Grand Traverse County, Michigan

Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 33. Chapters: Traverse City, Michigan, Blair Township, Michigan, Garfield Township, Grand Traverse County, Michigan, Fife Lake, Michigan, Kingsley, Michigan, Mayfield Township, Grand Traverse County, Michigan, Acme Township, Michigan, Grant Township, Grand Traverse County, Michigan, Long Lake Township, Michigan, Whitewater Township, Michigan, Peninsula Township, Michigan, Union Township, Grand Traverse County, Michigan, Paradise Township, Michigan, Green Lake Township, Michigan, Fife Lake Township, Michigan, East Bay Township, Michigan, Traverse City Film Festival, Elk River Chain of Lakes Watershed, Mission Point Light, Chateau Chantal, Chateau Grand Traverse, Pugsley Correctional Facility, Old Mission Peninsula AVA, Interlochen, Michigan, Cherry Capital Airport, Traverse City micropolitan area, National Register of Historic Places listings in Grand Traverse County, Michigan, Elk Lake, Grand Traverse Bay, List of Michigan State Historic Sites in Grand Traverse County, Michigan, Old Mission, Michigan, South Union Street - Boardman River Bridge, Interlochen State Park, Grand Traverse Bay Bottomland Preserve, Lake Skegemog, City Opera House, Traverse City State Park, Lochenheath, YMCA Hayo-Went-Ha Camps, TART Trail, Rogers Observatory, Rennie Lake. Excerpt: Traverse City (English: , locally pronounced ) 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. In 2008, the Traverse City micropolitan area was estimated to have a population of 142,316. Despite its modest population, Traverse City functions as the major commercial nexus for a seven-county area totaling over 2,700 square miles (7,000 km) 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 grapes, 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 destination in the United States. Traverse City is named after the Grand Traverse Bay, 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. Downtown Traverse City as viewed from West Grand Traverse BayIn 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 M