Traverse City, Michigan
Encyclopedia
Traverse City is a city
in the U.S. state of Michigan
. It is the county seat
of Grand Traverse County
, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County
. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan
region. The population was 14,674 at the 2010 census, with 143,372 in the Traverse City micropolitan area
. Despite its modest population, Traverse City functions as the major commercial nexus for a seven-county area totaling over 2700 square miles (6,993 km²) and, along with cross-peninsula counterpart Alpena
, is one of Northern Lower Michigan's two anchor cities.
The Traverse City area is the largest producer of tart cherries in the United States. Near the time of cherry harvest, the city holds an annual week-long Cherry Festival
in the first full week in July, attracting approximately 500,000 visitors annually. The surrounding countryside also produces grape
s, and is one of the centers of wine
production in the Midwest. Tourism
, both summer and winter, is another key industry. The Traverse City area features varied natural attractions, including freshwater beaches, vineyards, a National Lakeshore, downhill skiing
areas, and numerous forests. In 2009, TripAdvisor
named Traverse City the number two small town travel destination in the United States.
, which the city heads. The bay earned its name from 18th century French
voyagers who made la grande traverse or "the long crossing" across the mouth of the Grand Traverse Bay.
In 1847, Captain Boardman of Naperville, Illinois
, purchased the land at the mouth of the Boardman River at the head of the west arm of the bay. During that year the captain, his son, and their employees built a dwelling and sawmill
near the mouth of the river. In 1851 the Boardmans sold the sawmill to Hannah, Lay & Co (Perry Hannah, Albert Tracy Lay and James Morgan), who improved the mill greatly. The increased investment
in the mill attracted additional settlers to the new community.
As of 1853, the only operating post office in the Grand Traverse Bay region was the one located at Old Mission
, which was then known as "Grand Traverse." While in Washington, D.C.
in 1852, Mr. Lay had succeeded in getting the U.S. Post Office to authorize a new post office
at his newer settlement. As the newer settlement had become known as "Grand Traverse City," Lay proposed this name for its post office, but the USPS clerk suggested dropping the "Grand," in the name, as to limit confusion between this new office and the one at nearby Old Mission. Mr. Lay agreed to the name "Traverse City" for the post office, and the village took on this name.
and Cherry
orchard
s.
Consequently, it generally experiences warm, mild summers and severe winters. Lake Michigan especially, but also Grand Traverse Bay
, greatly impact the area's diverse coastal weather patterns, which occasionally consist of sudden and/or large amounts of precipitation during the seasonally active periods. Lake-effect snowfall constitutes a large percentage of the total annual snow accumulation, which averages around 80 inches (203 cm). Periods of snowfall typically last from November to April, with snow flurries as late as May or as early as September not unexpected.
Traverse City's record high temperature is 105 °F (41 °C), and its low temperature is -33 F, recorded on February 17, 1979.
Traverse City is a part of the greater Northern Michigan
region. The city is the main inland port of the Grand Traverse Bay
; a long, natural harbor separated from the waters of Lake Michigan
by the Leelanau Peninsula
, and divided longitudinally almost evenly by a narrow peninsula of tiered hillsides and farmland called Old Mission Peninsula.
The most prominent and historically connected of the city's waterways is the Boardman River
. Along with Boardman Lake, the river is part of the Boardman River Watershed and winds throughout the city as an integral and defining part of the downtown topography and economy, before flowing out into West Grand Traverse Bay. The Boardman’s 287 square miles (743.3 km²) watershed contributes one-third of the water volume to the bay and is one of Michigan’s top-ten fishieres, with more than 36 miles (57.9 km) of its 179 miles (288.1 km) designated as a Blue Ribbon trout fishery. It is also a state-designated "Natural River".
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 8.7 square miles (22.5 km²), of which, 8.4 square miles (21.8 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²) of it (3.45%) is water.
of 2000, there were 14,532 people, 6,443 households, and 3,485 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,728.7 per square mile (667.2/km²). There were 6,842 housing units at an average density of 813.9 per square mile (314.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.00% White, 0.65% African American, 0.98% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.48% from other races
, and 1.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.67% of the population.
There were 6,443 households out of which 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.7% were married couples
living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.9% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the city the population was spread out with 20.3% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 90.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $37,330, and the median income for a family was $46,912. Males had a median income of $31,587 versus $22,512 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $22,247. About 4.8% of families and 8.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.2% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.
charter city under the Home Rule Cities Act
, incorporated on May 18, 1895. The city is governed by six commissioners and a mayor, elected at-large. Together they comprise a seven-member legislative body. The commission appoints a city manager
who serves as chief executive for city operations.
Print
The Traverse City Record-Eagle
is northwest lower Michigan's daily newspaper. It is circulated in the thirteen counties surrounding the city. In December 2006 it was sold by Ottaway Newspapers Inc., the community newspaper subsidiary of Dow Jones & Company
to Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. (CNHI). It is the newspaper of record
for Grand Traverse County. Daily editions of the Detroit Free Press
, Detroit News
, and Grand Rapids Press
also are available on news stands throughout the region. Other local publications include Traverse City magazine NM3 Magazine a local lifestyle and entertainment publication, "Grand Traverse Insider", a local weekly community newspaper. , Northern Express Weekly, Traverse City Business News, Edible Grande Traverse magazine dedicated to the food, farms and chefs of the area, and Grand Traverse Woman Magazine.
At least seven national magazines are published in Traverse City, including Thirdeye Magazine. Village Press Inc. is based in Traverse City. It publishes the Home Shop Machinist, Live Steam and Outdoor Railroading, Machinists' Workshop, Just Labs, Pointing Dog Journal, Retriever Journal and Twin and Turbine Magazines.
. Accordingly, most stations in this vast region are broadcast simultaneously on widely-spaced transmitters on separate channels.
Traverse City has two television station
s licensed directly to the city:
Additionally, WGTU operates a CW Plus
station on its second digital subchannel and Northern Michigan cable television
systems:
The city also has a low power rebroadcast transmitter of Mount Pleasant's
PBS
affiliate, WCMU-TV
, operating on channel 46 (W46AD).
Stations licensed to nearby Cadillac
are considered local to Traverse City:
Fox's sister network, MyNetworkTV
, did not have an affiliate in the region when it launched back in September 2006. That changed at some point in 2008 when WLLZ-LP
channel 12 added the network. This station also airs programming from America One
and RTV
.
Cable television service is provided within Traverse City and many outlying communities by Charter Communications
. Public-access television
cable TV programming is provided on channel 2.
News/Talk 580 AM. Other talk stations available in the Traverse City area include WJML
, WMKT
, WSRT, and WLDR. AM 1310 ESPN Radio (operated by WCCW) broadcasts national ESPN content along with Detroit Pistons, Tigers, Red Wings and Lions games. MSU Football and Basketball can also be heard on 1310. There are 16 Commercial radio stations in a variety of typical commercial radio formats. WNMC 90.7 FM is a community public radio station that is committed to a wide variety of musical genres and local events.
Traverse City has 2 Religious radio stations; W201CM (a Translator at 88.1) and WLJN AM/FM 89.9FM and 1400AM
Interlochen Center for the Arts
's NPR member station Interlochen Public Radio. it serves a large portion of Northwest Lower Michigan via two stations:
, held during the first full week of July every year, is a draw for tourists to Traverse City. The festival features parades, fireworks, an air show, election of festival royalty, live music, a pie-eating contest and cherries
. It is estimated that the Grand Traverse region produces up to 360000000 pounds (163,293,253.2 kg) of cherries annually. The largest variety of cherry produced locally is the Montmorency cherry, or the "pie cherry". Other cherries grown in the region include the Ulster, or sweet cherry, and the Balaton (from Lake Balaton
in Hungary
), a cherry situated between the Montmorency and Ulster in terms of color and taste.
The locale and topography is conducive for bicycling. A map with routes, different trips, advice and local knowledge is available. Lake Michigan presents a location for sailing, fishing, and kayaking.
The Traverse City State Park
, with about 250 campsites, is located three miles (4.8 km) east of downtown on 47 acres (19 ha) including a quarter mile beach on the East Bay arm of Grand Traverse Bay.
The sandy soil is conducive to viticulture
, and there are over 50 wineries in the Traverse City area.http://www.michigan.org/Things-to-Do/Attractions/Wineries/Default.aspx?city=G3602&sort=asc&lm=sf&page=1 Most offer free wine tasting. Traverse city is located at the base of the Old Mission Peninsula wine region
, anchored by Target
, JCPenney, Macy's
, and the Preferred Outlets, a factory outlet center. Another mall, Cherryland Center, is located on Garfield Avenue on the south end of town; this mall features Kmart
, Younkers
, and Sears
.
are a minor league baseball
team who play their home games at Wuerfel Park
in nearby Blair Township, Michigan
. The Beach Bums are a member of the independent Frontier League
.
The Traverse City North Stars
are Junior "A" level hockey club (member of the North American Hockey League
), and they play at the Centre I.C.E. hockey arena. Traverse City also hosts the training camp for the Detroit Red Wings
NHL hockey team. The city also hosts the Traverse City Prospects Tournament, an annual tournament displaying young NHL prospects from select NHL teams.
The Traverse City Wolves were a semi-professional football team who played their home games at Thirlby Field. The Wolves were a member of the North American Football League in the Great Lakes region of the Northern Conference.
, founded by filmmaker and activist Michael Moore
, takes place every summer. The six-day event presents independent films and documentaries, as well as discussion boards with directors, actors and others involved with the film industry. In 2007, the film festival acquired the historic State Theater
for year round screenings.
The Festival of the Senses, a city-wide festival with events designed to stimulate all five of the senses, occurs in the fall. The festival features art exhibitions, music and theater.
The City Opera House
, located in downtown Traverse City features plays, movies, and other performances.
The Dennos Museum Center
, located on the campus of Northwestern Michigan College
, is home to a collection of Inuit art
including sculpture, drawing and prints. The center is also home to a children’s museum, as well as various ongoing exhibitions in their large exhibition space.
Two major arts groups are active in Traverse City. The Artcenter Traverse City offers art classes, a summer arts workshop series, exhibition space, and year-round art gallery exhibits. The Traverse City Art Works Alliance is a member-based arts group, founded by local artist Charly Hansen in 2005 with the goal to organize events and shows which feature the region’s artists.
The city was also home to Clover
, a Christian dance music festival, in August 2006.
Northwestern Michigan College
also hosts NMAcon, a local anime convention, during August.
There are thirteen recognized Michigan historical markers in Traverse City. They are:
Traverse City was named by USA Today
among the Top Ten Places for Local Wine.
There are seven wineries on the Old Mission Peninsula and eighteen wineries on the Leelanau Peninsula
, both just a few minutes drive from downtown Traverse City. Both peninsulas sit close to the 45th parallel, a latitude known for growing prestigious grapes. The two Grand Traverse Bays
provide the ideal maritime climate and the rich glacial soil does the rest. Northern Michigan specializes in growing white grapes and is known for its Rieslings which grow well in the summer months and late fall which Traverse City is known for. Every October the wineries host a harvest fest. Some Riesling grapes are spared being picked in the fall to be picked when they freeze, from which Ice Wine
is made. The wineries along the Old Mission Peninsula are 2 Lads Winery, Black Star Farms, Bowers Harbor Vineyards, Brys Estate Vineyard & Winery, Chateau Chantal Winery And Inn
, Chateau Grand Traverse
, and Peninsula Cellars. The wineries along the Leelanau Peninsula are Leelenau Cellars, Silver Leaf Vineyard and Winery, Gill's Pier Vineyard and Winery, Raftshol Vineyards, Circa Estate Winery, Forty-Five North Vineyard and Winery, Good Harbor Vineyards, Chateau Fontaine, Boskydel Vineyards, Black Star Farms, L. Mawby Vineyards, Ciccone Vineyard and Winery, Willow Vineyards, Chateau de Leelanau Vineyard and Winery, Shady Lane Cellars, Cherry Republic Winery, Longview Winery, and Bel Lago Winery.
provides regularly scheduled passenger airline service to Chicago, Detroit
, Minneapolis and seasonally to New York, Cincinnati, Atlanta and Denver as well as to smaller Michigan
destinations to the north.
(ex-Pere Marquette Railway
) and the Pennsylvania Railroad
(ex-Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad
) but were purchased by the state in the late 1970s and early 1980s to preserve rail service in the area. Current freight traffic includes fruit/perishables, scrap metal, and lumber.
Regular intercity passenger train service ended on October 29, 1966, after the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
(C&O) discontinued Grand Rapids – Traverse City – Bay View
service. Since then, excursion passengers trains have operated in and out of Traverse City on an irregular basis. Recently, Lake Central Rail Tours has operated a summer excursion during the Cherry Festival. On May 11, 1996, the Grand Traverse Dinner Train began year round service from the Traverse City depot to Williamsburg and to Walton Junction. Dinner train service was suspended in 2004 after a contract dispute with the Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway
and additional difficulties. The train itself was removed to Owosso in mid-July 2006.
Traverse City is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gaylord
.
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
in the U.S. state of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Grand Traverse County
Grand Traverse County, Michigan
-Air service:*Grand Traverse County is served by Cherry Capital Airport, which is located near Traverse City.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 77,654 people, 30,396 households, and 20,730 families residing in the county. The population density was 167 people per square mile . ...
, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County
Leelanau County, Michigan
-History:The county's name is said to be a Native American word meaning "delight of life", but it is a neologism made up by Indian agent and ethnographer Henry Schoolcraft, who sometimes gave the name "Leelinau" to Native American women in his tales. He created many faux Indian place names in...
. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan
Northern Michigan
Northern Michigan, also known as Northern Lower Michigan , is a region of the U.S. state of Michigan...
region. The population was 14,674 at the 2010 census, with 143,372 in the Traverse City micropolitan area
Traverse City micropolitan area
The Traverse City Micropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of four counties in Northern Michigan, anchored by the city of Traverse City.As of the 2010 census, the area had a population of 143,372....
. Despite its modest population, Traverse City functions as the major commercial nexus for a seven-county area totaling over 2700 square miles (6,993 km²) and, along with cross-peninsula counterpart Alpena
Alpena, Michigan
Alpena is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Alpena County. It is considered to be part of Northern Michigan. The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary is located in the city. The population was 10,483 at the 2010 census...
, is one of Northern Lower Michigan's two anchor cities.
The Traverse City area is the largest producer of tart cherries in the United States. Near the time of cherry harvest, the city holds an annual week-long Cherry Festival
National Cherry Festival
The National Cherry Festival is a festival in Traverse City, Michigan. The Original National Cherry Festival began in 1925 as the Blessing of the Blossoms Festival. This Festival was originally an event held in early May to attract tourists to Northern Michigan to view the booming cherry blossoms...
in the first full week in July, attracting approximately 500,000 visitors annually. The surrounding countryside also produces grape
Grape
A grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...
s, and is one of the centers of wine
Michigan wine
Michigan wine refers to any wine that is made in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of 2007, there were under wine-grape cultivation and 64 commercial wineries in Michigan, producing 425,000 cases of wine . According to another count there were 112 operating wineries in Michigan in 2007.Wine and...
production in the Midwest. Tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
, both summer and winter, is another key industry. The Traverse City area features varied natural attractions, including freshwater beaches, vineyards, a National Lakeshore, downhill skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
areas, and numerous forests. In 2009, TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor.com is a travel website that assists customers in gathering travel information, posting reviews and opinions of travel-related content and engaging in interactive travel forums. It is part of the TripAdvisor Media Group, operated by Expedia, Inc. TripAdvisor is a pioneer of...
named Traverse City the number two small town travel destination in the United States.
History
Traverse City is named after the Grand Traverse BayGrand Traverse Bay
Grand Traverse Bay is a bay of Lake Michigan formed by part of Northern Michigan. The bay is long, 10 miles wide, and up to deep in spots. It is divided into two arms by the Old Mission Peninsula...
, which the city heads. The bay earned its name from 18th century French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
voyagers who made la grande traverse or "the long crossing" across the mouth of the Grand Traverse Bay.
In 1847, Captain Boardman of Naperville, Illinois
Naperville, Illinois
Naperville is a city in DuPage and Will Counties in Illinois in the United States, voted the second best place to live in the United States by Money Magazine in 2006. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 141,853. It is the fifth largest city in the state, behind Chicago,...
, purchased the land at the mouth of the Boardman River at the head of the west arm of the bay. During that year the captain, his son, and their employees built a dwelling and sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
near the mouth of the river. In 1851 the Boardmans sold the sawmill to Hannah, Lay & Co (Perry Hannah, Albert Tracy Lay and James Morgan), who improved the mill greatly. The increased investment
Investment
Investment has different meanings in finance and economics. Finance investment is putting money into something with the expectation of gain, that upon thorough analysis, has a high degree of security for the principal amount, as well as security of return, within an expected period of time...
in the mill attracted additional settlers to the new community.
As of 1853, the only operating post office in the Grand Traverse Bay region was the one located at Old Mission
Peninsula Township, Michigan
Peninsula Township is a civil township of Grand Traverse County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 5,265. The township is coterminous with the Old Mission Peninsula, which projects into the Grand Traverse Bay of Lake Michigan. The Old Mission Point...
, which was then known as "Grand Traverse." While in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in 1852, Mr. Lay had succeeded in getting the U.S. Post Office to authorize a new post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
at his newer settlement. As the newer settlement had become known as "Grand Traverse City," Lay proposed this name for its post office, but the USPS clerk suggested dropping the "Grand," in the name, as to limit confusion between this new office and the one at nearby Old Mission. Mr. Lay agreed to the name "Traverse City" for the post office, and the village took on this name.
Climate
Its location on the 45th parallel is tempered by the strong and moderating effects of Lake Michigan and Grand Traverse Bay, which have a particularly noteworthy effect on the peninsulas that branch north of the city. As a result they have viticultureViticulture
Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...
and Cherry
Cherry
The cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus, and is a fleshy stone fruit. The cherry fruits of commerce are usually obtained from a limited number of species, including especially cultivars of the wild cherry, Prunus avium....
orchard
Orchard
An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit or nut-producing trees which are grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive...
s.
Consequently, it generally experiences warm, mild summers and severe winters. Lake Michigan especially, but also Grand Traverse Bay
Grand Traverse Bay
Grand Traverse Bay is a bay of Lake Michigan formed by part of Northern Michigan. The bay is long, 10 miles wide, and up to deep in spots. It is divided into two arms by the Old Mission Peninsula...
, greatly impact the area's diverse coastal weather patterns, which occasionally consist of sudden and/or large amounts of precipitation during the seasonally active periods. Lake-effect snowfall constitutes a large percentage of the total annual snow accumulation, which averages around 80 inches (203 cm). Periods of snowfall typically last from November to April, with snow flurries as late as May or as early as September not unexpected.
Traverse City's record high temperature is 105 °F (41 °C), and its low temperature is -33 F, recorded on February 17, 1979.
Geography
Northern Michigan
Northern Michigan, also known as Northern Lower Michigan , is a region of the U.S. state of Michigan...
region. The city is the main inland port of the Grand Traverse Bay
Grand Traverse Bay
Grand Traverse Bay is a bay of Lake Michigan formed by part of Northern Michigan. The bay is long, 10 miles wide, and up to deep in spots. It is divided into two arms by the Old Mission Peninsula...
; a long, natural harbor separated from the waters of Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
by the Leelanau Peninsula
Leelanau Peninsula
The Leelanau Peninsula is a peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan that extends about from the Lower Peninsula of Michigan into Lake Michigan. Leelanau County encompasses the entire peninsula. It is often referred to as the "little finger" of the mitten-shaped lower peninsula.Sleeping Bear Dunes...
, and divided longitudinally almost evenly by a narrow peninsula of tiered hillsides and farmland called Old Mission Peninsula.
The most prominent and historically connected of the city's waterways is the Boardman River
Boardman River
The Boardman River flows into the west arm of Grand Traverse Bay in Traverse City, Michigan. The Boardman's upper tributaries rise near Kalkaska, Michigan, and its watershed drains an area of through of river and tributaries. The Boardman River is considered one of the top ten trout streams in...
. Along with Boardman Lake, the river is part of the Boardman River Watershed and winds throughout the city as an integral and defining part of the downtown topography and economy, before flowing out into West Grand Traverse Bay. The Boardman’s 287 square miles (743.3 km²) watershed contributes one-third of the water volume to the bay and is one of Michigan’s top-ten fishieres, with more than 36 miles (57.9 km) of its 179 miles (288.1 km) designated as a Blue Ribbon trout fishery. It is also a state-designated "Natural River".
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 8.7 square miles (22.5 km²), of which, 8.4 square miles (21.8 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²) of it (3.45%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 14,532 people, 6,443 households, and 3,485 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,728.7 per square mile (667.2/km²). There were 6,842 housing units at an average density of 813.9 per square mile (314.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.00% White, 0.65% African American, 0.98% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.48% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.67% of the population.
| White | Black | Other |
|---|---|---|
| 96.00% | 0.65% | 3.35% |
There were 6,443 households out of which 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.7% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.9% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the city the population was spread out with 20.3% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 90.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $37,330, and the median income for a family was $46,912. Males had a median income of $31,587 versus $22,512 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $22,247. About 4.8% of families and 8.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.2% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Traverse City is a home ruleHome rule
Home rule is the power of a constituent part of a state to exercise such of the state's powers of governance within its own administrative area that have been devolved to it by the central government....
charter city under the Home Rule Cities Act
Home Rule Cities Act (Michigan)
The Home Rule City Act was enacted by the Michigan Legislature as Public Act 279 of 1909. This statute provides the framework by which a new city may become incorporated and provide for its own government by adopting a city charter...
, incorporated on May 18, 1895. The city is governed by six commissioners and a mayor, elected at-large. Together they comprise a seven-member legislative body. The commission appoints a city manager
City manager
A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a council-manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the chief executive officer or chief administrative officer in some municipalities...
who serves as chief executive for city operations.
Education
- The Pathfinder School - ISACS Accredited Pre-K to 8th Grade Independent School
- Northwestern Michigan CollegeNorthwestern Michigan CollegeFounded in 1951, Northwestern Michigan College, known as NMC to local residents, is a community college in Traverse City, Grand Traverse County, Michigan. Its annual enrollment is around 5,100 students...
- Great Lakes Maritime AcademyGreat Lakes Maritime AcademyThe Great Lakes Maritime Academy at Northwestern Michigan College is located on West Grand Traverse Bay in Traverse City, Michigan. The academy was established in 1969 to train men and women to be licensed mariners on ships of unlimited tonnage or horsepower; including research vessels, cruise...
- Northwestern Michigan College University Center
- Traverse Bay Area Career-Tech Center
- Central Grade School (Public Elementary School)
- Central High School
- Traverse City Christian High School
- Traverse City High School (Alternative High School)
- Saint Francis High SchoolSt. Francis High School (Traverse City, Michigan)St. Francis High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Traverse City, Michigan. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gaylord.-Background:St. Francis School was established in 1877 by the Dominican Sisters....
(a Roman Catholic schoolSchoolA school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
) - The Woodland School (a Charter SchoolCharter schoolCharter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...
) - Grand Traverse Academy (a Charter SchoolCharter schoolCharter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...
) - Traverse City College Preparatory Academy (a Charter SchoolCharter schoolCharter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...
) - Traverse City West Senior HighTraverse City West Senior HighTraverse City West Senior High is a public high school in Traverse City, Michigan, located at 5376 N. Long Lake Road. The principal is Joseph Tibaldi, who has been the principal since the school's opening in 1997. The school was originally built as a solution to the overcrowding at Traverse City...
(established 1997 by a division of Traverse City Central) - Trinity Lutheran School (Preschool-Grade 7)Trinity Lutheran School (Preschool-Grade 7)Trinity Lutheran School in Traverse City, Michigan was established in 1950 and continues today as part of Trinity Lutheran Church, which was founded in 1883. Trinity is a member of the Michigan District of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod...
- Western Michigan UniversityWestern Michigan UniversityWestern Michigan University is a public university located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1903 by Dwight B. Waldo, and as of the Fall 2010 semester, its enrollment is 25,045....
- branch campus - Interlochen Arts Academy - Fine Arts Boarding and Day School located 20 minutes outside of Traverse City
- Traverse Bay Christian School
- TC Training Center (Computer and Technology training)
- Along with 13 Public Elementary Schools
Tourism
Much of Traverse City's economy is based on tourism. As part of the 2011 tourism advertising campaign the Traverse City Visitors Bureau, Traverse City Cherry Capital Airport and many local businesses sponosored a video to be played on all Delta flights in the month of June 2011.Traverse City Record-Eagle
The Traverse City Record-Eagle is a daily morning newspaper based in Traverse City, Michigan. It calls itself "Northern Michigan's Newspaper".The newspaper formerly was owned by Dow Jones & Company, also publishers of the Wall Street Journal...
is northwest lower Michigan's daily newspaper. It is circulated in the thirteen counties surrounding the city. In December 2006 it was sold by Ottaway Newspapers Inc., the community newspaper subsidiary of Dow Jones & Company
Dow Jones & Company
Dow Jones & Company is an American publishing and financial information firm.The company was founded in 1882 by three reporters: Charles Dow, Edward Jones, and Charles Bergstresser. Like The New York Times and the Washington Post, the company was in recent years publicly traded but privately...
to Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. (CNHI). It is the newspaper of record
Newspaper of record
Newspaper of record is a term that may refer either to any publicly available newspaper that has been authorized by a government to publish public or legal notices , or any major newspaper that has a large circulation and whose editorial and news-gathering functions are considered professional and...
for Grand Traverse County. Daily editions of the Detroit Free Press
Detroit Free Press
The Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The Sunday edition is entitled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes informally referred to as the "Freep"...
, Detroit News
The Detroit News
The Detroit News is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival Free Press's building. The News absorbed the Detroit Tribune on February 1, 1919, the Detroit Journal on July 21, 1922, and on November 7, 1960,...
, and Grand Rapids Press
Grand Rapids Press
The Grand Rapids Press is a daily newspaper published in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It is the largest of the eight Booth newspapers. It is sold for $.75 daily and $2.00 on Sunday.AccuWeather provides weather content to the Grand Rapids Press....
also are available on news stands throughout the region. Other local publications include Traverse City magazine NM3 Magazine a local lifestyle and entertainment publication, "Grand Traverse Insider", a local weekly community newspaper. , Northern Express Weekly, Traverse City Business News, Edible Grande Traverse magazine dedicated to the food, farms and chefs of the area, and Grand Traverse Woman Magazine.
At least seven national magazines are published in Traverse City, including Thirdeye Magazine. Village Press Inc. is based in Traverse City. It publishes the Home Shop Machinist, Live Steam and Outdoor Railroading, Machinists' Workshop, Just Labs, Pointing Dog Journal, Retriever Journal and Twin and Turbine Magazines.
Television
Traverse City is the largest city in the Traverse City-Cadillac-Sault Ste. Marie Designated Market Area, the largest television market in area east of the Mississippi RiverMississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. Accordingly, most stations in this vast region are broadcast simultaneously on widely-spaced transmitters on separate channels.
Traverse City has two television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
s licensed directly to the city:
- Channel 7: WPBN-TV "TV 7&4" (NBCNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
) (simulcast on channel 4, CheboyganCheboygan, MichiganCheboygan is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 5,295. It is the county seat of Cheboygan County....
) - Channel 29: WGTUWGTUWGTU is the ABC-affiliated television station for the Northern Lower and Eastern Upper Peninsulas of Michigan that is licensed to Traverse City. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 29 from a transmitter east of Kalkaska. Like other network affiliates in this vast rural...
"ABC 29&8" (ABCAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
) (simulcast on channel 8, Goetzville)
Additionally, WGTU operates a CW Plus
The CW Plus
The CW Plus is a group of primarily digital sub-channels, analog, and non-broadcast cable television outlets for the CW Television Network, for markets below the top 99 television media markets in the United States....
station on its second digital subchannel and Northern Michigan cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
systems:
- Channel 61: WGTU-DT2 "Northern Michigan's CW" (The CWThe CW Television NetworkThe CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
) *** The CW 61 channel is no longer in operation in Traverse City (as of June 2009)
The city also has a low power rebroadcast transmitter of Mount Pleasant's
Mount Pleasant, Michigan
Mount Pleasant is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Isabella County. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 25,946. The 2008 census estimate places the population at 26,675....
PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
affiliate, WCMU-TV
WCMU-TV
WCMU-TV, channel 14 is a Public Broadcasting Service member Public television station for much of the northern portion of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, with a coverage area spanning three television markets and small portions of several others. The network is based at Central Michigan...
, operating on channel 46 (W46AD).
Stations licensed to nearby Cadillac
Cadillac, Michigan
Cadillac is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is the county seat of Wexford County. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 10,000. The city is situated at the junction of US 131, M-55 and M-115...
are considered local to Traverse City:
- Channel 9: WWTVWWTVWWTV is the CBS-affiliated television station for the northern Lower and eastern Upper Peninsulas of Michigan. Licensed to Cadillac, it broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 9 from a transmitter at its studios on 130th Avenue, northeast of Tustin, in Osceola County. At 1,631...
"9 & 10 News" (CBSCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
) (simulcast on channel 10, Goetzville, MI in the eastern U.P.) - Channel 32: WFQX-TVWFQX-TVWFQX-TV is the Fox-affiliated television station for the northern Lower and eastern Upper Peninsulas of Michigan. Licensed to Cadillac, it broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 32 from a transmitter at studios on 130th Avenue/Dighton Road in Tustin on Grove Hill...
"Fox 32" (FoxFox Broadcasting CompanyFox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
)
Fox's sister network, MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...
, did not have an affiliate in the region when it launched back in September 2006. That changed at some point in 2008 when WLLZ-LP
WLLZ-LP
WLLZ-LP is the low-powered MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for the northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan that is licensed to Cedar. It broadcasts an analog signal on VHF channel 12 from a transmitter west of downtown Traverse City near Harris and Cedar Run Roads...
channel 12 added the network. This station also airs programming from America One
America One
America One is an over-the-air television network in the United States. The network serves over 170 LPTV, Class A, Full Power, Cable and Satellite affiliate stations...
and RTV
Retro Television Network
The Retro Television Network is a system of television stations that airs classic television shows as well as more recently produced programs...
.
Cable television service is provided within Traverse City and many outlying communities by Charter Communications
Charter Communications
Charter Communications is an American company providing cable television, high-speed Internet, and telephone services to more than 4.7 million customers in 25 states. By revenues, it is the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States, behind Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Cox Communications...
. Public-access television
Public-access television
Public-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
cable TV programming is provided on channel 2.
Radio
The Grand Traverse region is the primary hub for all of Northern Michigan's radio media. Traverse City is the home of Northern Michigan talk radio station WTCMWTCM (AM)
WTCM is an AM radio station broadcasting in Traverse City, Michigan, operating on 580 kHz. The two stations are owned by Midwestern Broadcasting, which started WTCM-AM in 1940...
News/Talk 580 AM. Other talk stations available in the Traverse City area include WJML
WJML
WJML consists of AM stations WJML 1110 in Petoskey, Michigan and WJNL 1210 in Kingsley, Michigan. Both stations are owned by Rick Stone, and both stations have simulcast the same programming, with a mixture of liberal talk format and conservative talk....
, WMKT
WMKT
WMKT is a radio station licensed to Charlevoix, Michigan broadcasting a talk radio format. The station broadcasts on 1270 AM as well as an FM translator on 92.1 and streams online...
, WSRT, and WLDR. AM 1310 ESPN Radio (operated by WCCW) broadcasts national ESPN content along with Detroit Pistons, Tigers, Red Wings and Lions games. MSU Football and Basketball can also be heard on 1310. There are 16 Commercial radio stations in a variety of typical commercial radio formats. WNMC 90.7 FM is a community public radio station that is committed to a wide variety of musical genres and local events.
Traverse City has 2 Religious radio stations; W201CM (a Translator at 88.1) and WLJN AM/FM 89.9FM and 1400AM
Interlochen Center for the Arts
Interlochen Center for the Arts
Interlochen Center for the Arts is a privately owned, 1,200 acre arts education institution in Interlochen, Michigan, roughly 15 miles southwest of Traverse City...
's NPR member station Interlochen Public Radio. it serves a large portion of Northwest Lower Michigan via two stations:
There is also WLDR Sunny Country 101.9 a station serving the Grand Traverse area and surrounding counties. They are the first to broadcast in HD radio in Michigan and play a mix of today's Country hits and the legends. They have been the sponsor for several major events in Traverse City, including The Beach Bum Games, Horses by the Bay, the Make-A-Wish Motorcycle Tour, and the Traverse City Easter Egg Hunt.
Recreation
The National Cherry FestivalNational Cherry Festival
The National Cherry Festival is a festival in Traverse City, Michigan. The Original National Cherry Festival began in 1925 as the Blessing of the Blossoms Festival. This Festival was originally an event held in early May to attract tourists to Northern Michigan to view the booming cherry blossoms...
, held during the first full week of July every year, is a draw for tourists to Traverse City. The festival features parades, fireworks, an air show, election of festival royalty, live music, a pie-eating contest and cherries
Cherry
The cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus, and is a fleshy stone fruit. The cherry fruits of commerce are usually obtained from a limited number of species, including especially cultivars of the wild cherry, Prunus avium....
. It is estimated that the Grand Traverse region produces up to 360000000 pounds (163,293,253.2 kg) of cherries annually. The largest variety of cherry produced locally is the Montmorency cherry, or the "pie cherry". Other cherries grown in the region include the Ulster, or sweet cherry, and the Balaton (from Lake Balaton
Lake Balaton
Lake Balaton is a freshwater lake in the Transdanubian region of Hungary. It is the largest lake in Central Europe, and one of its foremost tourist destinations. As Hungary is landlocked , Lake Balaton is often affectionately called the "Hungarian Sea"...
in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
), a cherry situated between the Montmorency and Ulster in terms of color and taste.
The locale and topography is conducive for bicycling. A map with routes, different trips, advice and local knowledge is available. Lake Michigan presents a location for sailing, fishing, and kayaking.
The Traverse City State Park
Traverse City State Park
Traverse City State Park is a state park in Traverse City, Michigan.The park is located on the densely populated shoreline of Grand Traverse Bay, an arm of Lake Michigan, and is used mainly as a campground. US-31 runs between the park and the beach area, there is an overpass where campers can get...
, with about 250 campsites, is located three miles (4.8 km) east of downtown on 47 acres (19 ha) including a quarter mile beach on the East Bay arm of Grand Traverse Bay.
The sandy soil is conducive to viticulture
Viticulture
Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...
, and there are over 50 wineries in the Traverse City area.http://www.michigan.org/Things-to-Do/Attractions/Wineries/Default.aspx?city=G3602&sort=asc&lm=sf&page=1 Most offer free wine tasting. Traverse city is located at the base of the Old Mission Peninsula wine region
Old Mission Peninsula AVA
The Old Mission Peninsula AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Grand Traverse County, Michigan known for well-regarded Michigan wine. The Old Mission Peninsula extends northward from Traverse City into the Grand Traverse Bay of Lake Michigan, ending at Old Mission Point. The peninsula...
Shopping
Traverse City's central business district is located along Front Street downtown. Another major shopping district is on US 31 southwest of town, where several big box stores are located, as well as two shopping malls: the Grand Traverse MallGrand Traverse Mall
Grand Traverse Mall is an enclosed shopping mall serving Traverse City, Michigan, located in Garfield Township. Opened in 1992, the mall features four anchor stores: J.C. Penney, Target, TJ Maxx and Macy's. It is managed by General Growth Properties.-History:...
, anchored by Target
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
, JCPenney, Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
, and the Preferred Outlets, a factory outlet center. Another mall, Cherryland Center, is located on Garfield Avenue on the south end of town; this mall features Kmart
Kmart
Kmart, sometimes styled as "K-Mart," is a chain of discount department stores. The chain acquired Sears in 2005, forming a new corporation under the name Sears Holdings Corporation. The company was founded in 1962 and is the third largest discount store chain in the world, behind Wal-Mart and...
, Younkers
Younkers
Younkers is an American department store chain founded as a family-run dry goods business in 1856 in Keokuk, Iowa. The retailer has since evolved over more than 150 years to include a presence in locations throughout Iowa and surrounding states in the Midwest region of the United States...
, and Sears
Sears, Roebuck and Company
Sears, officially named Sears, Roebuck and Co., is an American chain of department stores which was founded by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck in the late 19th century...
.
Professional sports
Traverse City is home to a professional baseball team and a semi-professional football team. The Traverse City Beach BumsTraverse City Beach Bums
The Traverse City Beach Bums are a professional baseball team based in the Traverse City, Michigan, suburb of Blair Township, in the United States. The Beach Bums are a member of the East Division of the Frontier League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
are a minor league baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
team who play their home games at Wuerfel Park
Wuerfel Park
Wuerfel Park is a 3,518-seat baseball-only stadium in Blair Township, Michigan, USA, that hosted its first regular season baseball game on May 24, 2006, as the tenants of the facility, the Traverse City Beach Bums, took on the Kalamazoo Kings. It was built as a new home of the Beach Bums baseball...
in nearby Blair Township, Michigan
Blair Township, Michigan
Blair Township is a civil township of Grand Traverse County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 6,448.-Communities:...
. The Beach Bums are a member of the independent Frontier League
Frontier League
The Frontier League, based in Sauget, Illinois, is a professional, independent baseball organization located in the Midwestern United States, Western Pennsylvania, and Southern Ontario. It operates mostly in cities not served by Major or Minor League Baseball teams and is not affiliated with either...
.
The Traverse City North Stars
Traverse City North Stars
The Traverse City North Stars are a Tier II Junior A ice hockey team in the North American Hockey League's North Division, and play out of 1,500-seat Centre ICE Arena in Traverse City, Michigan, recently re-branded Hockeytown North via a branding relationship with the Detroit Red Wings who use the...
are Junior "A" level hockey club (member of the North American Hockey League
North American Hockey League
The North American Hockey League is one of the top junior hockey leagues in the United States and is enterting its 36th season in 2011-12. It is currently the only Junior A Tier II league, sanctioned by USA Hockey. The NAHL currently acts as an alternative to the United States Hockey League...
), and they play at the Centre I.C.E. hockey arena. Traverse City also hosts the training camp for the Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
NHL hockey team. The city also hosts the Traverse City Prospects Tournament, an annual tournament displaying young NHL prospects from select NHL teams.
The Traverse City Wolves were a semi-professional football team who played their home games at Thirlby Field. The Wolves were a member of the North American Football League in the Great Lakes region of the Northern Conference.
Arts and culture
The Traverse City Film FestivalTraverse City Film Festival
The Traverse City Film Festival is an annual film festival held every late July through early August in Traverse City, Michigan. The festival was created as an annual event in 2005 to help “save one of America's few indigenous art forms—the cinema." The event was co-founded by Michael Moore, the...
, founded by filmmaker and activist Michael Moore
Michael Moore
Michael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries...
, takes place every summer. The six-day event presents independent films and documentaries, as well as discussion boards with directors, actors and others involved with the film industry. In 2007, the film festival acquired the historic State Theater
State Theatre (Traverse City)
]The State Theatre in Traverse City, Michigan, USA was recently acquired by the Traverse City Film Festival from a gift by Grand Traverse Rotary. The theatre underwent restoration and was re-opened on November 17, 2007....
for year round screenings.
The Festival of the Senses, a city-wide festival with events designed to stimulate all five of the senses, occurs in the fall. The festival features art exhibitions, music and theater.
The City Opera House
City Opera House (Traverse City)
The City Opera House is located in downtown Traverse City, Michigan at 106 East Front Street. Constructed in 1891, the City Opera House provided performance space for traveling artists as well as a perfect setting for formal balls, such as an Installation Ball held in 1892. In 2005, the bulk of a...
, located in downtown Traverse City features plays, movies, and other performances.
The Dennos Museum Center
Dennos Museum Center
The Dennos Museum Center, located in Traverse City, Michigan is a museum of fine art affiliated with Northwestern Michigan College. The museum consists of an outdoor sculpture garden, several galleries for temporary exhibits, and the Power Family Inuit Gallery, which houses one of the most complete...
, located on the campus of Northwestern Michigan College
Northwestern Michigan College
Founded in 1951, Northwestern Michigan College, known as NMC to local residents, is a community college in Traverse City, Grand Traverse County, Michigan. Its annual enrollment is around 5,100 students...
, is home to a collection of Inuit art
Inuit art
Inuit art refers to artwork produced by Inuit people, that is, the people of the Arctic previously known as Eskimos, a term that is now often considered offensive outside Alaska...
including sculpture, drawing and prints. The center is also home to a children’s museum, as well as various ongoing exhibitions in their large exhibition space.
Two major arts groups are active in Traverse City. The Artcenter Traverse City offers art classes, a summer arts workshop series, exhibition space, and year-round art gallery exhibits. The Traverse City Art Works Alliance is a member-based arts group, founded by local artist Charly Hansen in 2005 with the goal to organize events and shows which feature the region’s artists.
The city was also home to Clover
Clover Festival
Clover was a Christian dance music festival which took place in Traverse City, Michigan August 25 through 27 2006. Carol Marvin, Clover's producer, sought to offer spiritually uplifting dance and electronic music....
, a Christian dance music festival, in August 2006.
Northwestern Michigan College
Northwestern Michigan College
Founded in 1951, Northwestern Michigan College, known as NMC to local residents, is a community college in Traverse City, Grand Traverse County, Michigan. Its annual enrollment is around 5,100 students...
also hosts NMAcon, a local anime convention, during August.
Historical markers
- Bingham District No. 5 Schoolhouse
- City Opera HouseCity Opera House (Traverse City)The City Opera House is located in downtown Traverse City, Michigan at 106 East Front Street. Constructed in 1891, the City Opera House provided performance space for traveling artists as well as a perfect setting for formal balls, such as an Installation Ball held in 1892. In 2005, the bulk of a...
- Congregation Beth El
- Grand Traverse BayGrand Traverse BayGrand Traverse Bay is a bay of Lake Michigan formed by part of Northern Michigan. The bay is long, 10 miles wide, and up to deep in spots. It is divided into two arms by the Old Mission Peninsula...
- Grand Traverse County Courthouse
- Great Lakes Sport Fishery
- Greensky Hill Mission
- Ladies Library Association
- Novotny's Saloon
- Park Place Hotel
- Torrent House
- Perry Hannah House
- Traverse City State HospitalTraverse City State HospitalThe Traverse City State Hospital of Traverse City, Michigan has been variously known as the Northern Michigan Asylum and the Traverse City Regional Psychiatric Hospital...
Surrounding Wineries
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
among the Top Ten Places for Local Wine.
There are seven wineries on the Old Mission Peninsula and eighteen wineries on the Leelanau Peninsula
Leelanau Peninsula
The Leelanau Peninsula is a peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan that extends about from the Lower Peninsula of Michigan into Lake Michigan. Leelanau County encompasses the entire peninsula. It is often referred to as the "little finger" of the mitten-shaped lower peninsula.Sleeping Bear Dunes...
, both just a few minutes drive from downtown Traverse City. Both peninsulas sit close to the 45th parallel, a latitude known for growing prestigious grapes. The two Grand Traverse Bays
Grand Traverse County, Michigan
-Air service:*Grand Traverse County is served by Cherry Capital Airport, which is located near Traverse City.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 77,654 people, 30,396 households, and 20,730 families residing in the county. The population density was 167 people per square mile . ...
provide the ideal maritime climate and the rich glacial soil does the rest. Northern Michigan specializes in growing white grapes and is known for its Rieslings which grow well in the summer months and late fall which Traverse City is known for. Every October the wineries host a harvest fest. Some Riesling grapes are spared being picked in the fall to be picked when they freeze, from which Ice Wine
Ice wine
Ice wine is a type of dessert wine produced from grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine. The sugars and other dissolved solids do not freeze, but the water does, allowing a more concentrated grape must to be pressed from the frozen grapes, resulting in a smaller amount of more...
is made. The wineries along the Old Mission Peninsula are 2 Lads Winery, Black Star Farms, Bowers Harbor Vineyards, Brys Estate Vineyard & Winery, Chateau Chantal Winery And Inn
Chateau Chantal
Chateau Chantal is a winery located on the Old Mission Peninsula, only a few miles north of Traverse City, in Grand Traverse County, Michigan. The chateau sits atop one of the highest points on the Old Mission Peninsula and has stunning views of both East and West arms of Grand Traverse Bay. The...
, Chateau Grand Traverse
Chateau Grand Traverse
Chateau Grand Traverse is a Michigan winery located in the Old Mission Peninsula AVA around Traverse City. The winery was founded by Edward O’Keefe Jr. and is notable for having the first large-scale planting of Vitis vinifera in Michigan...
, and Peninsula Cellars. The wineries along the Leelanau Peninsula are Leelenau Cellars, Silver Leaf Vineyard and Winery, Gill's Pier Vineyard and Winery, Raftshol Vineyards, Circa Estate Winery, Forty-Five North Vineyard and Winery, Good Harbor Vineyards, Chateau Fontaine, Boskydel Vineyards, Black Star Farms, L. Mawby Vineyards, Ciccone Vineyard and Winery, Willow Vineyards, Chateau de Leelanau Vineyard and Winery, Shady Lane Cellars, Cherry Republic Winery, Longview Winery, and Bel Lago Winery.
Taxicab
Taxi service in the Traverse City Region is served by Cherry Capital Cab and Chippewa Cab companies.Planes
With a new terminal completed in 2004, Cherry Capital AirportCherry Capital Airport
Cherry Capital Airport is a public-use airport located two nautical miles south of the central business district of Traverse City, in Grand Traverse County, Michigan, United States...
provides regularly scheduled passenger airline service to Chicago, Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, Minneapolis and seasonally to New York, Cincinnati, Atlanta and Denver as well as to smaller Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
destinations to the north.
Ships and boats
- Adjacent to the airportAirportAn airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
is Coast Guard Air Station Traverse CityCoast Guard Air Station Traverse CityCoast Guard Air Station Traverse City was established in 1946 and is a part of the United States Coast Guard's Ninth District It is situated on the southern end of Grand Traverse Bay in northern Michigan. Since 1995, Air Station Traverse City has controlled and manned Air Facilities throughout...
, responsible for both maritime and land-based search and rescueSearch and rescueSearch and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
operations in the northern Great LakesGreat LakesThe Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
region. On April 7, 2010, the USCG designated Traverse City a Coast Guard City. Traverse City is the second city in Michigan and tenth in the country to receive this honor. - Located in the harbor of the Great Lakes Maritime AcademyGreat Lakes Maritime AcademyThe Great Lakes Maritime Academy at Northwestern Michigan College is located on West Grand Traverse Bay in Traverse City, Michigan. The academy was established in 1969 to train men and women to be licensed mariners on ships of unlimited tonnage or horsepower; including research vessels, cruise...
is the T/S State of Michigan, a 224 feet (68.3 m) former Navy submarine surveillance vessel. The vessel is used as a classroom and laboratory while cadets of the Academy are underway and shore side. - A tall shipTall shipA tall ship is a large, traditionally-rigged sailing vessel. Popular modern tall ship rigs include topsail schooners, brigantines, brigs and barques. "Tall Ship" can also be defined more specifically by an organization, such as for a race or festival....
, the Schooner Manitou is berthed at Traverse City, and offers passages to the public. - Near Traverse City are two other tall ships, the Schooner Madeline and the 55 feet (16.8 m) long replica of the sloop Welcome, an 18th century British warship sloop, which was built for the 1976 Bicentennial of the American Revolution. They are the only two boats recognized by the State of Michigan for their historic significance. From May through October, trained volunteers conduct tours (when in port), and give a history of the boats and Great Lakes sailing. The Madeline is berthed at Elmwood Township "Coal Dock" (Heritage Harbor) - West Bayshore, just south of the Elmwood Township Marina Both are maintained by the Maritime Heritage Alliance.
- The Nauti-Cat, a 43 passenger catamaran books passages on Grand Traverse bay. The Nauti-Cat is the largest commercial sailing catamaran on the Great Lakes at 47 feet (14.3 m) long, 29 feet (8.8 m) wide and has a 63 feet (19.2 m) mast. They offer cruises 7 days a week, 4 times a day.
Public transportation
Traverse City also has a public transportation system, the Bay Area Transportation Authority (BATA) which serves most of the Grand Traverse region with dial-a-ride services and a fixed route bus service, called the Cherriot, serves Traverse City and the urbanized areas of Garfield Township. BATA recently revealed its first hybrid bus in December, 2005. BATA recently completed a downtown bus transfer terminal on Hall Street, which opened July 21, 2006. The terminal is used to transfer riders to different buses on different routes.Major highways
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US 31 U.S. Route 31 in Michigan US Highway 31 is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System that runs from Alabama, to the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. In Michigan, it is a state trunkline highway that runs from the Indiana–Michigan state line at Bertrand Township to its terminus at Interstate 75 south... runs for 356 miles (572.9 km) in a northerly direction from the Indiana–Michigan state line southwest of Niles to its terminus at I-75 south of Mackinaw City. From Traverse City, it runs west across the base of the Leelanau peninsula to Benzonia Benzonia, Michigan Benzonia is a village in Benzie County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 519 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Benzonia Township at the southeast end of Crystal Lake on U.S... before continuing south to Muskegon Muskegon, Michigan Muskegon is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 38,401. The city is the county seat of Muskegon County... and other points on the Lake Michigan shore. Northwards, it continues along the east shore of Grand Traverse Bay to Charlevoix Charlevoix, Michigan Charlevoix is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 2,994. It is the county seat of Charlevoix County.... and Petoskey Petoskey, Michigan Petoskey is a city and coastal resort community in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 6,080. It is the county seat of Emmet County.... , ending just before reaching Mackinaw City Mackinaw City, Michigan Mackinaw City is a village in Emmet and Cheboygan counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2000 census the population was 859. The name "Mackinaw City" is a bit of a misnomer as it is actually a village... and the Mackinac Bridge Mackinac Bridge The Mackinac Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Straits of Mackinac to connect the non-contiguous Upper and Lower peninsulas of the U.S. state of Michigan. Opened in 1957, the bridge is the third longest in total suspension in the world and the longest suspension bridge between anchorages... . |
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M-22 M-22 (Michigan highway) M-22 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. It is long and follows the Lake Michigan shoreline of the Leelanau Peninsula, making up a portion of the Lake Michigan Circle Tour. It also passes through the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore... follows the Lake Michigan shoreline around the Leelanau Peninsula, providing a scenic drive. |
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M-37 M-37 (Michigan highway) M-37 is a north–south state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. The southern terminus is near the border between Kalamazoo and Calhoun counties at exit 92 of Interstate 94 southwest of Battle Creek. The northern terminus is at the Mission Point Light on Old Mission Point in Grand... runs almost due south through the Manistee National Forest to Grand Rapids Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand... . It continues north up Old Mission Peninsula to end at Old Mission Point in the middle of Grand Traverse Bay. |
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M-72 M-72 (Michigan highway) M-72 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan, running from Lake Huron to Lake Michigan across the northern part of the Lower Peninsula. The highway connects M-22 in Empire with US Highway 23 in Harrisville. It is one of only three Michigan state trunklines that cross the Lower... passes east-west through the city and is one of three true highways that crosses the lower peninsula from Lake Michigan Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron... to Lake Huron Lake Huron Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States... . M-72 M-72 (Michigan highway) M-72 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan, running from Lake Huron to Lake Michigan across the northern part of the Lower Peninsula. The highway connects M-22 in Empire with US Highway 23 in Harrisville. It is one of only three Michigan state trunklines that cross the Lower... connects with Empire Empire, Michigan Empire is a village in Leelanau County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 378 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Empire Township.-Description:... and the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is a United States National Lakeshore located along the northwest coast of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan in Leelanau County and Benzie County.... 22 miles (35 km) west and with US 131 U.S. Route 131 US Highway 131 is a north–south United States Highway, of which all but 0.67 miles of its 266.82 miles are within the state of Michigan. The highway starts in rural Indiana south of the state line as a state road connection to the Indiana Toll Road... , 25 miles (40 km) east in Kalkaska Kalkaska, Michigan Kalkaska is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 2,226. It is the county seat of Kalkaska County.-Geography:... . |
Bus
The area is served by Indian Trails Bus service and the bus station is located at 107 Hall Street.Railroads
The Great Lakes Central (GLC) provides freight rail service to the Traverse City area on track owned by the state of Michigan. The tracks were once owned by the Chesapeake and Ohio RailwayChesapeake and Ohio Railway
The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis P...
(ex-Pere Marquette Railway
Pere Marquette Railway
The Pere Marquette Railway was a railroad that operated in the Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada. The railroad had trackage in the states of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and the Canadian province of Ontario. Its primary connections included Buffalo; Toledo; and Chicago.The company was...
) and the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
(ex-Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad
Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad
The Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad at its height provided passenger and freight railroad services between Cincinnati, Ohio and the Straits of Mackinac in Michigan, USA...
) but were purchased by the state in the late 1970s and early 1980s to preserve rail service in the area. Current freight traffic includes fruit/perishables, scrap metal, and lumber.
Regular intercity passenger train service ended on October 29, 1966, after the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis P...
(C&O) discontinued Grand Rapids – Traverse City – Bay View
Bay View, Michigan
Bay View is an unincorporated resort community in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in Bear Creek Township, Emmet County on Little Traverse Bay and abuts the east side of the city of Petoskey along U.S. Highway 31. The ZIP code is 49770 and the FIPS place code is 06260...
service. Since then, excursion passengers trains have operated in and out of Traverse City on an irregular basis. Recently, Lake Central Rail Tours has operated a summer excursion during the Cherry Festival. On May 11, 1996, the Grand Traverse Dinner Train began year round service from the Traverse City depot to Williamsburg and to Walton Junction. Dinner train service was suspended in 2004 after a contract dispute with the Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway
Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway
The Great Lakes Central Railroad is a Class II regional railroad, originally called the Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway was formed on August 26, 1977 to operate over former Penn Central lines from Millington to Munger, Michigan, and Vassar to Colling, Michigan...
and additional difficulties. The train itself was removed to Owosso in mid-July 2006.
Religion
Traverse City, and the surrounding Grand Traverse region, hosts a large religious population with both historical and recently constructed or established gathering places throughout the community. With the majority consisting of various Protestant, Catholic, Mormon, and non-denominational branches of Christianity, the city is also home to Jewish, Universalist, and a number of various populations as well.Traverse City is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gaylord
Roman Catholic Diocese of Gaylord
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Gaylord is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the Northern Michigan region of the United States. It comprises the twenty-one most northern counties of the lower peninsula of the state, and includes the cities of Traverse City,...
.
Notable residents
- Mark BrammerMark BrammerMark Dewitt Brammer is a former professional American football player who played tight end for five seasons for the Buffalo Bills....
, Michigan State UniversityMichigan State UniversityMichigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player who received the All-AmericaAll-AmericaAn All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
accolade in 1978 and later played for the Buffalo Bills. - Demas T. CrawDemas T. CrawDemas Thurlow "Nick" Craw was a United States Army Air Forces officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II. Craw and Maj. Pierpont M...
, posthumous Medal of HonorMedal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
winner - Jeremy DaviesJeremy Davies (actor)Jeremy Davies is an American film and television actor. He is known for portraying the interpreter Cpl. Timothy E. Upham in the film Saving Private Ryan and the physicist Daniel Faraday on the television series Lost. He most recently appeared in the FX series, Justified, as Dickie Bennett.-Early...
, an actor featured in Saving Private RyanSaving Private RyanSaving Private Ryan is a 1998 American war film set during the invasion of Normandy in World War II. It was directed by Steven Spielberg, with a screenplay by Robert Rodat. The film is notable for the intensity of its opening 27 minutes, which depicts the Omaha Beach assault of June 6, 1944....
, SolarisSolaris (2002 film)Solaris is a 2002 science fiction film and psychological drama directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring George Clooney and Natascha McElhone...
, LostLost (TV series)Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
, and CQCQ (film)CQ is a 2001 film written and directed by Roman Coppola. It was screened out of competition at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival.It is a homage to 1960s European spy/sci-fi spoofs like Barbarella and Danger: Diabolik and the documentary spoof David Holzman's Diary. The cinematography is done by Robert...
. - Tom KozelkoTom KozelkoThomas William "Tom" Kozelko is a retired American basketball player.Kozelko starred at Central High School in Traverse City, and moved on to play collegiately at the University of Toledo from 1970–73...
, former NBA basketball player with the Washington Bullets - Dan MajerleDan MajerleDaniel Lewis Majerle is a retired American professional basketball player and currently an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns of the NBA. Known by his fans as "Downtown Dan," "Thunder Dan," and "Dan the Man," he played 14 years in the NBA, primarily with the Phoenix Suns, also with the Miami...
, former NBANational Basketball AssociationThe National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
basketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player who played for the Phoenix SunsPhoenix SunsThe Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
, Miami HeatMiami HeatThe Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...
and the Cleveland CavaliersCleveland CavaliersThe Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team... - Barbara McGuireBarbara McGuireBarbara McGuire is an American artist who is recognized for her works in polymer clay, painting and jewelry design. She has written twelve books and numerous magazine articles on design and instruction including books on polymer clay, wire, beads, and children's art...
, polymer clayPolymer clayPolymer clay is a sculptable material based on the polymer polyvinyl chloride . It usually contains no clay minerals, and is only called "clay" because its texture and working properties resemble those of mineral clay...
artist and prolific author - William G. MillikenWilliam MillikenWilliam Grawn Milliken , is an American politician and served as the 44th Governor of Michigan from January 1969 to January 1983.-Biography:...
, Republican GovernorGovernorA governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of Michigan from 1969 to 1983 - Matt NoveskeyMatt NoveskeyWilliam Matthew "Matt" Noveskey is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, guitarist, and bassist, best known for his work with the bands Blue October and machines.-Early life:...
, musician in the bands Blue OctoberBlue OctoberBlue October is a rock band from Houston, Texas. The band was formed in 1995 and currently consists of Justin Furstenfeld , Jeremy Furstenfeld , Ryan Delahoussaye , Matt Noveskey , and Julian Mandrake .-History:Blue October was formed by lead...
and (a+) machines. - Kenny OlsonKenny OlsonKenny Olson is a guitarist from the Detroit, Michigan area. He played in Kid Rock's Twisted Brown Trucker Band. Along with Jason Krause, he played guitar on Kid Rock's studio albums Devil Without a Cause , The History of Rock , Cocky , and Kid Rock .Kenny Olson currently lives in Nashville,...
, guitaristGuitaristA guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
for the pop musicPop musicPop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
artist Kid RockKid RockRobert James "Bob" Ritchie , known by his stage name Kid Rock, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and rapper with five Grammy Awards nominations... - Carter OosterhouseCarter OosterhouseCarter Oosterhouse is an American television personality and model, who was born in Traverse City, Michigan. Oosterhouse first gained national fame as a carpenter on the TLC series Trading Spaces and has hosted other home improvement and how-to television shows...
, carpenter on reality TV showReality televisionReality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
Trading SpacesTrading SpacesTrading Spaces is an hour-long American television reality program that aired from 2000 to 2008 on the cable channels TLC and Discovery Home. The format of the show was based on the BBC TV series Changing Rooms. The show ran for eight seasons.... - Pun PlamondonLawrence (Pun) PlamondonLawrence "Pun" Plamondon was a 1960s left-wing activist who was one of the founders of the White Panther Party. He was the first hippie to be listed on the FBI's Most Wanted List....
, 1960s activist - Craig ThompsonCraig ThompsonCraig Matthew Thompson is a graphic novelist best known for his books Good-Bye, Chunky Rice , Blankets , Carnet de Voyage and Habibi . Thompson has received four Harvey Awards, two Eisner Awards, and two Ignatz Awards...
, cartoonist and graphic novelGraphic novelA graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
ist best known for BlanketsBlankets (graphic novel)Blankets is an autobiographical graphic novel by Craig Thompson, published in 2003 by Top Shelf Productions. As a coming-of-age autobiography, the book tells the story of Thompson's childhood in an Evangelical Christian family, his first love, and his early adulthood... - Barry WatsonBarry Watson (actor)Michael Barrett "Barry" Watson is an American actor, known for his roles of Dr. Matthew "Matt" Camden on 7th Heaven, Brian Davis in What About Brian and Todd Deepler in Samantha Who?-Early life:...
, an actor whose credits include the television programTelevision programA television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
s 7th Heaven7th Heaven7th Heaven is an American family drama television series, created and produced by Brenda Hampton. The series premiered on August 26, 1996, on the WB, the first time that the network aired Monday night programming, and was originally broadcast from August 26, 1996 to May 13, 2007...
and Samantha Who?Samantha Who?Samantha Who? is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC from October 15, 2007 to July 23, 2009. The series was created by Cecelia Ahern and Don Todd, who also served as producers... - David WayneDavid WayneDavid Wayne was an American actor with a career spanning nearly 50 years.-Early life and career:...
, HollywoodCinema of the United StatesThe cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
film and Broadway theatreBroadway theatreBroadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
actor - Dallas DrakeDallas DrakeDallas James Drake is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey winger in the National Hockey League who last played for the Detroit Red Wings. Previously, Drake played for the Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes, and St. Louis Blues...
, recently retired NHL player played who last played for the Detroit Red WingsDetroit Red WingsThe Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
. Previously, Drake played for the Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix CoyotesPhoenix CoyotesThe Phoenix Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in Glendale, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They play their home games at Jobing.com Arena....
, and St. Louis Blues. - Robert P. GriffinRobert P. GriffinRobert Paul Griffin was a U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator from the state of Michigan and Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court....
, Justice of the Michigan Supreme CourtMichigan Supreme CourtThe Michigan Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is known as Michigan's "court of last resort" and consists of seven justices who are elected to eight-year terms. Candidates are nominated by political parties and are elected on a nonpartisan ballot...
from 1987 to 1994; United States Senator from 1966 to 1979; Member of the U.S. House of RepresentativesUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from 1957 to 1966. The Grand Traverse County Robert P. Griffin Hall of Justice was dedicated in his honor on November 13, 2006. - Gary HogeboomGary HogeboomGary Keith Hogeboom is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League and a contestant on the CBS reality TV show Survivor: Guatemala.-Career:...
, National Football LeagueNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
player for the Dallas CowboysDallas CowboysThe Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
, Indianapolis ColtsIndianapolis ColtsThe Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
, Phoenix CardinalsArizona CardinalsThe Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, and Washington RedskinsWashington RedskinsThe Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
after playing college football at the Central Michigan UniversityCentral Michigan UniversityCentral Michigan University is a public research university located in Mount Pleasant in the U.S. state of Michigan...
and high school football at Northview High School in Grand Rapids, MichiganGrand Rapids, MichiganGrand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
. - Bob JamesBob James (musician)Robert McElhiney James is a jazz keyboardist, arranger and producer.-Biography:During the 1970s, Bob James played a major role in establishing the smooth jazz genre. "Angela", the instrumental theme from the sitcom Taxi, is probably Bob James' most well-known work to date...
, jazz musician who created the instrumental theme song Angela for the sitcom TaxiTaxi (TV series)Taxi was an American sitcom that originally aired from 1978 to 1982 on ABC and from 1982 to 1983 on NBC. The series, which won 18 Emmy Awards, including three for "Outstanding Comedy Series", focuses on the everyday lives of a handful of New York City taxi drivers and their abusive dispatcher...
and has been sampled by numerous hip-hop artists, is a resident of Traverse City. - Suzy MerchantSuzy MerchantSuzy Merchant is the current head coach for the Michigan State University Women's Basketball team. She is married to Gary Rakan and has a young son, Tyler Rakan.-Coaching career:...
, basketball coach coaches for Michigan State University women's basketball. - Doug MirabelliDoug MirabelliDouglas Anthony Mirabelli is a former Major League Baseball catcher. He played for the San Francisco Giants , Texas Rangers , Boston Red Sox , and San Diego Padres before returning to the Red Sox to end his eleven year career...
, MLBMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
baseballBaseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player who played for the Boston Red SoxBoston Red SoxThe Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
, San Diego PadresSan Diego PadresThe San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
, Texas RangersTexas Rangers (baseball)The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
and the San Francisco GiantsSan Francisco GiantsThe San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division.... - Bunny Oakes, head footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
coach at the University of Colorado at BoulderUniversity of Colorado at BoulderThe University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
from 1935 to 1939, who during that period compiled a 25-15-1 (.622) record. - Pat PaulsenPat PaulsenPatrick Layton "Pat" Paulsen was an American comedian and satirist notable for his roles on several of the Smothers Brothers TV shows, and for his campaigns for President of the United States in 1968, 1972, 1980, 1988, 1992, and 1996, which had primarily comedic rather than political objectives,...
, Actor/comedian, owner of the Cherry County Playhouse theater during the 1970s - Kate BotelloKate BotelloKate Botello is a former American television personality best known for her work on the San Francisco, California-based ZDTV . She began her television career co-hosting the technology-oriented television program The Screen Savers alongside Leo Laporte...
, one time host of TechTV's The Screen Savers and Extended Play now resides in Traverse City where she owns a web design company. - Michael MooreMichael MooreMichael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries...
, the director of Fahrenheit 9/11Fahrenheit 9/11Fahrenheit 9/11 is a 2004 documentary film by American filmmaker and political commentator Michael Moore. The film takes a critical look at the presidency of George W. Bush, the War on Terror, and its coverage in the news media...
and Capitalism: A Love StoryCapitalism: A Love StoryCapitalism: A Love Story is a 2009 American documentary film directed, written by and starring Michael Moore. The film centers on the late-2000s financial crisis and the recovery stimulus, while putting forward an indictment of the current economic order in the United States and capitalism in general...
, among others, the co-organizer of the Traverse City Film Festival, and who helped fund the remodeling of the historic State Theater, lives on Torch Lake, Michigan. - Mel SchacherMel SchacherMel Schacher is best known as the bassist for rock band Grand Funk Railroad.- Early career :Schacher was born in Flint, Michigan. He became interested in music at the age of seven playing with his father's banjo. By age twelve he had moved to playing guitar and then bass...
, Bass Player Grand Funk RailroadGrand Funk RailroadGrand Funk Railroad is an American rock band that was highly popular during the 1970s. Grand Funk Railroad toured constantly to packed arenas worldwide. A popular take on the band during its heyday was that, although the critics hated them, audiences loved them...
.
See also
- Munson Medical CenterMunson Medical CenterMunson Medical Center is a regional medical referral center located in Traverse City, Michigan, serving patients from 32 counties in Northern Michigan and in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It has 391 inpatient beds, and nearly 400 physicians representing 41 specialties...
- regional medical referral center serving patients from 32 counties in Northern MichiganNorthern MichiganNorthern Michigan, also known as Northern Lower Michigan , is a region of the U.S. state of Michigan...
and the Upper PeninsulaUpper Peninsula of MichiganThe Upper Peninsula of Michigan is the northern of the two major land masses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan. It is commonly referred to as the Upper Peninsula, the U.P., or Upper Michigan. It is also known as the land "above the Bridge" linking the two peninsulas. The peninsula is bounded... - Former Traverse City State HospitalTraverse City State HospitalThe Traverse City State Hospital of Traverse City, Michigan has been variously known as the Northern Michigan Asylum and the Traverse City Regional Psychiatric Hospital...
- Historical Kirkbride BuildingKirkbride PlanThe Kirkbride Plan refers to a system of mental asylum design advocated by Philadelphia psychiatrist Thomas Story Kirkbride in the mid-19th century.-History:The establishment of state mental hospitals in the U.S...
now the site of the Grand Traverse Commons. - Northern MichiganNorthern MichiganNorthern Michigan, also known as Northern Lower Michigan , is a region of the U.S. state of Michigan...
- Traverse City Film FestivalTraverse City Film FestivalThe Traverse City Film Festival is an annual film festival held every late July through early August in Traverse City, Michigan. The festival was created as an annual event in 2005 to help “save one of America's few indigenous art forms—the cinema." The event was co-founded by Michael Moore, the...
- Watershed Center Grand Traverse BayWatershed Center Grand Traverse BayThe Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay was founded in 1990. This non-profit organization advocates for clean water in Grand Traverse Bay and protects and preserves the Bay's watershed....
External links
- Chamber of Commerce
- City of Traverse City official website
- Convention and Visitors Bureau
- Downtown Traverse City Association
- TraverseLINK.com - Search engine optimized for Traverse City and surrounding areas
- Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay
- Clarke Historical Library, Central, Michigan University, Bibliography for Grand Traverse County
- Clarke Historical Library, Central, Michigan University, Bibliography for Leelanau County