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Grand Traverse County, Michigan
Grand Traverse County Courthouse in Traverse City
Flag Logo
Location within the U.S. state of Michigan
Michigan's location within the U.S.
Founded	1851[1]
Named for	Grand Traverse Bay
Seat	Traverse City
Largest city	Traverse City
Area
• Total	601 sq mi (1,557 km2)
• Land	464 sq mi (1,202 km2)
• Water	137 sq mi (355 km2), 23%
Population (est.)
• (2017)	91,807
• Density	198/sq mi (76/km2)
Congressional district	1st
Time zone	Eastern: UTC−5/−4
Website	www.co.grand-traverse.mi.us

Grand Traverse County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 86,986.^[2] The county seat is Traverse City.^[3]

According to the United States Census Bureau, it is estimated that the population of Grand Traverse County in July 2017 was 91,807.

Grand Traverse County is part of the Traverse City, MI Micropolitan Statistical Area, which also includes Benzie, Kalkaska, and Leelanau counties.

Interlochen, home of the Interlochen Center for the Arts is located in Green Lake Township.

Grand Traverse County was originally known as Omeena County.

History

Early history

In 1840, the county was separated from Mackinac County and originally named Omeena County, later to be renamed Grand Traverse County, after Grand Traverse.

Grand Traverse County was organized by an act of the state legislature on April 7, 1851.^[1] Grand Traverse is derived from a French phrase meaning "long crossing" and the county is so named because it is situated at the Grand Traverse Bay.^[1][4] The first permanent settlement in the county was the mission now known as Old Mission. The county was initially divided into two townships:
Peninsula Township, which was coterminous with the Old Mission Peninsula, and Traverse Township, which took up the rest of the county.

Over time, Traverse Township was divided into Garfield and Whitewater townships. Later on, Garfield Township was further divided into Silver Lake and Mayfield townships, and Whitewater Township was divided into Acme, East Bay, and Paradise townships. Over time, lines were redrawn, and the townships evolved into today's configuration.

Historical markers

There are 12 recognized Michigan historical markers in the county:^[5] 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.^[7] 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. Power Island, the largest island in Grand Traverse Bay, is part of Peninsula Township.

Adjacent counties

• 
  Antrim County (northeast)


• 
  Kalkaska County (east)


• 
  Wexford County (south)


• 
  Benzie County (west)


• 
  Leelanau County (northwest)


• 
  Manistee County (southwest)

Lakes

Bass Lake

(not including Lake Michigan)

Creeks

Rivers

• 
  Anderson River (a.k.a. Anderson Creek)


• Betsie River


• 
  Boardman River (North and South branches)


• Joe Maddy River (a.k.a. Tullers River)


• Little Betsie River


• Platte River


• 
  South Skegemog River (a.k.a. Desmond Creek)


• 
  

Transportation

Fall in Grand Traverse County

Airports

Grand Traverse County is served by Cherry Capital Airport, which is located near Traverse City. It serves the 21-county Northern Michigan area, and has destinations around the country. Below are the other airports in the county

• Acme Skyport


• Green Lake Airport


• Tramps Aerodrome


• Yuba Airport

All of these airports are unpaved, except for Cherry Capital.

Formerly, there was an airport on the south side of Traverse City called Ransom Field.^[8] This was located on Rennie Hill. This airport closed sometime in 1969.^[9]

Map of Grand Traverse County's highways

Major highways

The county contains about 103 miles (166 km), about .01% of the Michigan State Trunkline Highway System. These highways include the ones listed below.

• 
  US 31 runs through the county southwest to northeast. It provides access to cities to the north (like Charlevoix and Petoskey) and southwest (like Ludington and Muskegon). The highway runs all the way to Spanish Fort, Alabama, to the south and runs through major cities like Indianapolis, Louisville, Nashville, and Birmingham.


• 
  US 131 runs through the far southeastern part of the county, entirely within Fife Lake Township. The highway provides access to Kalkaska and Petoskey to the north, and cities like Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo to the south. The southern end is at the Indiana Toll Road just across the state line.


• 
  M-22 is the shortest highway segment within the county. It begins at an intersection in Traverse City, and runs northwest along the Grand Traverse Bay towards the county line. It then continues in Leelanau County up towards Northport and then runs southwesterly towards Glen Arbor, Frankfort, and Manistee.


• 
  M-37 is the longest highway in the county. It runs from a cul-de-sac at Old Mission Point southerly to Traverse City and through Buckley. The highway then continues down through the state to Baldwin, Grand Rapids, Hastings, and Battle Creek.


• 
  M-72 runs east-to-west in the county from northern Long Lake Township to near Williamsburg. The highway provides access to Empire and central Leelanau County to the west, and Kalkaska, Grayling, and Harrisville to the east.


• 
  M-113 runs through the southern portion of the county, connecting M-37 to US 131 while passing through Kingsley and Walton.


• 
  M-137 is a short highway connecting US 31 to Interlochen, Interlochen Center for the Arts, and Interlochen State Park.


• 
  M-186 is a short highway providing a direct route from M-113 to US 131 and Fife Lake.

Demographics

As of the census^[15] 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). 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 according to Census 2000. 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.

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.^[16]

Government

The county government operates the jail, maintains rural roads, operates the
major local courts, keeps files of deeds and mortgages, maintains vital records, administers
public health 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.

Elected officials

• 
  Prosecuting Attorney: Noelle Moeggenberg


• 
  Sheriff: Thomas Bensley


• 
  County Clerk: Bonnie Scheele


• 
  County Treasurer: Heidi Scheppe


• 
  Register of Deeds: Peggy Haines


• 
  Drain Commissioner: Steve Largent


• 
  County Surveyor: Office dissolved in 2016


• 
  Chancellor of Mental Health: Graph McCain

(information as of March 2019)

Politics

Grand Traverse County is a highly Republican county, having voted for the republican candidate in almost every presidential election, with exceptions being 1964, 1936, 1932 and 1912.

In the 2008 presidential election, Republican candidate John McCain received 24,716 votes in the county (50.60% of the total) to Democrat Barack Obama's 23,258 (47.62%), even as Obama carried the state of Michigan by a double-digit margin.^[18] McCain's margin of victory in the county was narrower than usual for a Republican candidate.

In 2004, Republican president George W. Bush received 27,446 votes in the county (59.42%) to Democrat John Kerry's 18,256 (39.52%).^[19]

In 2000, Bush received 22,358 votes in the county (58.48%) to Democrat Al Gore's 14,371 (37.59%).^[20]

Education

Grand Traverse County has many schools. TCAPS is by far the most used school district in the area, with its headquarters in Traverse City. All of its schools are located within the county, although some of the district itself extends into nearby Kalkaska County, Benzie County, and Leelanau County. Other districts in the county are Forest Area, GTA, Benzie, and Elk Rapids. There are independent catholic schools in the county as well.

Economy

According to the Grand Traverse Economic Development Corporation, the largest employers in Grand Traverse County, as of 2017, are:^[21]

Communities

City

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

Villages

Townships

Charter townships in italics.

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

See also

• Omeena County, Michigan


• List of Michigan State Historic Sites in Grand Traverse County, Michigan


• National Register of Historic Places listings in Grand Traverse County, Michigan

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Grand Traverse County, Michigan.

• Grand Traverse County Website


• Grand Traverse County Amateur Radio Public Service Corps Website


• 
  "Bibliography on Grand Traverse County". Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University. Retrieved January 19, 2013.
  

Coordinates: 44°44′N 85°33′W / 44.73°N 85.55°W / 44.73; -85.55