Grand Traverse County ( ) is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located 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, ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 95,238, making it the largest county in

Northern Michigan Northern Michigan (also known as Northern Lower Michigan and colloquially within Michigan as "Up North") is a region of the U.S. state of Michigan. The region, which is distinct from the more northerly Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Upper Peninsul ...

. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Traverse City. The county is part of the Traverse City metropolitan area, which also includes neighboring Benzie, Kalkaska, and Leelanau counties. Long a part of territory under the

Council of Three Fires The Council of Three Fires (in , also known as the People of the Three Fires; the Three Fires Confederacy; or the United Nations of Chippewa, Ottawa, and Potawatomi Indians) is a long-standing Anishinaabe alliance of the Ojibwe (or Chippewa), O ...

(comprising the

Ojibwe The Ojibwe (; Ojibwe writing systems#Ojibwe syllabics, syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the Great Plains, n ...

Odawa The Odawa (also Ottawa or Odaawaa ) are an Indigenous North American people who primarily inhabit land in the Eastern Woodlands region, now in jurisdictions of the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. Their territory long prec ...

, and

Potawatomi The Potawatomi (), also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American tribe of the Great Plains, upper Mississippi River, and western Great Lakes region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, ...

), Grand Traverse County's first European settlement was established in 1839. It was originally created in 1840 as Omeena County; however, it was reorganized in 1851 as Grand Traverse County. The county itself and Traverse City are named after

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 ...

, a

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

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 depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...

Interlochen Center for the Arts Interlochen Center for the Arts ( '; also known as I.C.A. or Inty) is a Nonprofit organization, non-profit corporation which operates Visual arts education, arts education institutions and Music venue, performance venues. Established in 1928 b ...

, a prestigious

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

, is located within the county. NorthernMichiganAsylumCTraverseCityMI

History

Prior to European settlement, Grand Traverse County was part of territory under the

(comprising the

, and

). These people called the area at the head of

' (

: 'place at the head of the great bay'). As a duty of the federal government under the 1836 Treaty of Washington, the first permanent settlement in the county was the mission now known as Old Mission, established in May 1839 as "Grand Traverse". Grand Traverse Bay, from which the area takes its name, earned its name from 18th-century French

voyageurs Voyageurs (; ) were 18th- and 19th-century French and later French Canadians and others who transported furs by canoe at the peak of the North American fur trade. The emblematic meaning of the term applies to places (New France, including the ...

who made ', or "the long crossing", across the mouth of bay. 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 the Senate (the upper chamber) and the House of Representatives (the lower chamber). Article IV of the Michigan Con ...

separated the unorganized Omeena County from part of Michilimackinac County in 1840. Omeena is derived from an

expression, ', meaning "is it so?" On April 7, 1851, an act of legislature organized Omeena County, effectively renaming it Grand Traverse County. The

seat of government The seat of government is (as defined by ''Brewer's Politics'') "the building, complex of buildings or the city from which a government exercises its authority". In most countries, the nation's Capital city, capital is also seat of its governmen ...

was designated to Boardman's Mills, a location in the young Traverse City. The future counties of Antrim, Benzie, Kalkaska, Leelanau, Manistee, Missaukee, and

Wexford Wexford ( ; archaic Yola dialect, Yola: ''Weiseforthe'') is the county town of County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the ...

were subsequently attached to Grand Traverse County for administrative purposes, until being organized in their own rights. However, the act contained no provisions on formation of townships or choosing of

election official An election official, election officer, election judge, election clerk or poll worker is an official responsible for the proper and orderly voting at polling stations. Depending on the country or jurisdiction, election officials may be identified ...

s, thus Grand Traverse County had no legal government until 1858. That winter, an act of the state legislature completed the organization of Grand Traverse County and divided the county between two initial townships: * Peninsula Township, comprising the Old Mission Peninsula, and * Traverse Township, which encompassed the rest of the county. Today, Grand Traverse County contains thirteen townships. An 1884 article called the Traverse Region famous for "its productiveness of soil, salubrious climate and romantic scenery".

Historical markers

There are 12 recognized Michigan historical markers in the county: They are: * City Opera House * Congregation Beth El * Dougherty Mission House * Fife Lake–Union District No. 1 Schoolhouse * Friends Meetinghouse *

* Hannah and Lay Mercantile Building * Hesler Log House * Interlochen * Ladies Library Association * Novotny's Saloon * Traverse City Regional Psychiatric Hospital

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 county has a total area of , of which is land and (23%) is water. Grand Traverse County is considered to be part of

. The highest point in Grand Traverse County is Exodus Hill in Long Lake Township, and the lowest point is the

. The county is home to many notable lakes, including Arbutus Lake, Fife Lake, Green Lake, Silver Lake, Spider Lake, and part of Elk Lake. The county's largest inland lake is Long Lake. The

Old Mission Peninsula Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England * Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, M ...

, which projects into Grand Traverse Bay, is politically part of Grand Traverse County, and is largely part of Peninsula Township.

Power Island Power Island (formerly Marion Island) is an island in Lake Michigan in the U.S. state of Michigan. Part of Grand Traverse County, Power Island is located in the west arm of Grand Traverse Bay, between the Leelanau Peninsula (west) and Old Missio ...

, an island in Grand Traverse Bay, is also part of Peninsula Township.

Rivers

* Betsie River, begins at Green Lake (although its tributaries extend much further into the county), flows west into Benzie County, and eventually to

at Frankfort. *

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 north ...

, enters from the east from Kalkaska County, flows west and north until reaching West Bay in Traverse City. *

Platte River The Platte River () is a major American river, in the state of Nebraska. It is about long; measured to its farthest source via its tributary, the North Platte River, it flows for over . The Platte River is a tributary of the Missouri River, w ...

, begins at Long Lake and flows west to Lake Dubonnet and into Benzie County, eventually ending at Lake Michigan. Kresge Auditorium-Interlochen

Adjacent counties

* Antrim County (northeast) * Kalkaska County (east) * Missaukee County (southeast) * Wexford County (south) * Manistee County (southwest) * Benzie County (west) * Leelanau County (northwest)

Protected area

* Pere Marquette State Forest

State parks

Interlochen State Park Interlochen State Park is a public recreation area covering on the isthmus between Green Lake (Grand Traverse County, Michigan), Green Lake and Duck Lake (Grand Traverse County, Michigan), Duck Lake in Grand Traverse County, Michigan, Grand Tra ...

* Keith J. Charters Traverse City State Park * Old Mission State Park

Communities

City

* Traverse City (county seat, partially in Leelanau County)

Villages

* Fife Lake * Kingsley

Charter townships

* East Bay Township * Garfield Township * Long Lake Township

Civil townships

* Acme Township * Blair Township * Fife Lake Township * Grant Township * Green Lake Township * Mayfield Township * Paradise Township * Peninsula Township * Union Township * Whitewater Township

Census-designated places

* Chums Corner * Grawn * Interlochen

Other unincorporated communities

Acme Acme is Ancient Greek (ἀκμή; English transliteration: ''akmē'') for "the peak", "zenith" or "prime". It may refer to: Arts, entertainment and games * ''Acme'' (album), an album by the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion * Acme and Septimius, a fic ...

* Brookside * Devils Elbow * Fivemile Corner * Hannah * Hilltop * Jacks Landing * Karlin * Long Lake * Mapleton * Mayfield * Monroe Center * Neahtawanta * Old Mission * Summit City * Walton * Wexford Corner *

Williamsburg Williamsburg may refer to: Places *Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum and private foundation in Virginia *Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood in New York City *Williamsburg, former name of Kernville (former town), California *Williams ...

* Yuba

Ghost towns

* Angell * Archie *

Bates Bates may refer to: Places * Bates, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Bates, Illinois. an unincorporated community in Sangamon County * Bates, Michigan, a community in Grand Traverse County * Bates, New York, a hamlet in the town of Elli ...

* Bartlett * Beitner * Cedar Run * Diamond Park * Duck Lake Park *

East Bay The East Bay is the eastern region of the San Francisco Bay Area and includes cities along the eastern shores of San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay. The region has grown to include inland communities in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Wi ...

* Hilltop * Hodge * Keystone * Kratochvil's Plat * Lakeside Resort * Mabel * McManus Corner * Moffatt *

Munro A Munro (; ) is defined as a mountain in Scotland with a height over , and which is on the Scottish Mountaineering Club (SMC) official list of Munros; there is no explicit topographical prominence requirement. The best known Munro is Ben Nevi ...

* Neal * Ogdensburg * Pavlovic Corner * Peninsula Resort * Slights * Skegemog Point * Traverse Point *

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

* Wylie

Indian reservation

Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians () is a federally recognized Native American tribe located in northwest Michigan on the Leelanau Peninsula. Sandra Witherspoon is the current tribal chairperson, elected in May 2024 to a f ...

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 77,654 people, 30,396 households, and 20,730 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . There were 34,842 housing units at an average density of . By 2020, its population had increased to 95,238. In 2000, the racial makeup of the county was 96.51%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.40%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.93% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

, 0.54% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races. 1.49% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. 25.1% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, 11.3% English, 10.7% Irish, 8.4% American and 7.4% Polish ancestry, 96.4% spoke only English at home, while 1.6% spoke

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

at home. There were 30,396 households, out of which 32.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.70% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 9.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.80% were non-families. 25.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.99. In the county, 25.4% of the population was under the age of 18, 7.9% was from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.10 males. In 2000, the median income for a household in the county was $43,169, and the median income for a family was $51,211. Males had a median income of $34,796 versus $24,139 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $22,111. About 3.80% of families and 5.90% 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 ...

, including 5.30% of those under age 18 and 5.90% of those age 65 or over.

Religion

Grand Traverse County is located within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gaylord. It is also located in the Episcopal Diocese of Western Michigan.

Politics

Historically, Grand Traverse County has been a Republican-leaning county, like most of northern Michigan. It has voted for the Republican candidate in every presidential election since the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, except for four:

1912 This year is notable for Sinking of the Titanic, the sinking of the ''Titanic'', which occurred on April 15. In Albania, this leap year runs with only 353 days as the country achieved switching from the Julian to Gregorian Calendar by skippin ...

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House. * January 28 – Death and state funer ...

, and

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

. In 1912, it supported Bull Moose candidate

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

as the GOP was mortally divided. The only other times it has not supported a Republican saw 400-vote and 40-state national Democratic landslides. Since 2008, the county has become more politically competitive; with Democrats managing at least 40 percent of the vote in the last five presidential elections after not having done so since carrying the county in 1964. Traverse City leans Democratic while the rest of the county leans Republican. In the

2022 Michigan gubernatorial election The 2022 Michigan gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Michigan. Incumbent Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer ran for re-election to a second term and faced former ...

, Democrat

Gretchen Whitmer Gretchen Esther Whitmer (; born August 23, 1971) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 49th governor of Michigan since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she served in the Michigan House of R ...

received 27,396 votes (52.38%), making it the first time a Democratic gubernatorial candidate has carried the county since

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

. In the 2020 presidential election,

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

carried the county, despite losing the state of Michigan. In 2020, he won the county with 50.54% (30,502 votes), and in 2016, won with 52.73% (27,413 votes). Despite Trump's relatively similar percentage, his margin was massively decreased due to the lack of third party options in 2020 as well as a higher turnout for Democrats. In the 2024 election, despite being carried by Trump, Grand Traverse County was one of two counties in Michigan where Trump's percentage of votes decreased, along with neighboring Leelanau County. In 2008, Republican candidate

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...

received 24,716 votes in the county (50.60% of the total) to Democratic candidate

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

's 23,258 (47.62%), even as Obama carried the state of Michigan by a double-digit margin. McCain's margin of victory was narrower than usual for a Republican candidate in the county. In 2004, Republican president

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

received 27,446 votes in the county (59.42%) to Democrat

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...

's 18,256 (39.52%). In 2000, Bush received 22,358 votes in the county (58.48%) to Democrat

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American former politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. He previously served as ...

's 14,371 (37.59%).

Government

The county government operates the

jail A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where people are imprisoned under the authority of the state, usually as punishment for various cr ...

, maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, keeps files of deeds and mortgages, maintains

vital records Vital records are records of life events kept under governmental authority, including birth certificates, marriage licenses (or marriage certificates), separation agreements, divorce certificates or divorce party and death certificates. In some j ...

, administers

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the de ...

regulations, and participates with the state in the provision of welfare and other social services. The county board of commissioners controls the budget but has only limited authority to make laws or ordinances. In Michigan, most local government functions — police and fire, building and zoning, tax assessment, street maintenance, etc. — are the responsibility of individual cities and townships. Grand Traverse County is represented in the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

Jack Bergman John Warren Bergman (born February 2, 1947) is an American politician and retired United States Marine Corps lieutenant general serving as the U.S. representative from Michigan's 1st congressional district since 2017. He is a member of the Re ...

( R), and is part of Michigan's 1st congressional district. In the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2020 ...

, Grand Traverse County is divided between the 103rd and 104th districts. The 103rd, which comprises Traverse City and the townships of East Bay, Garfield, Long Lake, and Peninsula, is represented in

Lansing Lansing () is the capital city of the U.S. state of Michigan. The most populous city in Ingham County, parts of the city extend into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. It is the sixth-most populous city in Michigan with a popul ...

by Betsy Coffia ( D). The 104th, which comprises the rest of Grand Traverse County, is represented by John Roth (R). In the

Michigan Senate The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. Along with the Michigan House of Representatives, it composes the state legislature, which has powers, roles and duties defined by Article IV of the Michigan Constitution, ado ...

, Grand Traverse County is part of the 37th Senate district, and is represented by John Damoose (R).

Elected officials

Prosecuting Attorney A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the adversarial system, which is adopted in common law, or inquisitorial system, which is adopted in civil law. The prosecution is the legal party responsible ...

: Noelle Moeggenberg *

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

: Michael Shea *

County Clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts record keeping as well as general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record keepin ...

: Bonnie Scheele * County Treasurer: Sarah Gum * Register of Deeds: Peggy Haines *

Drain Commissioner A drain commissioner is an elected official in county government of the U.S. state of Michigan who is responsible for planning, developing and maintaining surface water drainage systems under Public Act 40 of 1956. In counties with a population und ...

: Andy Smits

County commission

Law enforcement agencies

County

* Grand Traverse County Sheriff's Office

City

* Traverse City Police Department

Fire departments

* Blair Township Fire Department * Fife Lake Springfield Fire Department * Grand Traverse Metro Fire Department * Green Lake Township Emergency Services * Long Lake Fire-Rescue * Paradise Emergency Services * Peninsula Township Fire Department * City of Traverse City Fire Department * Whitewater Township Fire Department

Education

Primary and secondary

Grand Traverse County is served by the following public school districts: * Benzie Central Schools (BCS) serves the extreme southwestern corner of the county. * Buckley Community School District (BCSD) serves the southwest of the county. * Elk Rapids Schools (ERS) serves the northeasternmost areas of the county. * Forest Area Community Schools (FACS) serves the southeast of the county, including the village of Fife Lake. * Manton Consolidated Schools (MCS) serves a few square miles in the extreme southeastern corner of the county. * Kingsley Area Schools (KAS) serves the south–center of the county, focused on the village of Kingsley. * Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS) serves most of the county, centered on Traverse City. The district contains two high schools, Traverse City Central and Traverse City West. The county is also home to many smaller charter and private schools, most notably those that are a part of Grand Traverse Area Catholic Schools.

Post-secondary

Grand Traverse County is home to

Northwestern Michigan College Northwestern Michigan College (NMC) is a Public college, public community college in Traverse City, Michigan. Established in 1951, the college enrolls more than 3,000 students. The college offers associate degrees and professional certificates, B ...

, a public

community college A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...

in Traverse City. Traverse cherries

Economy

According to the Grand Traverse Economic Development Corporation, the largest employers in Grand Traverse County, as of 2017, are:

Transportation

Air service

Grand Traverse County is served commercially by

Cherry Capital Airport Cherry Capital Airport is a Commercial aviation, commercial and general aviation airport located in Traverse City, Michigan, United States. The airport is located southeast of the central business district of Traverse City. The airport is FAA ...

, which is located near Traverse City. It serves the 21-county Northern Michigan area, and has year-round and seasonal destinations around the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. In 2019, Cherry Capital Airport had the fourth-most enplanements of any airport in Michigan, behind

Detroit Metropolitan Airport Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is the primary international airport serving Detroit and its Metro Detroit, surrounding metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in Romulus, Michigan, Romulus, a Detroit suburb ...

, Grand Rapids'

Gerald R. Ford International Airport Grand Rapids Gerald R. Ford International Airport is a commercial airport in Cascade Township, approximately southeast of Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. The facility is owned by the Kent County Board of Commissioners and managed by ...

, and Flint's

Bishop International Airport Bishop International Airport is a commercial and general aviation airport in Flint, Michigan, United States. It is named after banker and General Motors board member Arthur Giles Bishop (April 12, 1851 – January 22, 1944), who donated 220 a ...

. Other airparks in the county include: * Acme Skyport * Green Lake Airport * Tramps Aerodrome * Yuba Airport Formerly, there was an airport on the south side of Traverse City called Ransom Field. This was located on Rennie Hill. This airport closed sometime in the 1930s.

Major highways

* follows a jagged path through the county, at various points traveling north–south and east–west. The route is one of Northern Michigan's busiest thoroughfares as it passes through Traverse City. It provides access to cities to the north (such as

Charlevoix Charlevoix ( , ) is a cultural and natural region in Quebec, on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River as well as in the Laurentian Mountains area of the Canadian Shield. This dramatic landscape includes rolling terrain, fjords, headlands ...

and Petoskey) and southwest (such as Ludington and

Muskegon Muskegon ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Muskegon County, Michigan, United States. Situated around a harbor of Lake Michigan, Muskegon is known for fishing, sailing regattas, and boating. It is the most populous city along Lake Michigan' ...

). The highway runs south to

Spanish Fort, Alabama Spanish Fort is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States, located on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census lists the population of the city as 10,049. It is a suburb of Mobile, Alabama, Mobile and ...

, through major cities like

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, and

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

. * runs northeast–southwest through the far southeast of the county, entirely within Fife Lake Township. The highway provides access to Kalkaska and Petoskey to the north, and cities such as

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 ...

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

, and

Kalamazoo Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 73,598. It is the principal city of the Kalamazoo–Portage metropolitan are ...

to the south. The southern end is at the

Indiana Toll Road The Indiana Toll Road, officially the Indiana East–West Toll Road, is a controlled-access toll road that runs for east–west across northern Indiana from the Illinois state line to the Ohio state line. It has been advertised as the "Main ...

just across the state line. * begins at an intersection in Traverse City, and runs northwest along the

. It then continues in Leelanau County, following the shore of Grand Traverse Bay towards Suttons Bay and Northport, then turning southwesterly towards Leland, Glen Arbor, Frankfort, and Manistee. * is the longest highway in the county. A north–south route, the highway enters the county from near Buckley and continues north to the

via Traverse City. The highway terminates at a cul-de-sac near

Mission Point Light Mission Point Light is a lighthouse located in the U.S. state of Michigan at the end of Old Mission Point, a peninsula jutting into Grand Traverse Bay north of Traverse City, Michigan, Traverse City. When it was built in 1870, it was an exact co ...

. South of Grand Traverse County, the route continues south through the state to Baldwin, Grand Rapids,

Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...

, and

Battle Creek Battle Creek is a city in northwestern Calhoun County, Michigan, United States, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo River, Kalamazoo and Battle Creek River, Battle Creek rivers. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a tota ...

. * is an east–west route, entering the county from the northwest. The route passes through Traverse City, and continues east toward Kalkaska, passing through

along the way. The highway provides access to

Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

and central Leelanau County to the west, and Grayling and Harrisville on the

Lake Huron Lake Huron ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is shared on the north and east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the south and west by the U.S. state of Michigan. The name of the lake is derived from early French ex ...

shore to the east. * is an east–west route in the south of the county, connecting M-37 to US 131 while passing through Kingsley and Walton. * is a short highway providing a direct route from M-113 to US 131 at Fife Lake. Previously, an additional highway, M-137, ran through Grand Traverse County, from US 31 in Green Lake Township south to Interlochen, passing by

and

. However, MDOT decommissioned the highway in 2020.

Bicycle route

* parallels the shore of Grand Traverse Bay along a number of roadways and local trails, including those that are part of the TART Trails system.

References

External links

Grand Traverse County Website

Grand Traverse County Amateur Radio Public Service Corps Website
* {{Coord, 44.73, -85.55, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MI_source:UScensus1990 Michigan counties Traverse City metropolitan area Populated places established in 1851 1851 establishments in Michigan

History

Historical markers

Geography

Rivers

Adjacent counties

Protected area

State parks

Communities

City

Villages

Charter townships

Civil townships

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

Indian reservation

Demographics

Religion

Politics

Government

Elected officials

County commission

Law enforcement agencies

County

City

Fire departments

Education

Primary and secondary

Post-secondary

Economy

Transportation

Air service

Major highways

Bicycle route

See also

References

External links