Chums Corner (often referred to as Chums) is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), 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 counte ...

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

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. According to the 2020 census, the population was 1,065. The community is located within Blair Township.

History

Historically, the area that is now Chums Corner was traversed by what is now known as the Old Indian Trail, a trail which serviced travel for the

Anishinaabe The Anishinaabe (alternatively spelled Anishinabe, Anicinape, Nishnaabe, Neshnabé, Anishinaabeg, Anishinabek, Aanishnaabe) are a group of culturally related Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples in the Great Lakes region of C ...

between Lake Mitchell, near

Cadillac Cadillac Motor Car Division, or simply Cadillac (), is the luxury vehicle division (business), division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Its major markets are the United States, Canada and China; Cadillac models are ...

, and

Grand Traverse Bay Grand Traverse Bay ( ) is an arm of Lake Michigan, located along the west coast of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. The bay is separated from the rest of Lake Michigan by the Leelanau Peninsula. The bay is some long, ranges from wide, and up ...

, in Traverse City. Around 1932, Deronda "Chum" Crandall and his wife Eva began operating a gas station and a grocery store at a major highway intersection a few miles south of Traverse City. Over the years the intersection became known as "Chum's Corners". Chum sold the business and retired in 1953, and died in Traverse City in early 1959. The community of Chums Corner was listed as a newly-organized

for the 2010 census, meaning it was given officially defined boundaries and population statistics for the first time. The population at this time was 946. In 2020,

Chasten Buttigieg Chasten James Glezman Buttigieg ( ; ; born June 23, 1989) is an American teacher, author, and LGBTQ movements, LGBTQ activist. He is married to Pete Buttigieg, the former United States Secretary of Transportation, U.S. Secretary of Transportati ...

, spouse of

United States Secretary of Transportation The United States secretary of transportation is the head of the United States Department of Transportation. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to transportation. The secre ...

Pete Buttigieg Peter Paul Montgomery Buttigieg ( ; born January 19, 1982) is an American politician and former naval officer who served as the 19th United States Secretary of Transportation, United States secretary of transportation from 2021 to 2025. A me ...

, wrote '' I Have Something to Tell You'', a memoir which includes anecdotes about Buttigieg's childhood growing up in a neighborhood in Chums Corner.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the CDP has a total area of , all land.

Major highways

* enters from the west and takes a 90° angle north in the center of the community. * runs south–north through the center of the community and merges concurrent with U.S. Route 31.

Demographics

Education

It is within Traverse City Area Public Schools.

Notable person

, spouse of former

South Bend South Bend is a city in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. It lies along the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. It is the List of cities in ...

mayor and current

, was raised in Chums Corner.

References

Unincorporated communities in Grand Traverse County, Michigan Unincorporated communities in Michigan Census-designated places in Grand Traverse County, Michigan Census-designated places in Michigan {{GrandTraverseCountyMI-geo-stub Traverse City metropolitan area