Grand Traverse County | |
|---|---|
 Grand Traverse County Courthouse in Traverse City | |
 Logo | |
| Nickname: "GTC" | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Michigan | |
 Michigan's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 44°44′N 85°33′W / 44.73°N 85.55°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Michigan |
| Founded | 1840 1851 (organized)[1] |
| 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 |
| Website | www |
Grand Traverse County (/ˈtrævərs/ TRAV-ərss) 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.[2] Its county seat is Traverse City.[3] 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.[4] It was originally created in 1840 as Omeena County;[5][6] 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.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
clarkewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ Norton, Mike (April 15, 2014). "Exploring the Past in Historic Traverse City".
- ^ "Chapter VIII: County of Omeena Laid Off - Grand Traverse County Organized - Organization Completed - County Officers - Acts of Supervisors - County Buildings - Going to Mackinac to Vote - First Term of Court - Bench and Bar - Organization of Towns - Agriculture Society - Railroad - School Matters". The Traverse Region, Historical and Descriptive with Illustrations of Scenery and Portraits and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers. Chicago: H. R. Page & Co. 1884. Retrieved October 21, 2022 – via Genealogy Trails Transcription Team.
- ^ George Dawson (1840). Acts of the Legislature of the State of Michigan Passed at the Annual Session of 1840. Detroit. pp. 196–200.
- ^ "45th Parallel - Old Mission Point". www.mnmuseumofthems.org. Retrieved January 20, 2023.