Grand Traverse County, Michigan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Grand Traverse County
U.S. county
Grand Traverse County Courthouse in Traverse City
Logo
Nickname(s):  "GTC"
Location within the U.S. state of Michigan
Michigan's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Michigan
Founded	1840 1851 (organized)
Named for	Grand Traverse Bay
Seat	Traverse City
Largest city	Traverse City
Area
• Total	601 sq mi (1,560 km2)
• Land	464 sq mi (1,200 km2)
• Water	137 sq mi (350 km2)  23%
Population  (2020)
• Total	95,238
• Estimate  (2023)	96,421
• Density	205/sq mi (79/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	1st

Grand Traverse County (/ˈtrævərz/ TRAV-ərz) is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 95,238, making it the largest county in Northern Michigan. Its county seat 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 (comprising the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi), 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, a bay of Lake Michigan.

Interlochen Center for the Arts, a prestigious boarding school, is located within the county.

Traverse City State Hospital in Traverse City

The Boardman River in southern East Bay Township

Mission Point Light, at the northern tip of the Old Mission Peninsula, lies just south of the 45th parallel.

History

Prior to European settlement, Grand Traverse County was part of territory under the Council of Three Fires (comprising the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi). These people called the area at the head of Grand Traverse Bay gichi-wiikwedoongsing (Ojibwe: '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 who made la grande traversée, or "the long crossing", across the mouth of bay.

The Michigan Legislature separated the unorganized Omeena County from part of Michilimackinac County in 1840. Omeena is derived from an Ojibwe expression, o-me-nah, 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 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 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 officials, 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:

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 601 square miles (1,560 km²), of which 464 square miles (1,200 km²) is land and 137 square miles (350 km²) (23%) is water. Grand Traverse County is considered to be part of Northern Michigan. The highest point in Grand Traverse County is Exodus Hill in Long Lake Township, and the lowest point is the Grand Traverse Bay. 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, which projects 17 miles (27 km) into Grand Traverse Bay, is politically part of Grand Traverse County, and is largely part of Peninsula Township. Power Island, 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 Lake Michigan at Frankfort.
• Boardman River, enters from the east from Kalkaska County, flows west and north until reaching West Bay in Traverse City.
• Platte River, begins at Long Lake and flows west to Lake DuBonnet and into Benzie County, eventually ending at Lake Michigan.

Kresge Auditorium, at the campus of Interlochen Center for the Arts

Power Island, in Grand Traverse Bay, from Chateau Chantal in Peninsula Township

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

Communities

U.S. census data map showing local municipal boundaries within Grand Traverse County. Shaded areas represent incorporated cities.

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

Census-designated places

• Chums Corner
• Grawn
• Interlochen

Other unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

Indian reservation

• Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 77,654 people, 30,396 households, and 20,730 families residing in the county. The population density was 167 inhabitants per square mile (64/km²). There were 34,842 housing units at an average density of 75 per square mile (29/km²). By 2020, its population grew to 95,238.

In 2000, the racial makeup of the county was 96.51% White, 0.40% Black or African American, 0.93% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.54% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races. 1.49% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 25.1% were of German, 11.3% English, 10.7% Irish, 8.4% American and 7.4% Polish ancestry, 96.4% spoke English and 1.6% Spanish as their first language.

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 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, the population was spread out, with 25.40% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 29.70% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 13.10% who were 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 for the county was $22,111. About 3.80% of families and 5.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.30% of those under age 18 and 5.90% of those age 65 or over.

Religion

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

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, a public community college in Traverse City.

Cherries for sale at a Traverse City farmers' market. Grand Traverse County and other counties surrounding Grand Traverse Bay are world-renowned for their cherry production.

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, 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. In 2019, Cherry Capital Airport had the fourth-most enplanements of any airport in Michigan, behind Detroit Metropolitan Airport, Grand Rapids' Gerald R. Ford International Airport, and Flint's Bishop International Airport.

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

• US 31 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 and Petoskey) and southwest (such as Ludington and Muskegon). The highway runs south to Spanish Fort, Alabama, through major cities like Indianapolis, Louisville, Nashville, and Birmingham.
• US 131 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, Grand Rapids, and Kalamazoo to the south. The southern end is at the Indiana Toll Road just across the state line.
• M-22 begins at an intersection in Traverse City, and runs northwest along the Grand Traverse Bay. 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.
• M-37 is the longest highway in the county. A north–south route, the highway enters the county from near Buckley and continues north to the Old Mission Peninsula via Traverse City. The highway terminates at a cul-de-sac near Mission Point Light. South of Grand Traverse County, the route continues south through the state to Baldwin, Grand Rapids, Hastings, and Battle Creek.
• M-72 is an east–west route, entering the county from the northwest. The route passes through Traverse City, and continues east toward Kalkaska, passing through Williamsburg along the way. The highway provides access to Empire and central Leelanau County to the west, and Grayling and Harrisville on the Lake Huron shore to the east.
• M-113 is an east–west route in the south of the county, connecting M-37 to US 131 while passing through Kingsley and Walton.
• M-186 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 Interlochen Center for the Arts and Interlochen State Park. However, MDOT decommissioned the highway in 2020.

Bicycle route

• USBR 35 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.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Grand Traverse para niños