Traverse City 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 15,678 at the 2020 census, with 153,448 in the four-county Traverse City metropolitan area. Traverse City is also the second-largest city in Michigan north of the Tri-Cities, behind Marquette.
Image: Traverse City Skyline
Image: Grand Traverse County Courthouse
Image: Boardman River Traverse City, Michigan (22410904091)
Image: Northern Michigan Asylum C Traverse City MI
Grand Traverse Bay is an arm of Lake Michigan, located along the west coast of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. The bay is separated from the rest of Lake Michigan by the Leelanau Peninsula. The bay is some 32 miles (51 km) long, ranges from 7 to 10 miles wide, and up to 620 feet (190 m) deep in spots. It is the second-largest bay of Lake Michigan, behind Green Bay.
East Arm of Grand Traverse Bay looking west from Elk Rapids toward Old Mission Peninsula
Close-up satellite view of the Grand Traverse Bay, oriented with north at the top. Note the East and West arms of the bay, divided by the Old Mission Peninsula.
The Grand Traverse Lighthouse at the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula, which anchors the bay to the west.
Power Island is the largest island in the bay, seen here from Chateau Chantal on the Old Mission Peninsula