Leelanau County, Michigan

For other uses, see Leelanau.

Leelanau County
County
Sleeping Bear Dunes and South Manitou Island (background) from the Empire Bluffs Trail, near Empire
Sleeping Bear Dunes and South Manitou Island (background) from the Empire Bluffs Trail, near Empire
Flag of Leelanau County
Flag
Official seal of Leelanau County
Seal
Nickname: 
"Michigan's Little Finger"
Map of Michigan highlighting Leelanau County
Location within the U.S. state of Michigan
Map of the United States highlighting Michigan
Michigan's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 45°08′N 86°02′W / 45.13°N 86.03°W / 45.13; -86.03
Country United States
State Michigan
Founded1840 (created)
1863 (organized)[1]
Named forLeelanau Peninsula
SeatSuttons Bay Township
Largest settlementGreilickville
Suttons Bay (incorporated)
Area
 • Total
2,532 sq mi (6,560 km2)
 • Land347 sq mi (900 km2)
 • Water2,185 sq mi (5,660 km2)  86%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
22,301
 • Estimate 
(2023)
23,019 Increase
 • Density63/sq mi (24/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district1st
Websitewww.leelanau.gov

Leelanau County (/ˈliːlənɔː/ LEE-lə-naw) is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,301.[2] Since 2008, the county seat has been located within Suttons Bay Township, one mile east of the unincorporated village of Lake Leelanau.[3] Before 2008, Leelanau County's seat was Leland.[4] Leelanau County is included in the Traverse City metropolitan area of Northern Michigan. The largest settlement in Leelanau County by population is Greilickville, itself a suburb of Traverse City.

Leelanau County is coterminous with the Leelanau Peninsula, a roughly triangular-shaped peninsula that extends about 30 miles (50 km) off of Michigan's Lower Peninsula into Lake Michigan. East of Leelanau County is Grand Traverse Bay, a bay of Lake Michigan.

In 2011, the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, located in the county, won the title of "Most Beautiful Place in America" in a poll by morning news show Good Morning America.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference clarke was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". US Census Bureau. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  3. ^ "'Nutcracker' performances set - www.leelanaunews.com - Leelanau Enterprise". leelanaunews.com. Archived from the original on June 8, 2011. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  4. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.