Grand Traverse County

county in Michigan, United States

Key facts

Country: United States
State: Michigan
Founded: 1840, 1851 (organized)
Named after: Grand Traverse Bay
Seat: Traverse City
Largest city: Traverse City
Total: 601 sq mi (1,560 km )
Land: 464 sq mi (1,200 km )
Water: 137 sq mi (350 km ) 23%
Estimate 2025: 96,729
Density: 205/sq mi (79/km )
Time zone: UTC−5 ( Eastern )
Summer dst

Article

Grand Traverse County (/ˈtrævərs/ TRAV-ərss) is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 95,238, making it the most populous county in Northern Michigan. Its county seat is Traverse City. The county is part of the Traverse City metropolitan area, which also includes neighboring Benzie, Kalkaska, and Leelanau counties.

Historically part of the territory under the Council of Three Fires (comprising the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi), Grand Traverse County's first European settlement was established in 1839. It was originally created in 1840 as Omeena County; however, it was reorganized in 1851 as Grand Traverse County. The county itself and Traverse City are named after Grand Traverse Bay, a bay of Lake Michigan.