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County · code 26055

Grand Traverse CountyMichigan

Grand Traverse County is in Michigan and has its seat in Traverse City. The county was created in 1851 from the extinct Omeena County, which was attached to Mackinac County, and was named after Grand Traverse Bay.

  • Founded1851
  • County seatTraverse City
  • Named forGrand Traverse Bay, Michigan
  • Land area464 sq mi + 137 sq mi water
  • Population95,238 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped55,722 checked 15 October 2026
Open the free map Click any parcel in Grand Traverse County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated

WexfordKalkaskaAntrimMissaukeeLeelanauBenzieManistee Traverse City Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Grand Traverse on the map of Michigan

Michigan has 83 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.

Alcona CountyAlger CountyAllegan CountyAlpena CountyAntrim CountyArenac CountyBaraga CountyBarry CountyBay CountyBenzie CountyBerrien CountyBranch CountyCalhoun CountyCass CountyCharlevoix CountyCheboygan CountyChippewa CountyClare CountyClinton CountyCrawford CountyDelta CountyDickinson CountyEaton CountyEmmet CountyGenesee CountyGladwin CountyGogebic CountyGratiot CountyHillsdale CountyHoughton CountyHuron CountyIngham CountyIonia CountyIosco CountyIron CountyIsabella CountyJackson CountyKalamazoo CountyKalkaska CountyKent CountyKeweenaw CountyLake CountyLapeer CountyLeelanau CountyLenawee CountyLivingston CountyLuce CountyMackinac CountyMacomb CountyManistee CountyMarquette CountyMason CountyMecosta CountyMenominee CountyMidland CountyMissaukee CountyMonroe CountyMontcalm CountyMontmorency CountyMuskegon CountyNewaygo CountyOakland CountyOceana CountyOgemaw CountyOntonagon CountyOsceola CountyOscoda CountyOtsego CountyOttawa CountyPresque Isle CountyRoscommon CountySaginaw CountySt. Clair CountySt. Joseph CountySanilac CountySchoolcraft CountyShiawassee CountyTuscola CountyVan Buren CountyWashtenaw CountyWayne CountyWexford CountyGrand Traverse County Grand Traverse
Counties of Michigan · Grand Traverse highlighted

History

Formed in 1851 from Omeena County and Mackinac County

An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.

Grand Traverse was created on April 7, 1851, from Omeena County, which was then attached to Mackinac County. In 1853, Grand Traverse absorbed all of Omeena and gained Antrim, Kalkaska, Leelanau, Missaukee, Wexford, and Manistee, with most attached for judicial and municipal purposes. Over the following years, the county gradually lost territory as neighboring counties were organized and detached: Leelanau in 1863, Antrim in 1863, and Benzie in 1869.

Boundary changes from the Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; the 5 that matter most are shown first.

  1. 1851
    Grand Traverse County created Grand Traverse created from Omeena (extinct, which was attached to Mackinac).
    from Omeenafrom Mackinac
    · Mich. Acts 1851, ann. sess., no. 141/p. 172
  2. 1853
    Gained territory Grand Traverse gained all of Omeena; Omeena eliminated. Antrim, Kalkaska, Leelanau, Missaukee, and Wexford all detached from Mackinac, attached to Grand Traverse; Manistee detached from Ottawa, attached to Grand Traverse. All attachments were "for judicial and municipal purposes."
    from Omeenafrom Antrimfrom Kalkaskafrom Leelanaufrom Missaukeefrom Wexfordfrom Mackinacfrom Manisteefrom Ottawa
    · Mich. Acts 1853, reg. sess., no. 34/p. 43
  3. 1855
    Lost territory Grand Traverse lost part of Leelanau attachment to creation of Manitou (extinct).
    to Leelanauto Manitou
    · Mich. Acts 1855, reg. sess., no. 92/p. 197
  4. 1863
    Lost territory Grand Traverse lost part of Leelanau attachment to creation of Benzie; Benzie not fully organized, attached to Grand Traverse "for civil and municipal purposes." Leelanau fully organized, detached from Grand Traverse.
    to Leelanauto Benzie
    · Mich. Acts 1863, reg. sess., no. 48, secs. 1, 7/pp. 56, 58
  5. 1865
    Lost territory Grand Traverse lost to Antrim.
    to Antrim
    · Mich. Acts 1865, reg. sess., no. 254/p. 528
Show all 9 changes (4 more)
  1. 1851
    Grand Traverse County created Grand Traverse created from Omeena (extinct, which was attached to Mackinac).
    from Omeenafrom Mackinac
    · Mich. Acts 1851, ann. sess., no. 141/p. 172
  2. 1853
    Gained territory Grand Traverse gained all of Omeena; Omeena eliminated. Antrim, Kalkaska, Leelanau, Missaukee, and Wexford all detached from Mackinac, attached to Grand Traverse; Manistee detached from Ottawa, attached to Grand Traverse. All attachments were "for judicial and municipal purposes."
    from Omeenafrom Antrimfrom Kalkaskafrom Leelanaufrom Missaukeefrom Wexfordfrom Mackinacfrom Manisteefrom Ottawa
    · Mich. Acts 1853, reg. sess., no. 34/p. 43
  3. 1855
    Lost territory Grand Traverse lost part of Leelanau attachment to creation of Manitou (extinct).
    to Leelanauto Manitou
    · Mich. Acts 1855, reg. sess., no. 92/p. 197
  4. 1855
    Changed Manistee fully organized, detached from Grand Traverse; Wexford detached from Grand Traverse, attached to Manistee "for judicial purposes."
    ManisteeWexford
    · Mich. Acts 1855, reg. sess., no. 171, secs. 1-3/pp. 423-424
  5. 1858
    Changed Missaukee detached from Grand Traverse, attached to Manistee "for judicial and municipal purposes."
    MissaukeeManistee
    · Mich. Acts 1858, ext. sess., no. 5, sec. 1/p. 15
  6. 1863
    Lost territory Grand Traverse lost part of Leelanau attachment to creation of Benzie; Benzie not fully organized, attached to Grand Traverse "for civil and municipal purposes." Leelanau fully organized, detached from Grand Traverse.
    to Leelanauto Benzie
    · Mich. Acts 1863, reg. sess., no. 48, secs. 1, 7/pp. 56, 58
  7. 1863
    Changed Antrim fully organized, detached from Grand Traverse; Kalkaska detached from Grand Traverse, attached to Antrim for municipal and judicial purposes."
    AntrimKalkaska
    · Mich. Acts 1863, reg. sess., no. 78/p. 119
  8. 1865
    Lost territory Grand Traverse lost to Antrim.
    to Antrim
    · Mich. Acts 1865, reg. sess., no. 254/p. 528
  9. 1869
    Changed Benzie fully organized, detached from Grand Traverse.
    Benzie
    · Mich. Acts 1869, reg. sess., no. 385, sec. 1/p. 1083

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Grand Traverse

Who publishes each layer, how good it is, and when we last checked.

Official
from the office that keeps the record
Good enough
a reliable statewide or national copy
Fallback
a guide only; check the official record
Missing
nothing public found yet

People and land

Grand Traverse by the Census

Population
95,238 2020 Census count
Housing units
45,776 2020 Census count
Land area
464 square miles
Water area
137 square miles
People per sq mi
205 population ÷ land area

Source: US Census Bureau, 2020 Census; US Census Bureau, 2020 Gazetteer Files. Not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Rules and offices

Grand Traverse County's official site

We have found the county's site but not its offices yet; start there.

County government

  • County government

    The official website of Grand Traverse County.

    co.grand-traverse.mi.us

See your own lot on these maps

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Questions

Common questions about Grand Traverse County

When was Grand Traverse County founded?
Grand Traverse County was founded in 1851, formed from Omeena County and Mackinac County, and named after Grand Traverse Bay, Michigan.
What is the county seat of Grand Traverse County?
The county seat of Grand Traverse County is Traverse City.
Is there an online parcel map for Grand Traverse County?
Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 55,722 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Grand Traverse County's boundary or name changed?
Grand Traverse County was created in 1851 from Omeena County and Mackinac County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 8 later changes, chiefly involving Antrim County, Leelanau County and Manistee County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Grand Traverse County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby

Counties next door