Grand Traverse County, Michigan
Encyclopedia

Air service

  • Grand Traverse County is served by Cherry Capital Airport
    Cherry 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...

    , which is located near Traverse City.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
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 77,654 people, 30,396 households, and 20,730 families residing in the county. 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 167 people per square mile (64/km²). There were 34,842 housing units at an average density of 75 per square mile (29/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.51% White
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...

, 0.40% Black
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...

 or African American
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...

, 0.93% Native American
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...

, 0.49% Asian
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...

, 0.03% Pacific Islander
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...

, 0.54% 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 1.09% from two or more races. 1.49% of the population were Hispanic
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...

 or Latino
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...

 of any race. 25.1% were of German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....

, 11.3% English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...

, 10.7% Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...

, 8.4% American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and 7.4% Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...

 ancestry according to Census 2000. 96.4% spoke English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 and 1.6% Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

 as their first language.

There were 30,396 households out of which 32.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.70% 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, 9.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.80% were non-families. 25.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.40% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 29.70% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 13.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $43,169, and the median income for a family was $51,211. Males had a median income of $34,796 versus $24,139 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 county was $22,111. About 3.80% of families and 5.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.30% of those under age 18 and 5.90% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The county government operates the jail, maintains rural roads, operates the
major local courts, keeps files of deeds and mortgages, maintains vital records, administers
public health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...

 regulations, and participates with the state in the provision of welfare and
other social services. The county board of commissioners
County commission
A county commission is a group of elected officials charged with administering the county government in local government in some states of the United States. County commissions are usually made up of three or more individuals...

 controls the
budget but has only limited authority to make laws or ordinances. In Michigan, most local
government functions — police and fire, building and zoning, tax assessment, street
maintenance, etc. — are the responsibility of individual cities and townships.

Grand Traverse County elected officials

  • Prosecuting Attorney
    Prosecutor
    The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...

    : Al Schneider
  • Sheriff
    Sheriff
    A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....

    : Thomas Bensley
  • County Clerk: Linda Coburn
  • County Treasurer
    Treasurer
    A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The adjective for a treasurer is normally "tresorial". The adjective "treasurial" normally means pertaining to a treasury, rather than the treasurer.-Government:...

    : William Rokos
  • Register of Deeds: Peggy Haines
  • Drain Commissioner
    Drain commissioner
    A drain commissioner is an elected official in counties of the U.S. state of Michigan with a population over 12,000. In counties with a population under 12,000, the statutory duties and responsibilities of the drain commissioner are performed by the county's board of road commissioners.The office...

    : Kevin McElyea
  • County Surveyor
    County surveyor
    1. A county surveyor is a public official in many counties of the USA. At the bottom of this page are working "External Links" as at 4 November 2011 to websites of a selection of such County Surveyor's departments. Most of these officials are elected on the partisan ballot to four-year terms...

    : Robert Mitchell

(information as of November 2008)

Politics

Grand Traverse County predominantly supports the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

, particularly at the federal level.

In the 2008 presidential election, Republican candidate John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....

 received 24,716 votes in the county (50.60% of the total) to Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...

's 23,258 (47.62%), even as Obama carried the state of Michigan by a double-digit margin. McCain's margin of victory in the county was narrower than usual for a Republican candidate.

In 2004, Republican president George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....

 received 27,446 votes in the county (59.42%) to Democrat John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...

's 18,256 (39.52%).

In 2000, Bush received 22,358 votes in the county (58.48%) to Democrat Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....

's 14,371 (37.59%).

Townships

  • Acme Township
    Acme Township, Michigan
    Acme 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 4,332.It takes its name from the Greek word acme meaning summit.- Communities :...

  • Blair Township
    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:...

  • East Bay Charter Township
    East Bay Township, Michigan
    East Bay Charter Township is a charter township of Grand Traverse County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 9,919 at the 2000 census.The northern portion of the township is adjacent to Traverse City and is part of that city's urban area...


  • Fife Lake Township
    Fife Lake Township, Michigan
    Fife Lake 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 1,517.-Communities:...

  • Garfield Charter Township
    Garfield Township, Grand Traverse County, Michigan
    Garfield Charter Township is a charter township of Grand Traverse County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 13,840 at the 2000 census....

  • Grant Township
    Grant Township, Grand Traverse County, Michigan
    Grant 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 947.-Geography:...


  • Green Lake Township
    Green Lake Township, Michigan
    Green Lake Township is a civil township of Grand Traverse County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,009 at the 2000 census.-Communities:...

    • contains Interlochen
      Interlochen, Michigan
      Interlochen is a town in Northwest Lower Michigan. The town is noted for the internationally renowned Interlochen Center for the Arts.-History:...

      , site of 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...


  • Long Lake Township
    Long Lake Township, Michigan
    Long Lake Township is a civil township of Grand Traverse County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 7,648 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...

  • Mayfield Township
    Mayfield Township, Grand Traverse County, Michigan
    Mayfield Township is a civil township of Grand Traverse County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,271 at the 2000 census.There is community named Mayfield in Grand Traverse County, located several miles northeast of the township in adjacent Paradise Township.-Geography:According...

  • Paradise Township
    Paradise Township, Michigan
    Paradise Township is a civil township of Grand Traverse County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,191 at the 2000 census.-Communities:* The village of Kingsley is within the township...


  • Peninsula Township
    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...

  • Union Township
    Union Township, Grand Traverse County, Michigan
    Union Township is a civil township of Grand Traverse County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 417 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...

  • Whitewater Township
    Whitewater Township, Michigan
    Whitewater Township is a civil township of Grand Traverse County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,467 at the 2000 census.-Communities:...



External links

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