Traverse City, Michigan

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Traverse City, Michigan
Location of Traverse City within Grand Traverse County, Michigan
Location of Traverse City within Grand Traverse County, Michigan
Coordinates: 44°46′05″N 85°37′20″W / 44.76806, -85.62222
Country United States
State Michigan
Counties Grand Traverse, Leelanau
Incorporated 1891 (village)
Incorporated 1895 (city)
Government
 - Type Council-Manager
 - Mayor Michael Estes
 - City Manager Richard I. Lewis
Area
 - City 8.7 sq mi (22.5 km²)
 - Land 8.4 sq mi (21.8 km²)
 - Water 0.3 sq mi (0.8 km²)
Elevation 626 ft (191 m)
Population (2000)
 - City 14,532 (city proper)
 - Density 1,728/sq mi (667.2/km²)
 - Metro 141,011
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
Area code(s) 231
FIPS code 26-80340GR2
GNIS feature ID 1615042GR3
Website: http://www.ci.traverse-city.mi.us

Traverse City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the largest in the 21-county Northern Michigan region. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 14,532. In 2005, the Traverse City Micropolitan Statistical Area was the largest in Michigan and the 13th largest in the United States, with a population estimate of 141,011. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County although a small portion lies in Leelanau County. Despite its modest population, Traverse City, especially its downtown, functions as the major commercial nexus for a seven-county area totaling over 2,700 square miles (7,000 km²) and, along with cross-peninsula counterpart Alpena, is one of Northern Lower Michigan's two anchor cities.

Traverse City is the self-proclaimed Cherry Capital of the World, holding an annual week-long Cherry Festival the first full week in July to celebrate. Besides cherries, the surrounding Tuscany-like countryside produces grapes, and is one of the centers of wine production in the Midwest. Tourism, both summer and winter, is another key industry. Freshwater beaches, a mild summer climate, upscale golf resorts, vineyards, a nearby National Lakeshore, prodigious snowfall, nearby ski resorts and thousands of square miles of surrounding forests make Traverse City (based on AAA's 2005 TripTik® requests) the second most popular tourist destination in the state behind Mackinaw City. In addition, the historic downtown area of Traverse City is the home of many shops, restaurants, and offices. Traverse City is a home rule 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. An appointed city manager serves as chief executive for city operations.


Contents

Traverse City is named after the Grand Traverse Bay, which the city heads. The bay got its name from 18th century French voyagers who made la grande traverse or "the long crossing" across the mouth of the bay 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, 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 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.

Traverse City has the typical northern Michigan climate: Cold winters and warm summers. Traverse City can have snowfall as late as May or as early as September. Traverse City's record high temperature is 105 °F (41 °C), and its record low temperature is −37 °F (−38 °C). Traverse City also gets a lot of lake-effect snow.

Weather averages for Traverse City, Michigan
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °F 25 28 38 48 62 74 79 76 67 55 42 27 53
Average low °F 10 7 17 27 40 49 54 52 44 35 26 16 32
Precipitation inch 1.87 1.37 2.05 2.67 2.85 2.99 3.12 3.81 3.99 3.16 2.70 1.98 32.56
Average high °C -4 -2 3 9 17 23 26 24 19 13 6 -3 12
Average low °C -12 -14 -8 -3 4 9 12 11 7 2 -3 -9 0
Precipitation mm 47.5 34.8 52.1 67.8 72.4 75.9 79.2 96.8 101.3 80.3 68.6 50.3 827
Source: weatherbase.com [1] Dec 2007


The city sits at the head of Grand Traverse Bay, a long protected water of Lake Michigan. The city sits at the base of the Leelanau and Old Mission Peninsulas. The Boardman River forms Boardman Lake in the city before draining into the Bay.

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 miles (0.8 km²) of it (3.45%) is water.

As of the census 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/sq mi (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.

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 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.

The Traverse City Record-Eagle is northwest lower Michigan's newspaper of record. It is circulated in the thirteen counties surrounding the city and is the only newspaper in all of Northern Michigan to produce a Sunday edition. In December 2006 it was sold by Ottaway Newspapers Inc., the community newspaper subsidiary of Dow Jones & Company to Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. (CNHI).

Daily editions of the Detroit Free Press, Detroit News, and Grand Rapids Press also are available on news stands throughout the region (Northern Express Weekly) is the largest weekly newspaper in Northern Michigan, with distribution of up to 30,000 copies in 13 counties. It is owned and published by George Foster and Robert Downes.

There is also an independent student bi-weekly newspaper called the White Pine Press at Northwestern Michigan College, with a circulation of 4,000.

At least two magazines are published in Traverse City, including Thirdeye Magazine, a bi-monthly periodical focusing on social and political issues as well as art, and Traverse, published monthly with a focus on regional interests.

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.

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 River. Accordingly, most stations in this vast region are broadcast simultaneously on widely-spaced transmitters on separate channels.

Traverse City has two television stations licensed directly to the city:

Additionally, WGTU operates a station carried on Northern Michigan cable television systems, but not transmitted over the air:

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:

Cable television service is provided within Traverse City and many outlying communities by Charter Communications. Public access programming is provided on channel 2.

The Traverse City area is the primary target of nearby Interlochen Center for the Arts's NPR member station Interlochen Public Radio.[2] IPR is one of the largest and furthest-broadcasting stations with a town the size of Traverse City's as its base; it serves a large portion of Northwest Lower Michigan via two stations: [3]

  • IPR Music Radio (WIAA-FM 88.7)
  • IPR News Radio (WICA-FM 91.5)

Northwestern Michigan College also boasts a volunteer community radio station, WNMC-FM 90.7. The station plays mostly jazz and blues during the day, swithcing to rock and electronic genres at night. The station manager is Eric Hines. Also on WNMC is the community radio program[4] Radio Anyway, where individuals can produce their own stories and features.

The National Cherry Festival, held during the first full week of July every year, is the main tourist draw to Traverse City. The festival features parades, fireworks, live music, and cherries. It is estimated that the Grand Traverse region produces up to 360,000,000 pounds of cherries annually. The largest variety of cherry produced 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.

Traverse City is also a popular destination for boating, sailing, wine tasting, and tourists wishing to see autumn colors in bus-driven "color tours." Numerous golf and ski resorts nearby bring in large numbers of tourists. Among these are Mt. Holiday and Hickory Hills. Mt. Holiday has two chair lifts, while Hickory hosts only tow ropes.

The small Traverse City State Park, with about 250 campsites, is located some three miles (4.8 km) east of downtown on 47 acres (19 hectares) including a quarter mile beach on the East Bay arm of Grand Traverse Bay.

The Leelanau Peninsula north of Traverse City contains many attractions and areas of interest, including the Leelanau Sands Casino in Peshawbestown, Fountain Point and the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

The inaugural Traverse City Film Festival was held July 27–31, 2005, in venues around downtown Traverse City, including a theater renovated by film festival volunteers. First-run feature and documentaries were screened, panel discussions were planned and free family movies at the Open Space were scheduled. A driving force of the Traverse City Film Festival is Oscar-winning filmmaker Michael Moore. The following two years have seen a significant increase in the popularity of the film festival.

The city was also home to Clover, a Christian dance music festival, in August 2006.

The Underground Cheesecake Company, featured on the Food Network as well as in many prominent magazines and newspapers and creator of the Cheesecake-on-a-Stick Frozen Dessert, is headquartered in downtown Traverse City.

The Grand Traverse County Civic Center, is home to Traverse City FragFest; a semiannual large-scale LAN party, held approximately twice a year. This event attracts gamers from all over the state, and generally yields approximately eighty-some attendants per event.

The Great Lakes Bioneers Conference is held annually in the third week of October on the campus of Northwestern Michigan College. The conference is a satellite conference of the Bioneers Conference in San Rafael, California. The Traverse City site focuses on durable ecological and socially just solutions to a diverse set of issues in the Great Lakes bioregion, and attracts visitors from across the watershed.

Traverse City is home to a minor league baseball team, the Traverse City Beach Bums, who play at Wuerfel Park. 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. Traverse City is the home of the Traverse Bay Blues Rugby Football Club, established in 1973.

The Interlochen Arts Festival, held at various venues at the campus of the Interlochen Arts Academy, features concerts, plays, art exhibits, readings, and dance productions by students and guest artists. The Arts festival has both a summer and winter series.

The Traverse City Film Festival, founded by Michael Moore, takes place every summer. The five day event showcases notable rare 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 and will be restoring and re-opening the venue for year round screenings.

The beginning of fall brings about the Festival of the Senses, a city-wide festival with events designed to stimulate all five of the senses. The festival features art exhibitions, music and theater. A centerpiece of the festival is the Epicurean Classic, an event which includes classes, wine and cheese tasting, dinner and the opportunity to mingle with some of America’s most influential chefs, wine experts and cookbook authors.

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 Traverse City Art Center offers art classes, a small exhibition space, and year-round member art shows. The Traverse City Art Works Alliance is a member-based arts group, founded by local artist Charly Hansen in 2005. The goal of the Art Works Alliance is to organize events and shows which feature the talents of the region’s artists.

Traverse City is also home to many notable and eclectic galleries. Gallery Fifty, located in the recently restored Building 50 of the former Traverse City State Hospital, highlights the work of many new and emerging artists from across North America. The Insideout Gallery, located in Traverse City’s warehouse district, focuses on Midwest urban, underground and Lowbrow art, as well as having an excellent venue for film and musical performances. Located in downtown Traverse City, the Belstone Gallery showcases more contemporary art work, including glass and metal work, fine art, pottery, and more.

With a new terminal completed in 2004, Cherry Capital Airport provides regularly scheduled passenger airline service to Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis and seasonally to New York, Cincinnati, Atlanta as well as to smaller Michigan destinations to the north. Adjacent to the airport is a United States Coast Guard air station (CGAS), responsible for both maritime and land-based search and rescue operations in the northern Great Lakes region.

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 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 St. , which opened July 21, 2006. The terminal is used to transfer riders to different busses on different routes.BATA Cherriot Bus System Map

The city is a junction point for several highways:

The Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway (TSBY) 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 Railway (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. Unfortunately, dinner train service was suspended in 2004 after a derailment and the company entered into a bitter contract dispute with the Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway. The train itself was removed to Owosso in mid-July of 2006.

Traverse City is the birthplace of several celebrities:

  1. ^ T.C. Weather info. weatherbase.com.
  2. ^ NPR Stations in Traverse City, MI. NPR Find a Station. Retrieved on 2006-03-27.
  3. ^ Coverage Area. Interlochen Public Radio. Retrieved on 2006-03-27.
  4. ^ Radio Anyway


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