Suttons Bay, Michigan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Suttons Bay, Michigan
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Village
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| Village of Suttons Bay | |
Sutton Park, on the shores of the eponymous Suttons Bay, an inlet of Grand Traverse Bay
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Location within Leelanau County
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 Suttons Bay, Michigan
Location in Michigan
Suttons Bay, Michigan
Location in the United States
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Michigan |
| County |  Leelanau |
| Township | Suttons Bay |
| Founded | 1854 |
| Incorporated | 1898 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Village council |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.28 sq mi (3.33 km2) |
| • Land | 1.28 sq mi (3.33 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 597 ft (182 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 613 |
| • Density | 477.41/sq mi (184.26/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code(s) |
49682
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| Area code(s) | 231 |
| FIPS code | 26-77600 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0639135 |
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Suttons Bay is a small village in Leelanau County, Michigan. In 2020, about 613 people lived here. It sits right on the edge of Suttons Bay, which is a smaller part of Grand Traverse Bay. Grand Traverse Bay is connected to Lake Michigan.
Contents
History of Suttons Bay
The village is named after Harry C. Sutton. He was one of the first European settlers to arrive in 1854. Harry Sutton came with a group of woodsmen. Their job was to cut wood to fuel passing steamboats.
In 1903, a train line called the Traverse City, Leelanau, and Manistique Railroad started. It connected Traverse City in the south to Northport in the north. Suttons Bay was one of the stops along this route.
Before the year 1900, four churches were built in the area. There were two Lutheran churches, one Roman Catholic church, and one Congregational church.
In 1920, people in Leelanau County voted to move the county seat to Suttons Bay. A county seat is the main town where the county government is located. However, this move never actually happened.
Suttons Bay has its own school. The school's sports teams are called the "Suttons Bay Norsemen." Their mascot is a Viking.
The village is home to the only movie theater in the county. It first opened in 1946. Today, Bob Bahle owns the theater, and it was updated in 1977. It often shows unique art house films. Sometimes, the theater also hosts plays and concerts.
There is a clothing store in town called "Bahles." The same family has owned it for four generations! It started in 1876 as a "dry-goods" store. Lars Bahle, an immigrant from Norway, opened the original store.
Suttons Bay also has one of the oldest restaurants in the whole region. It has been serving food since 1871. The restaurant has had several owners over the years. It is now known as The V I Grill.
Culture and Fun Activities
Like many towns in northern Michigan, Suttons Bay gets a lot of its money from tourism. People love to visit this area!
There are fun events like the Suttons Bay Jazzfest. There is also the Suttons Bay Art Festival, where you can see amazing art.
Suttons Bay is also very important for the cherry industry. Farmers here grow many kinds of sweet and tart cherries. Cherry harvesting usually happens from mid-July into August.
In August 2013, the community tried to break a world record. They wanted to have the most kayaks and canoes tied together. A year before, they tried but didn't beat the record of 1902 boats. That record was set by a group in Inlet, New York in 2011.
Geography and Location
Suttons Bay covers about 1.25 square miles (3.33 square kilometers) of land. The village is located right on the shore of Suttons Bay. This bay is an inlet of Grand Traverse Bay, which is part of Lake Michigan. The town is about fifteen miles north of Traverse City.
Just north of the village, you can find a special sign. It marks the 45th parallel north. This imaginary line is exactly halfway between the North Pole and the Equator! Suttons Bay is one of only six places in Michigan with such a sign. There are 29 known signs like this in the whole U.S.
Major Roads in Suttons Bay
M-22 is a main road that runs north and south through Suttons Bay. It goes along the shore of Grand Traverse Bay. North of Suttons Bay, M-22 continues to Northport. Then it turns south and follows Lake Michigan.- M-204 starts in Suttons Bay and goes west. It crosses the Leelanau Peninsula, passing by Lake Leelanau. It then connects to M-22 near Leland.
Population Over Time
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 398 | — | |
| 1910 | 402 | 1.0% | |
| 1920 | 392 | −2.5% | |
| 1930 | 439 | 12.0% | |
| 1940 | 470 | 7.1% | |
| 1950 | 485 | 3.2% | |
| 1960 | 421 | −13.2% | |
| 1970 | 522 | 24.0% | |
| 1980 | 504 | −3.4% | |
| 1990 | 561 | 11.3% | |
| 2000 | 589 | 5.0% | |
| 2010 | 618 | 4.9% | |
| 2020 | 613 | −0.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In 2010, there were 618 people living in Suttons Bay. Most residents were White (93.7%). A small number were Native American (2.8%) or Asian (1.1%). About 2.3% of people were from two or more races.
The average age of people in the village was 58.8 years old. About 12.8% of residents were under 18 years old. Many people were 65 years or older (39.3%).
See also
In Spanish: Suttons Bay (Míchigan) para niños
