East Bay Charter 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 ...

of Grand Traverse County 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 11,589 at the 2020 census, up from 10,663 at the 2010 census. It is one of three charter townships in Grand Traverse County, the others being Long Lake Township and neighboring Garfield Township. East Bay Township is the second-most populous township 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 ...

, behind Garfield Township. BoardmanValley

The northern portion of the township is adjacent 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 ...

and is part of that city's urban area. The southern portion remains largely rural, with many small lakes. East Bay Township is the location of

Traverse City State Park Traverse City State Park, officially named Keith J. Charters Traverse City State Park, is a state park in East Bay Township just east of Traverse City in the U.S. state of Michigan. The park is located on the southern shoreline of East Grand ...

History

East Bay Township was organized in January 1867.

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 (5.76%) is water. The township lies at the head of the East 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 ...

, from which the township takes its name. The north of East Bay Township is heavily urbanized, while the south remains more rural, with rolling hills, dense forests, and

kettle lakes A kettle (also known as a kettle lake, kettle hole, or pothole) is a depression/hole in an outwash plain formed by retreating glaciers or draining floodwaters. The kettles are formed as a result of blocks of Dead-ice, dead ice left behind by retr ...

is located in the northwest of the township, along the shore of East Bay. The

Boardman River The Boardman River ( '), also known as the Ottaway River ( ') or the Boardman–Ottaway River, is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed November 21, 2011 river in the northw ...

flows through the south of the township. The township is home to many lakes that are part of its watershed, including Arbutus Lake and Spider Lake.

Adjacent townships

* Acme Township (north) * Whitewater Township (northeast) * Union Township (southeast) * Paradise Township (south) * Blair Township (southwest) * Garfield Township (west) *

(northwest)

Major highways

US Highway 31 U.S. Route 31 or U.S. Highway 31 (US 31) is a major north–south U.S. highway connecting southern Alabama to northern Michigan. Its southern terminus is at an intersection with US 90/ US 98 in Spanish Fort, Alabama. Its ...

and M-72 share a concurrency in the north of the township, paralleling the

shoreline as a major east–west

thoroughfare A thoroughfare is a primary passage or way as a transit route through regularly trafficked areas, whether by road on dry land or, by extension, via watercraft or aircraft. On land, a thoroughfare may refer to anything from a multi-lane highway ...

. Grand Traverse County Road 660 (Hammond Road) serves as another east-west local thoroughfare, also used to bypass Traverse City to the south.

Communities

* East Bay is a

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...

near the mouth of Mitchell Creek, at . The community was founded in 1868 as East Traverse Bay, renamed to Traverse Bay in 1873 and to East Bay in 1874. A post office at the location operated from 1868 to 1879. Today, the community is largely urbanized, and is located nearby

. * Forest Lakes is a resort community in the south of the township (). * Holiday Hills is another sprawling suburban community in the north of the township, shared with Acme Township. * Pine Grove is a suburban neighborhood immediately adjacent to the border with Traverse City. The neighborhood, which is also adjacent to

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 ...

, was identified as contaminated by

PFAS Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are synthetic organofluorine chemical compounds that have multiple fluorine atoms attached to an alkyl chain. An early definition, from 2011, required that they contain at least one perfluoroalkyl mo ...

in 2020. It is located at . * The city of Traverse City is adjacent to the township, bordering it to the northwest.

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 9,919 people, 3,694 households, and 2,737 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 4,339 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 97.31%

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 ...

, 0.22%

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 ...

, 0.87% Native American, 0.60%

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 ...

, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 0.29% 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 0.70% 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 1.25% of the population. There were 3,694 households, out of which 39.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.7% 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, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 19.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.09. In the township the population was spread out, with 28.4% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 8.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.9 males. The median income for a household in the township was $47,569, and the median income for a family was $54,250. Males had a median income of $34,118 versus $23,580 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 $21,427. About 1.9% 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 2.0% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

East Bay Charter Township Official site
{{Grand Traverse County, Michigan Townships in Grand Traverse County, Michigan Charter townships in Michigan Traverse City micropolitan area 1867 establishments in Michigan