasting virgin forests and pristine lakes. A small railroad depot named Pine Park Station was built. Visitors began flocking to the region during the warmer months to camp, fish, boat, and escape the heat of the crowded cities. Piggybacking on the vacation boom, local businessman Willis Pennington purchased land adjacent to Pine Park on the banks of Green Lake and opened the Pennington Hotel in 1909. In the mid-1910s, local representatives became worried that Pine Park would soon be logged off and so they lobbied the

Michigan Legislature The Michigan Legislature is the legislature of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is organized as a bicameral body composed of an upper chamber, the Senate, and a lower chamber, the House of Representatives. Article IV of the Michigan Constitution, ...

for help. The state ultimately allocated $60,000 in 1917 to purchase the property, and the newly acquired parkland was dedicated as The Pines, later renamed

, the first

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

organized by the state of Michigan (

Mackinac Island Mackinac Island ( ; french: Île Mackinac; oj, Mishimikinaak ᒥᔑᒥᑭᓈᒃ; otw, Michilimackinac) is an island and resort area, covering in land area, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The name of the island in Odawa is Michilimackinac an ...

was originally a national park before becoming Michigan's first state park in 1895). In 1928, the National High School Orchestra Camp was founded by

Joseph E. Maddy Joseph Edgar Maddy (October 14, 1892 – April 18, 1966) was a pioneering American music educator and conductor. He was born in Wellington, Kansas where both of his parents were teachers. He attended Wichita College of Music in Wichita, Kansas wh ...

just south of Interlochen, and evolved to become

, which includes a summer camp as well as a fine arts boarding high school and public radio station. The camp has expanded to both sides of J. Maddy Parkway (previously designated as a highway, M-137, in 1930 but decommissioned in 2020,), and enveloped the entire village of Wylie. By the late 20th century, the railroads that brought students, vacationers, and lumber through Interlochen, had been removed. The north-south M&NE railroad was removed in 1934, and the west-east C&WM railroad (

Pere Marquette Railway The Pere Marquette Railway operated in the Great Lakes region of the United States and southern parts of Ontario in Canada. It had trackage in the states of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and the Canadian province of Ontario. Its primary connections in ...

after 1899) removed in 1982. The area remains a popular vacation spot, with hiking, fishing, camping, boating, swimming, cross country skiing, and snowmobiling the most popular activities. The community of Interlochen was listed as a newly organized

for the 2010 census, meaning it now has officially defined boundaries and population statistics for the first time.

Geography

According to the

U.S. 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 CDP has a total area of , of which is land and (2.36%) is water. Interlochen is located within the

Betsie River The Betsie River ( ') is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed November 21, 2011 river in the U.S. state of Michigan. The river is mostly within Benzie County (which takes i ...

watershed.

Public education

Interlochen is zoned within 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 (TCAPS). The nearest public high school is

Traverse City West Senior High School Traverse City West Senior High School (also known as West Senior High, TC West, or simply TCW) is a public, co-educational secondary school located outside Traverse City, Michigan, in neighboring Garfield Township. Along with Traverse City Central ...

. Prior to 2016, elementary school students were able to attend Interlochen Elementary School, part of TCAPS. With the closure of that school, the nearest public elementary schools are Blair Elementary School near Grawn, and Silver Lake Elementary School and Westwoods Elementary School near Traverse City.

Media

Interlochen is home to 88.7 WIAA, which is run by the Interlochen Center for the Arts and operates as Northern Michigan's

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...

affiliate.

Transportation

Major highways

* runs west–east through the northern portion of the community. *, known now as J. Maddy Parkway, is a former state highway that was commissioned from 1930 to 2020.

Public transportation

Interlochen is served by Traverse City's public transportation system, the Bay Area Transportation Authority (BATA) which serves most of the Grand Traverse region with

dial-a-ride Demand-responsive transport (DRT), also known as demand-responsive transit, demand-responsive service,
US National Trans ...

services. BATA debuted its first hybrid bus in December 2005. BATA recently completed a bus transfer terminal on Hall Street in Traverse City, which opened July 21, 2006. The terminal is used to transfer riders to different buses on different routes. BATA also links riders to the Greyhound terminal for regional and long-distance travel. Given the long dirt and gravel roads that cover much of Interlochen and its surrounding area, in 2011, BATA began an experimental transit program consisting of rentable skateboards, scooters, bicycles and cross country skis (only available during the winter seasons). The program is largely targeted at the area's sizeable student population.

General aviation

Green Lake Airport (Y88) is located three miles south of Interlochen. Green Lake Interlochen

Demographics

According to 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 2010, there were 583 people, 240 households, and 142 families residing in the Interlochen CDP. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 470.0 people per square mile (181.5/km). There were 277 housing units at an average density of 223.3 per square mile (86.2/km). As of the 2010 census, the racial makeup of the CDP was 95.2%

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 ...

, 2.2% Native American, 0.5%

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

, 0.2% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 0.2% some other race, and 1.7% from two or more races. 1.9% of the population were

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 ...

, who can be of any race. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 25.4% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 33.3% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.6 males.

References

External links

Interlochen Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Grand Traverse County, Michigan Unincorporated communities in Michigan Census-designated places in Grand Traverse County, Michigan Census-designated places in Michigan Traverse City micropolitan area Michigan State Historic Sites