| County: | Grand Traverse County |
| State: | Michigan |
| Ex Image: | Grand Traverse County Courthouse.jpg |
| Ex Image Size: | 300px |
| Founded Year: | 1840 1851 (organized) |
| Seat Wl: | Traverse City |
| Largest City Wl: | Traverse City |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 601 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 464 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 137 |
| Area Percentage: | 23 |
| Density Sq Mi: | 205 |
| Web: | https://www.gtcountymi.gov/ |
| District: | 1st |
| Time Zone: | Eastern |
| Nickname: | "GTC" |
| Logo Size: | 175px |
| Census Yr: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 95238 |
| Population Est: | 96421 |
| Pop Est As Of: | 2023 |
Grand Traverse County 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.[1] Its county seat is Traverse City.[2] 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.[3] It was originally created in 1840 as Omeena County;[4] [5] 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.
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 Ojibwa: 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 French: la grande traversée, or "the long crossing", across the mouth of bay.[6] [7]
The Michigan Legislature separated the unorganized Omeena County from part of Michilimackinac County in 1840. Omeena is derived from an Ojibwe expression, Ojibwa: o-me-nah, meaning "is it so?"[8]
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.[9] 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:
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".[10]
There are 12 recognized Michigan historical markers in the county:[11] [12] They are:
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and (23%) is water.[14] 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 17miles 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.
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 . There were 34,842 housing units at an average density of . 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.
Grand Traverse County is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gaylord.[16] It is also located in the Episcopal Diocese of Western Michigan.
Historically, Grand Traverse County has been a Republican-leaning county; it has voted for the Republican candidate in every presidential election since the Civil War,[17] except for four: 1912, 1932, 1936, and 1964. In the last decade, the county has become more politically competitive; though Democratic candidates have not carried the county since 1964, their margins of defeat have narrowed in recent elections. Traverse City leans Democratic while the rest of the county leans Republican.
In the 2022 Michigan gubernatorial election, Democrat Gretchen Whitmer received 27,396 votes (52.38%), making it the first time a Democratic gubernatorial candidate has carried the county since 1986.[18]
In the 2020 presidential election, Donald Trump 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).[19] 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 2008, Republican candidate John McCain received 24,716 votes in the county (50.60% of the total) to Democratic candidate Barack Obama's 23,258 (47.62%), even as Obama carried the state of Michigan by a double-digit margin.[20] McCain's margin of victory was narrower than usual for a Republican candidate in the county.
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%).[21]
In 2000, Bush received 22,358 votes in the county (58.48%) to Democrat Al Gore's 14,371 (37.59%).[22]
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.
Grand Traverse County is represented in the U.S. House of Representatives by Jack Bergman (R), and is part of Michigan's 1st congressional district.
In the Michigan House of Representatives, 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 by Betsy Coffia (D). The 104th, which comprises the rest of Grand Traverse County, is represented by John Roth (R). In the Michigan Senate, Grand Traverse County is part of the 37th Senate district, and is represented by John Damoose (R).
| Name | Party | District | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brian McAllister | Republican | 1 | |
| Lauren Flynn | Democratic | 2 | |
| Ashlea Walter | Democratic | 3 | |
| Brad Jewett | Republican | 4 | |
| Rob Hentschel (chair) | Republican | 5 | |
| Darryl Nelson | Republican | 6 | |
| T.J. Andrews | Democratic | 7 | |
| Scott Sieffert | Republican | 8 | |
| Penny Morris | Republican | 9 |
Grand Traverse County is served by the following public school districts:[23]
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.
Grand Traverse County is home to Northwestern Michigan College, a public community college in Traverse City.
According to the Grand Traverse Economic Development Corporation, the largest employers in Grand Traverse County, as of 2017, are:[24]
| Employer | Full-time employees | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Munson Healthcare | 3,100 | |
| 2 | Traverse City Area Public Schools | 1,800 | |
| 3 | Northwestern Michigan College | 750 | |
| 4 | Grand Traverse Resort and Spa | 550 | |
| 5 | Hagerty Insurance Agency | 500 | |
| 6 | Grand Traverse County | 500 | |
| 7 | Interlochen Center for the Arts | 475 | |
| 8 | Grand Traverse Pavilions | 415 | |
| 9 | Britten Banners | 380 | |
| 10 | Tyson Foods | 300 |
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:
Formerly, there was an airport on the south side of Traverse City called Ransom Field.[25] This was located on Rennie Hill. This airport closed sometime in the 1930s.
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.[26]