Long Lake Township, Michigan

{{Use American English|date=January 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox settlement | name = Long Lake Township, Michigan | official_name = Charter Township of Long Lake | settlement_type = [[Charter township]] | nickname = | motto =  | image_skyline = Long Lake Traverse City.jpg | imagesize = | image_caption = [[Dusk]] view of the eponymous Long Lake | image_flag = | image_seal = | | pushpin_map = Michigan#USA | pushpin_label_position = left | pushpin_label = Long Lake Township | pushpin_map_caption = Location within the state of Michigan | pushpin_mapsize = | image_map = Long Lake Township, MI location.png | mapsize = 250 | map_caption = Location within [[Grand Traverse County, Michigan|Grand Traverse County]] | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = {{Flagu|United States}} | subdivision_type1 = [[U.S. state|State]] | subdivision_name1 = {{Flag|Michigan}} | subdivision_type2 = [[List of counties in Michigan|County]] | subdivision_name2 = {{Flagicon image|Flag of Grand Traverse County, Michigan.svg}} [[Grand Traverse County, Michigan|Grand Traverse]]

| timezone = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]] | utc_offset = -5 | timezone_DST = EDT | utc_offset_DST = -4 | elevation_footnotes = | elevation_m = 268 | elevation_ft = 879 | coordinates = {{coord|44|43|13|N|85|45|05|W|region:US-MI|display=inline,title}} | postal_code_type = [[ZIP Code|ZIP code(s)]] | postal_code = 49643 ([[Interlochen, Michigan|Interlochen]])<br/>49684, 49685 ([[Traverse City, Michigan|Traverse City]]) | area_code = [[Area code 231|231]] | blank_name = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]] | blank_info = 26-49240<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> | blank1_name = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID | blank1_info = 1626640<ref>{{gnis|1626640}}</ref> | website = | footnotes = | named_for = [[Long Lake (Grand Traverse County, Michigan)|Long Lake]] | population_est = 10101 | pop_est_as_of = 2025<ref name="USCensusEst2025">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/longlaketownshipgrandtraversecountymichigan/PST045225|title=Population and Housing Unit Estimates Tables|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=May 14, 2026}}</ref> }} '''Long Lake Township''', officially the '''Charter Township of Long Lake''',<ref>{{Cite web |last=rkiehle |title=HOME |url=https://longlaketownship.com/ |access-date=2022-11-15 |website=Long Lake Township |language=en-US}}</ref> is a [[charter township]] of [[Grand Traverse County, Michigan|Grand Traverse County]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Michigan]]. The population was 9,956 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], an increase from 8,662 at the [[United States Census, 2010|2010 census]].

Long Lake Township is one of three charter townships in Grand Traverse County, the others being [[East Bay Township, Michigan|East Bay Township]] and neighboring [[Garfield Township, Grand Traverse County, Michigan|Garfield Township]]. [[Long Lake (Grand Traverse County, Michigan)|Long Lake]], from which the township takes its name, is the largest [[lake]] entirely within Grand Traverse County. Much of Long Lake Township is [[suburb]]an due to its proximity to [[Traverse City, Michigan|Traverse City]].

==History== The Long Lake township area was initially settled in 1862 when Ira Chase and his brother-in-law Eliphalet Fillmore traveled from Whitewater township to Grand Traverse County to select land. The next few years saw the gradual influx of families who cleared forested areas to establish farms. An annual cycle of farming in the summer, logging in the winter, and maple sugaring in the spring began. The end of the Civil War brought additional settlers and in November 1866 a group of men petitioned the Board of Supervisors of Grand Traverse County to form "'''Viola Township'''" from Township 27 north, Range 12 west, of old [[Traverse Township, Michigan|Traverse Township]]. In January 1867, Long Lake Township was formally organized.

The population of the township was 333 in 1870, rising to 434 in 1880. The most notable historical incident in the early 1870s was the probable murder of John Eley, his wife Philopena, and their two daughters in July 1871. The family disappeared and neighbors later discovered blood on the walls of the family's house. A hired hand, William Benton, was the prime suspect, since he claimed to have been sold the Eleys' farm. The case was never solved.

In the late 1870s, members of the [[Society of Friends]] (Quakers) began to move to the township from [[Indiana]]. A smaller number of people from [[Bohemia]] also settled in the area. The township's population was 663 persons in 152 households in 1900.

Farming continued to be the primary source of income. The rise of the auto industry in the late 1910s to 1920s led many younger people to leave the area to settle in the [[Detroit]] and [[Flint, Michigan|Flint]] areas of Michigan. Today, many residents of Long Lake township are retirees or commute to work in [[Traverse City]].

Long Lake Township converted from a [[civil township]] to a [[charter township]] in 2022.

==Geography== According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the township has a total area of {{convert|35.6|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{convert|30.1|sqmi|km2}} is land and {{convert|5.5|sqmi|km2}} (15.52%) is water.

The most defining feature of the township is the eponymous [[Long Lake (Grand Traverse County, Michigan)|Long Lake]]. Most of the lake is within the township, although a small portion extends south into [[Green Lake Township, Michigan|Green Lake Township]]. The lake drains through the [[Platte River (Michigan)|Platte River]] to [[Lake Michigan]]. The second largest lake in the township is [[Bass Lake (Long Lake Township, Michigan)|Bass Lake]], which is also shared to the south with Green Lake Township.

Long Lake Township lies within miles of both [[Traverse City, Michigan|Traverse City]] and [[Lake Ann, Michigan|Lake Ann]]. Much of Long Lake Township is [[Suburbanization|suburbanized]] because of the township's proximity to Traverse City.

=== Adjacent townships ===

* [[Solon Township, Leelanau County, Michigan|Solon Township]], [[Leelanau County, Michigan|Leelanau County]] (north) * [[Elmwood Charter Township, Michigan|Elmwood Charter Township]], Leelanau County (northeast) * [[Garfield Township, Grand Traverse County, Michigan|Garfield Township]] (east) * [[Blair Township, Michigan|Blair Township]] (southeast) * [[Green Lake Township, Michigan|Green Lake Township]] (south) * [[Inland Township, Michigan|Inland Township]], [[Benzie County, Michigan|Benzie County]] (southwest) * [[Almira Township, Michigan|Almira Township]], Benzie County (west) * [[Kasson Township, Michigan|Kasson Township]], Leelanau County (northwest)

=== Transportation === Long Lake Township contains only one [[List of state trunkline highways in Michigan|state trunkline highway]], [[M-72 (Michigan highway)|M-72]]. The highway runs east–west along the northern border of the township. To the east, the highway enters [[Traverse City, Michigan|Traverse City]], and to the west, the highway enters [[Leelanau County, Michigan|Leelanau County]] and runs toward [[Empire, Michigan|Empire]]. The highway is considered "transpeninsular", as it traverses the entire [[Lower Peninsula of Michigan|Lower Peninsula]] from Empire on [[Lake Michigan]] to [[Harrisville, Michigan|Harrisville]] on [[Lake Huron]].

A major local [[thoroughfare]] is North Long Lake Road. Also known as County Road 610, North Long Lake Road runs east–west a few miles south of M-72, serving local residents. The roadway continues east into Garfield Township, and enters Traverse City as West Front Street. To the west of Long Lake Township, County Road 610 continues into [[Lake Ann, Michigan|Lake Ann]] as Maple Street, and continues west in northern [[Benzie County, Michigan|Benzie County]].

Long Lake Township contains no [[Rail transport|railways]] or [[Aerodrome|airfields]].

== Communities == *'''Cedar Run''' is a ghost town in the northwestern part of the township, at {{coord|44|45|46|N|85|48|49.30|W|name=Cedar Run, Michigan}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Geographic Names Information System |url=https://edits.nationalmap.gov/apps/gaz-domestic/public/search/names/f2e1751b-0c8b-5349-973b-ad0b0213340e/summary |access-date=2023-01-15 |website=edits.nationalmap.gov}}</ref> Cedar Run was given a post office in 1868, and was traversed by a line of the [[Manistee and North-Eastern Railroad]] in 1892.<ref>{{Cite web |title=michiganrailroads.com - Evolution Map - Lower - 1892 |url=http://www.michiganrailroads.com/evolution-of-michigan-railroads/178-evolution-lower-peninsula/evolution-1890s/4387-evolution-map-lower-1892 |access-date=2023-01-15 |website=www.michiganrailroads.com}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Romig |first=Walter |title=Michigan Place Names: The History of the Founding and the Naming of More Than Five Thousand Past and Present Michigan Communities |publisher=[[Wayne State University Press]] |year=1986 |isbn=0-8143-1838-X |location=[[Detroit]] |pages=105}}</ref> *'''Friend''' was a rural [[post office]] in 1881 and 1882.<ref>{{Cite web |title=LongLake1866 |url=https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~jayhomer/genealogy/longlake7.htm |access-date=2023-01-23 |website=freepages.rootsweb.com}}</ref><ref name=":02">{{Cite book |last=Romig |first=Walter |title=Michigan Place Names: The History of the Founding and the Naming of More Than Five Thousand Past and Present Michigan Communities |publisher=[[Wayne State University Press]] |year=1986 |isbn=0-8143-1838-X |location=[[Detroit]] |pages=213}}</ref> *'''Long Lake''' is an [[Unincorporated area|unincorporated community]] on the northern shores of Long Lake, along North Long Lake Road. The community was established by [[Perry Hannah|Hannah, Lay & Company]] as the location of a sawmill west of Traverse City in 1871. The community had a post office from 1873 to 1878, and 1884 to 1887.<ref name=":04">{{Cite book |last=Romig |first=Walter |title=Michigan Place Names: The History of the Founding and the Naming of More Than Five Thousand Past and Present Michigan Communities |publisher=[[Wayne State University Press]] |year=1986 |isbn=0-8143-1838-X |location=[[Detroit]] |pages=334}}</ref> The community is located at {{coord|44|44|51.6|N|85|45|52.2|W|name=Long Lake, Michigan}}. *'''Long Lake Peninsula''', a residential community on the peninsula in Long Lake ({{coord|44|42|33|N|85|44|19|W|name=Long Lake Peninsula, Michigan}}). *'''Neal''' was the location of a post office lasting from 1890 to 1903.<ref name=":03">{{Cite book |last=Romig |first=Walter |title=Michigan Place Names: The History of the Founding and the Naming of More Than Five Thousand Past and Present Michigan Communities |publisher=[[Wayne State University Press]] |year=1986 |isbn=0-8143-1838-X |location=[[Detroit]] |pages=389}}</ref> Long Lake Township is located within {{convert|2|mi|km}} of the city of [[Traverse City, Michigan|'''Traverse City''']], to its east. The [[village]] of [[Lake Ann, Michigan|'''Lake Ann''']] is also just {{convert|1|mi|km}} west of Long Lake Township's border with [[Benzie County, Michigan|Benzie County]].

==Demographics== As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 7,648 people, 2,742 households, and 2,111 families residing in the township. The population density was {{convert|254.0|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 3,210 housing units at an average density of {{convert|106.6|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the township was 97.19% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.26% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.72% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.44% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.26% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.12% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.93% of the population.

There were 2,742 households, out of which 42.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.6% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.0% were non-families. 16.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the township the population was spread out, with 29.5% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 32.1% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.0 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $48,826, and the median income for a family was $55,386. Males had a median income of $37,303 versus $26,920 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the township was $21,943. About 2.7% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 2.3% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over. [[File:WestwoodsTraverseCity.jpg|thumb|[[Traverse City Area Public Schools#Elementary schools|Westwoods Elementary School]], located in the southwest of the township.]]

== Education == The entirety of Long Lake Township is zoned within [[Traverse City Area Public Schools]]. The district operates two elementary schools within the township – Long Lake Elementary School and Westwoods Elementary School. Middle and high school students are zoned to Traverse City West Middle School and [[Traverse City West Senior High School]], respectively, both of which are located in neighboring [[Garfield Township, Grand Traverse County, Michigan|Garfield Township]].

== Notable people ==

* [[Demas T. Craw]], posthumous [[Medal of Honor]] recipient, was born and raised in Long Lake Township. * [[Robert P. Griffin]], Justice of the [[Michigan Supreme Court]] from 1987 to 1994; [[United States Senator]] from 1966 to 1979; [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Representative]] from 1957 to 1966 – also buried at Linwood Cemetery.

==References== {{reflist}}

== External links == *[http://www.longlaketownship.com/ Charter Township of Long Lake]

[[Category:Townships in Grand Traverse County, Michigan]] [[Category:Charter townships in Michigan]] [[Category:1867 establishments in Michigan]] [[Category:Traverse City metropolitan area]]