Grand Traverse

Formed April 7, 1851 (71^st county)

Grand Traverse County (95,246), Traverse City (15,671)

A red brick Romanesque Revival courthouse for Grand Traverse County was constructed in 1900.  The county was established on April 7, 1851 from Mackinac County as the 71^st county with Traverse City as the only county seat.  The facility is at the intersection of Washington and Boardman streets.  United States Highway 31 is three blocks north of the courthouse.  A combined county-city Government Center was built in 1979.  Rush, Bowman, and Rush and Casscus M. Pratt are the architects of the courthouse.  The courthouse features a tower with a working clock and veteran memorials are on the grounds.  The county and county seat are named for Grand Traverse Bay.  Grand Traverse County was the birthplace of 1 Michigan Governor, William G. Milliken. 

Grand Traverse County government consists of a sheriff, an administrator, an attorney, a treasurer and a clerk (executive).  It has 9 Commissioners (legislative.)  Two Circuit Court Judges and Three District Court Judges serve Grand Traverse, Antrim, and Leelanau counties and One Probate Court Judge and court clerk serve Grand Traverse County (judicial.) The county is in the northwest part of the southern peninsula.  Lake Michigan provides its northern border.  The county center is 9.5 miles Southeast of Traverse City.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Antrim, Kalkaska, Missaukee, Wexford, Manistee, Benzie, and Leelanau counties. 

The area of the county is 601 square miles.  It is 54 out of 83 in the state.  It ranks 22 out of 83 in population in the state.  It has a density of 158.5 persons per square mile making it 18 out of 83 in the state.  Grand Traverse County has 18.1% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 31 crosses the county northeast to southwest from Antrim County to Benzie County.  United States Highway 131 cuts the southeast corner from Kalkaska County, east, to Wexford County, south.  The county is a rectangle on three sides with the exception of the northern border bay and island area.  Traverse City is located on the northern bay and extends into Leelanau County.  Traverse City is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 16.5% of the county population.  This county is in the Traverse City Micropolitan Statistical Area.