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Traverse City, Michigan
Downtown Traverse City
Downtown Traverse City
Grand Traverse County Courthouse
Grand Traverse County Courthouse
The State Theatre
State Theatre
Flag of Traverse City, Michigan
Flag
Official seal of Traverse City, Michigan
Seal
Etymology: French: la grande traverse (the long crossing)
Nickname(s): 
"Traverse", "T.C.", "The Cherry Capital (of the World)", "Cherryland", "Queen City of the North", "Coast Guard City", "Hockeytown North"
Traverse City, Michigan is located in Michigan
Traverse City, Michigan
Traverse City, Michigan
Location in Michigan
Traverse City, Michigan is located in the United States
Traverse City, Michigan
Traverse City, Michigan
Location in the United States
Country  United States
State  Michigan
Counties Grand Traverse
Leelanau
Settled June 13, 1847; 177 years ago (1847-06-13)
Incorporated April 18, 1881 (village)
May 18, 1895 (city)
Founded by Perry Hannah, Albert Lay, Horace Boardman
Government
 • Type Council–manager
Area
 • City 8.61 sq mi (22.30 km2)
 • Land 8.28 sq mi (21.43 km2)
 • Water 0.34 sq mi (0.87 km2)
Elevation
626 ft (191 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • City 15,678
 • Estimate 
(2023)
15,707
 • Density 1,894.39/sq mi (731.43/km2)
 • Metro
153,448 (Traverse City metropolitan area)
Demonym(s) "Traverse Citian(s)"
Time zone UTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code(s)
49684, 49685, 49686, 49696
Area code(s) 231
FIPS code 26-80340
GNIS feature ID 1615042

Traverse City (/ˈtrævərs/ TRAV-ərs) 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. The population was 15,678 at the 2020 census, with 153,448 residents in the four-county Traverse City metropolitan area. Traverse City is the most populous city in the Northern Michigan region.

Traverse City is located at the head of the East and West arms of Grand Traverse Bay, a 32-mile-long (51 km) bay of Lake Michigan. Grand Traverse Bay is divided into arms by the 18-mile-long (29 km) Old Mission Peninsula, which is attached at its base to Traverse City. The city borders four townships–East Bay, Elmwood, Garfield, and Peninsula–all of which contain substantial suburban sprawl.

Traverse City is nicknamed "the Cherry Capital of the World", as the area surrounding Grand Traverse Bay is a hotspot for cherry production. The city hosts the National Cherry Festival, attracting approximately 500,000 visitors annually. The Traverse City area is also well known for its wine production, and has two American Viticultural Areas located adjacent to the city. Traverse City is home to the Traverse City State Hospital, a former state psychiatric institution. The city is also home to Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City.

History

Traverse City is named after the Grand Traverse Bay, which the city heads. The bay earned its name from 18th-century French voyageurs who made la grande traverse, or "the long crossing", across the mouth of bay. On Old Mission peninsula, Rev Peter Doughtery started the first permanent settlement in 1839.

DowntownTCfrombay
Downtown Traverse City as viewed from West Grand Traverse Bay

In 1847, Captain Boardman of Naperville, Illinois, purchased the land at the mouth of the Boardman River at the head of the west arm of the bay. During that year the captain, his son, and their employees built a dwelling and sawmill near the mouth of the river. In 1851 the Boardmans sold the sawmill to Hannah, Lay & Co (Perry Hannah, Albert Tracy Lay and James Morgan), who improved the mill greatly. The increased investment in the mill attracted additional settlers to the new community.

As of 1853, the only operating post office in the Grand Traverse Bay region was the one located at Old Mission, which was then known as "Grand Traverse". While in Washington, D.C. in 1852, Mr. Lay had succeeded in getting the U.S. Post Office to authorize a new post office at his newer settlement. As the newer settlement had become known as "Grand Traverse City", Lay proposed this name for its post office, but the Post Office Department clerk suggested dropping the "Grand" from the name, as to limit confusion between this new office and the one at nearby Old Mission. Mr. Lay agreed to the name "Traverse City" for the post office, and the village took on this name.

In December 1872, rail service arrived in Traverse City via a Traverse City Rail Road Company spur from the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad line at Walton Junction. This opened up the area to settlement and industrial development.

Geography

Boardman River in Traverse City
Boardman River between downtown Traverse City and Grand Traverse Bay

Traverse City is a part of the greater Northern Michigan region. The city is the main inland port of the Grand Traverse Bay—a long, natural harbor separated from the waters of Lake Michigan by the Leelanau Peninsula, and divided longitudinally almost evenly by a narrow peninsula of tiered hillsides and farmland called Old Mission Peninsula.

The most prominent of the city's waterways is the Boardman River. Along with Boardman Lake, the river is part of the Boardman River Watershed. The Boardman’s 287-square-mile (740 km2) watershed contributes one-third of the water volume to the bay and is one of Michigan’s top-ten fisheries, with more than 36 miles (58 km) of its 179 miles (288 km) designated as a Blue Ribbon trout fishery. It is also a state-designated "Natural River".

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.66 square miles (22.43 km2), of which, 8.33 square miles (21.57 km2) of it is land and 0.33 square miles (0.85 km2) is water.

Suburbs

Climate

Its location near the 45th parallel is tempered by the strong and moderating effects of Lake Michigan and Grand Traverse Bay, which have a particularly noteworthy effect on the peninsulas that branch north of the city. As a result, they have viticulture and Cherry orchards. Consequently, it generally experiences warm, mild summers and severe winters. Lake Michigan especially, but also Grand Traverse Bay, greatly impact the area's diverse coastal weather patterns, which occasionally consist of sudden and/or large amounts of precipitation during the seasonally active periods. Lake-effect snowfall constitutes a large percentage of the total annual snow accumulation, which averages around 80 inches (203 cm). Periods of snowfall typically last from November to April, although light snow as late as May or as early as late September sometimes occur.

Traverse City's record high temperature is 105 °F (41 °C), recorded in 1936, and its low temperature is −33 °F (−36 °C), recorded on February 17, 1979.

Climate data for Traverse City Airport, Michigan (1981-2010 normals, extremes 1896)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 59
(15)
65
(18)
87
(31)
90
(32)
95
(35)
104
(40)
105
(41)
100
(38)
96
(36)
89
(32)
78
(26)
64
(18)
105
(41)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 27.8
(−2.3)
30.4
(−0.9)
39.9
(4.4)
53.8
(12.1)
65.8
(18.8)
75.6
(24.2)
80.2
(26.8)
77.9
(25.5)
70.0
(21.1)
57.2
(14.0)
44.1
(6.7)
32.3
(0.2)
54.6
(12.5)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 15.2
(−9.3)
15.0
(−9.4)
21.6
(−5.8)
32.1
(0.1)
41.5
(5.3)
52.3
(11.3)
57.8
(14.3)
56.9
(13.8)
49.7
(9.8)
39.2
(4.0)
30.4
(−0.9)
21.0
(−6.1)
36.1
(2.3)
Record low °F (°C) −21
(−29)
−37
(−38)
−30
(−34)
1
(−17)
17
(−8)
28
(−2)
31
(−1)
32
(0)
26
(−3)
15
(−9)
−5
(−21)
−26
(−32)
−37
(−38)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 2.82
(72)
1.50
(38)
1.86
(47)
2.78
(71)
2.59
(66)
3.16
(80)
3.02
(77)
3.38
(86)
3.53
(90)
3.22
(82)
2.70
(69)
2.49
(63)
32.40
(823)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 23.1
(59)
13.2
(34)
8.2
(21)
2.8
(7.1)
0.1
(0.25)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0.2
(0.51)
7.2
(18)
19.5
(50)
74.3
(189)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 17.0 12.3 11.4 10.9 10.4 9.7 8.5 9.9 12.0 13.1 14.6 16.0 145.8
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 12.6 8.9 5.6 2.3 0.1 0 0 0 0 0.3 4.8 11.7 46.3
Source 1: NOAA
Source 2: NOAA NOWData

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1880 1,897
1890 4,353 129.5%
1900 9,407 116.1%
1910 12,115 28.8%
1920 10,925 −9.8%
1930 12,539 14.8%
1940 14,455 15.3%
1950 16,974 17.4%
1960 18,432 8.6%
1970 18,048 −2.1%
1980 15,516 −14.0%
1990 15,155 −2.3%
2000 14,532 −4.1%
2010 14,674 1.0%
2020 15,678 6.8%
2023 (est.) 15,707 7.0%
U.S. Decennial Census
Census Data
Measurement 2000 2010 2020
People 14,532 14,674 15,263
Population Density 1,728.7/mi2 1,761.6/mi2 1,827.9/mi2
Housing Units 6,842 7,358 8,412
Housing Density 813.9/mi2 883.3/mi2 1007.4/mi2
White 96.0% 94.4% 92.3%
Black 0.6% 0.7% 1.8%
Native 1.0% 1.8% 0.5%
Asian 0.5% 0.7% 1.3%
Other 0.5% 0.5% 0.3%
Two or more 1.4% 1.9% 3.8%
Hispanic 1.7% 1.9% 4.3%
Households 6,443 6,675 6,844
Families 3,485 3,369 3,507
HH/children 24.5% 22.3% 22.3%
Married couple 39.7% 35.6% 35.6%
Female/no husband 11.0% 10.9% 10.9%
Male/no wife 3.9% 4.0% 4.0%
Non-family 45.9% 49.5% 49.5%
Individual 35.9% 38.4% 38.4%
Senior alone 13.7% 13.2% 13.3%
Average household 2.15 2.08 2.14
Average family 2.82 2.77 2.89
Gender male 47.5% 47.4% 47.8%
Gender female 52.5% 52.6% 52.2%

-

UTL=Unable to locate
Measurement 2000 2010 2020
Age under 18 20.3% 18.2% 17.9%
Age 18–24 10.8% 10.3% 9.5%
Age 25–44 29.6% 26.7% 27.0%
Age 45–64 24.1% 28.3% 23.5%
Age 65+ 15.2% 16.7% 22.0%
Median Age 38.0 40.8 40.4
Married 48.7% UTL 41.8%
Never married 28.2% UTL 35.5%
Divorced/separated 16.0% UTL 16.2%
Widowed 7.2% UTL 6.5%
Income under $10K 8.3% UTL 13.0%
Income $10-$15K 6.1% UTL 9.8%
Income $15-$25K 15.6% UTL 11.2%
Income $25-$35K 16.9% UTL 14.7%
Income $35-$50K 19.8% UTL 12.8%
Income $50-$65K 11.8% UTL 11.2%
Income $65-$75K 7.1% UTL 5.0%
Income over $75K 15.3% UTL 15.2%
Median income $37,330 UTL $33,532
Education not H.S. grad 11.3% UTL 3.5%
H.S. grad or equivalent 21.8% UTL 16.3%
Associate degree/college 35.7% UTL 31.3%
Bachelor's degree 19.6% UTL 28.4%
Graduate degree 11.6% UTL 20.5%

Religion

Traverse City is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gaylord. It is part of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Michigan and served by Grace Episcopal Church.

Economy

Companies headquartered in Traverse City include Hagerty Insurance Agency and Oilgear, and 20Fathoms, a technology incubator, is located here.

Arts and culture

BoardmanNeighborhoodHistoricDistrictDTraverseCityMI
The Wellington Inn, a 1905 mansion in Traverse City's Boardman Neighborhood Historic District.
Traverse City Clinch Park Beach
Tourists crowd Clinch Park Beach during summer months in Traverse City

Most of Traverse City's economy is based on tourism.

In November, Beer Week offers tours of breweries, samplings, and workshops.

The National Cherry Festival, held annually in July, features parades, fireworks, an air show, carnival rides, election of festival royalty, music, a pie-eating contest, and cherries.

The Traverse City Film Festival was held in July and August from 2005 to 2019.

The Great Lakes Equestrian Festival features jumping, show hunting and equestrian competitions.

Traverse City State Park, with about 250 campsites, is located east of the city, and features a beach on the East Bay arm of Grand Traverse Bay.

The Boardman River Nature Center is the interpretive center and management headquarters for the Grand Traverse Natural Education Reserve, a 505-acre local park and natural area.

Traverse City is located immediately adjacent to two American Viticultural Areas, the Leelanau Peninsula AVA and the Old Mission Peninsula AVA. There are over 50 wineries near Traverse City. Located in the harbor of the Great Lakes Maritime Academy is the T/S State of Michigan, a 224-foot (68 m) former Navy submarine surveillance vessel. The vessel is used as a classroom and laboratory while cadets of the academy are underway and shore side.

A tall ship, the schooner Manitou, is berthed at Traverse City, and offers passages to the public.

Excursion passengers trains from Traverse City have included a Cherry Festival train in 2008, and a "dinner train" from 1996 to 2004.

Performing arts and museum

The City Opera House features plays, movies, and performances.

The Traverse Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1952.

The Dennos Museum Center is located on the campus of Northwestern Michigan College.

Historical markers

Traverse City State Hospital postcard circa 1930
Historic postcard of Building 50, c. 1930

There are eleven recognized Michigan historical markers in the Traverse City area. They are:

  • Bingham District No. 5 Schoolhouse
  • City Opera House
  • Congregation Beth El
  • Grand Traverse Bay
  • Grand Traverse County Courthouse
  • Great Lakes Sport Fishery
  • Ladies Library Association
  • Novotny's Saloon
  • Park Place Hotel
  • Perry Hannah House
  • Traverse City State Hospital

Libraries

Traverse City is served by the Traverse Area District Library, which has six branch libraries in Grand Traverse County.

Sports

The Huntington Rink indoor arena is used primarily for ice hockey, and is the home of the Traverse City North Stars hockey team.

Professional sports teams
Club Sport League Venue Founded Reference
Traverse City Pit Spitters Baseball Northwoods League Turtle Creek Stadium 2019
Traverse City Cohos Hockey Midwest Junior Hockey League Centre Ice/Huntington Rink 2012
Traverse City Wolves Football Great Lakes Football Conference Thirlby Field 2007
Traverse Bay Blues Rugby Michigan Rugby Football Union N/A 1973

During their annual offseason, the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League hold their training camp at Traverse City's Centre Ice Arena. In addition to training camp every September, the Red Wings host an NHL Prospect Tournament, consisting of prospects of participating teams around the league. In 2021, the Traverse City Prospect Tournament consisted of players from the Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, and St. Louis Blues. For this reason, Traverse City is often referred to as Hockeytown North, in reference to Detroit's nickname, Hockeytown.

Parks and recreation

Traverse City has over 30 park and recreational properties.

The Grand Traverse County Civic Center is a sports complex featuring seven baseball/softball fields, a skatepark, a walking trail, an amphitheater, sledding hill, pavilion, playground, an indoor pool, and an indoor hockey rink. The Grand Traverse Bay YMCA features four complexes with swimming, soccer, and tennis.

The TART trail system is a series of non-motorized recreational trails in and around Traverse City.

Education

Public schools

Public education is administered by Traverse City Area Public Schools. The district includes 11 elementary schools, two middle schools, three high schools: Traverse City Central, Traverse City West, and Traverse City High School.

Private schools

Traverse City offers a number of private schools.

Religious schools

GTACS I
Exterior of St. Francis High School

Grand Traverse Area Catholic Schools administers Catholic schools, including St. Francis High School.

Other religious schools include:

  • Traverse City Christian School
  • Trinity Lutheran School
  • Traverse Bay Mennonite School
  • Traverse City Adventist School

Higher education

Northwestern Michigan College Great Lakes Campus Traverse City Michigan
Northwestern Michigan College Hagerty Center

Traverse City is home to Northwestern Michigan College, a two-year community college. Its annual enrollment is around 5,100. One of its campuses is at the Cherry Capital Airport, and offers aviation and auto service classes. Another campus is at the Hagerty Center on Grand Traverse Bay, which is home to Great Lakes Maritime Academy, Great Lakes Culinary Institute, Great Lakes Water Studies Institute, and the Hagerty Conference Center.

Media

Print

The Traverse City Record-Eagle is a daily newspaper circulated in the 13 counties surrounding the city, and is the newspaper of record for Grand Traverse County. Daily editions of the Detroit Free Press, The Detroit News, and The Grand Rapids Press are available.

Traverse is a monthly regional magazine.

Village Press, and Arbutus Press, are located in Traverse City.

Television

  • Channel 7: WPBN-TV (NBC)
  • Channel 29: WGTU (ABC)

Radio

WLDR Studios Traverse City Michigan
WLDR studios

There are 16 commercial radio stations in a variety of radio formats. Talk radio stations include WTCM, WJML, WMKT, WSRT, and WLDR. AM 1310 broadcasts sports. WKLT broadcasts rock music, and WNMC is a community public radio station. There are three religious radio stations: W201CM (a translator at 88.1) and WLJN AM/FM 89.9 FM and 1400 AM. WLDR plays an adult contemporary format. Interlochen Center for the Arts broadcasts the NPR member station called Interlochen Public Radio; it serves a large portion of Northwest Lower Michigan via two stations.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Airports

Air Station Traverse City-Michigan State Poli DVIDS1112484
A Coast Guard helicopter training at Cherry Capital Airport

Cherry Capital Airport in Traverse City is the fourth largest airport in Michigan.

Buses

Indian Trails offers intercity bus service to St. Ignace to the north and Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo to the south.

Bay Area Transportation Authority offers local bus service.

Major highways

Traverse City Michigan Sign M-22
Sign on M-22 in Greilickville
  • US 31 is a major north–south route running through the city. In Michigan, the highway largely parallels the shore of Lake Michigan.
  • M-22 is a scenic highway with a terminus in Traverse City. The highway loops around the Leelanau Peninsula, and follows the shore of Lake Michigan south to Manistee.
  • M-37 is a north–south route that passes through the city. The highway's northern terminus is at Mission Point Light, north of Traverse City.
  • M-72 is an east–west route that traverses the Lower Peninsula.

Coast Guard

The Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City is responsible for maritime and land-based search and rescue in the northern Great Lakes region. Traverse City is one of two designated Coast Guard cities in Michigan, the other being Grand Haven.

Notable people

Sister cities

  • Japan Tsuchiyama, Shiga, Japan.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Traverse City para niños

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