# Chums Corner, Michigan

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Chums_Corner%2C_Michigan
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Chums_Corner%2C_Michigan.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chums_Corner%2C_Michigan
> Source revision: 1343111732
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Census-designated place & unincorporated community in Michigan, United States

Chums Corner, Michigan Census-designated place (CDP) & unincorporated community A Traverse City Pit Spitters game at Turtle Creek Stadium in Chums Corner Nickname: "Chums" Location within Grand Traverse County Chums Corner Location within the state of Michigan Show map of Michigan Chums Corner Location within the United States Show map of the United States Coordinates: 44°40′19″N 85°39′23″W / 44.67194°N 85.65639°W / 44.67194; -85.65639[1] Country United States State Michigan County Grand Traverse Township Blair Area [2] • Total 2.80 sq mi (7.24 km2) • Land 2.66 sq mi (6.89 km2) • Water 0.14 sq mi (0.35 km2) Elevation [1] 889 ft (271 m) Population (2020) • Total 1,065 • Density 400.4/sq mi (154.61/km2) Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT) ZIP code(s) 49685 (Traverse City) Area code 231 GNIS feature ID 6223278[1]

**Chums Corner** (also called Chum's Corner, Chums Corners, or simply Chums) is an [unincorporated community](/source/Unincorporated_area) and [census-designated place](/source/Census-designated_place) (CDP) in [Grand Traverse County](/source/Grand_Traverse_County%2C_Michigan) in the U.S. state of [Michigan](/source/Michigan).[1] According to the [2020 census](/source/2020_United_States_census), the population was 1,065. The community is located within [Blair Township](/source/Blair_Township%2C_Michigan).

## History

Historically, the area that is now Chums Corner was traversed by what is now known as the [Old Indian Trail](/source/Old_Indian_Trail_(Michigan)), a trail which serviced travel for the [Anishinaabe](/source/Anishinaabe) between [Lake Mitchell](/source/Lake_Mitchell_(Michigan)), near [Cadillac](/source/Cadillac%2C_Michigan), and [Grand Traverse Bay](/source/Grand_Traverse_Bay), in [Traverse City](/source/Traverse_City%2C_Michigan).[3]

Around 1932, Deronda "Chum" Crandall and his wife Eva began operating a gas station and a grocery store at a major highway intersection a few miles south of Traverse City. Over the years the intersection became known as "Chum's Corners". Chum sold the business and retired in 1953, and died in Traverse City in early 1959.[4]

The community of Chums Corner was listed as a newly-organized [census-designated place](/source/Census-designated_place) for the [2010 census](/source/2010_United_States_census), meaning it was given officially defined boundaries and population statistics for the first time.[5] The population at this time was 946.[6]

In 2020, [Chasten Buttigieg](/source/Chasten_Buttigieg), spouse of [United States Secretary of Transportation](/source/United_States_Secretary_of_Transportation) [Pete Buttigieg](/source/Pete_Buttigieg), wrote *[I Have Something to Tell You](/source/I_Have_Something_to_Tell_You)*, a memoir which includes anecdotes about Buttigieg's childhood growing up in a neighborhood in Chums Corner.[7]

## Geography

According to the [U.S. Census Bureau](/source/United_States_Census_Bureau), the CDP has a total area of 2.66 square miles (6.89 km2), all land.[8]

### Major highways

- [US 31](/source/U.S._Route_31_in_Michigan) enters from the west and takes a 90° angle north in the center of the community.

- [M-37](/source/M-37_(Michigan_highway)) runs south–north through the center of the community and merges concurrent with U.S. Route 31.

## Demographics

Historical population Census Pop. Note %± 2010 946 — 2020 1,065 12.6% U.S. Decennial Census[9]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding missing information. (September 2021)

## Education

It is within [Traverse City Area Public Schools](/source/Traverse_City_Area_Public_Schools).[10]

## Notable person

- [Chasten Buttigieg](/source/Chasten_Buttigieg), spouse of former [South Bend](/source/South_Bend%2C_Indiana) mayor and former [United States Secretary of Transportation](/source/United_States_Secretary_of_Transportation) [Pete Buttigieg](/source/Pete_Buttigieg), was raised in Chums Corner.

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-GNIS_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-GNIS_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-GNIS_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-GNIS_1-3) ["Chums Corner"](https://edits.nationalmap.gov/apps/gaz-domestic/public/search/names/623278). *[Geographic Names Information System](/source/Geographic_Names_Information_System)*. [United States Geological Survey](/source/United_States_Geological_Survey), [United States Department of the Interior](/source/United_States_Department_of_the_Interior).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-CenPopGazetteer2020_2-0)** ["2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files"](https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_26.txt). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 21, 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Ettawageshik, Frank (April 25, 2018). ["Old Indian Trail - Cadillac to Traverse City"](https://cadillacmichigan.com/old-indian-trail-cadillac-to-traverse-city/). *Cadillac, Michigan Area Visitors Bureau*. Retrieved August 25, 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Revealing how Chum's Corner's came to be"](https://web.archive.org/web/20150402143045/http://www.blairtownship.org/About_Us/Pane_17.pdf) (PDF). Archived from [the original](http://www.blairtownship.org/About_Us/Pane_17.pdf) (PDF) on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Michigan: 2010 Population and Housing Unit Counts 2010 Census of Population and Housing"](https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-24.pdf) (PDF). *[2010 United States census](/source/2010_United_States_census)*. [United States Census Bureau](/source/United_States_Census_Bureau). September 2012. p. III-5. Retrieved September 17, 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Michigan: 2010"](https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/2012/dec/cph-1-24.pdf) (PDF). *www2.census.gov*. Retrieved September 6, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Buttigieg, Chasten (2020). *I Have Something to Tell You* (1st ed.). [New York City](/source/New_York_City): [Atria Publishing Group](/source/Atria_Publishing_Group). pp. 23–24. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-9821-3812-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-9821-3812-7).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-CENS_8-0)** ["Michigan: 2010 Population and Housing Unit Counts 2010 Census of Population and Housing"](https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-24.pdf) (PDF). *[2010 United States census](/source/2010_United_States_census)*. [United States Census Bureau](/source/United_States_Census_Bureau). September 2012. p. 22 Michigan. Retrieved September 17, 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-DecennialCensus_9-0)** ["Census of Population and Housing"](http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html). Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** [United States Census Bureau](/source/United_States_Census_Bureau) (January 1, 2020). ["School District Reference Map: Grand Traverse County, MI"](https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st26_mi/schooldistrict_maps/c26055_grand_traverse/DC20SD_C26055.pdf) (PDF) (Map). *2020 Census*. 1:97,877. Suitland, Maryland: United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 16, 2023.

v t e Municipalities and communities of Grand Traverse County, Michigan, United States County seat: Traverse City City Traverse City‡ Map of Michigan highlighting Grand Traverse County.svg Villages Fife Lake Kingsley Charter townships East Bay Garfield Long Lake Civil townships Acme Blair Fife Lake Grant Green Lake Mayfield Paradise Peninsula Union Whitewater CDPs Chums Corner Grawn Interlochen Other communities Acme Brookside Devils Elbow Fivemile Corner Hannah Hilltop Jacks Landing Karlin Long Lake Mapleton Mayfield Monroe Center Neahtawanta Old Mission Summit City Walton Wexford Corner‡ Williamsburg Yuba Ghost towns Angell Archie Bartlett Bates Beitner Cedar Run‡ East Bay Hodge Keystone Kratochvil's Plat Mabel Ogdensburg Slights Westminster Wylie Indian reservation Grand Traverse Indian Reservation‡ Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties Michigan portal United States portal

This Grand Traverse County, Michigan location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information.

- [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:GrandTraverseCountyMI-geo-stub)
- [t](/source/Template_talk%3AGrandTraverseCountyMI-geo-stub)
- [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:GrandTraverseCountyMI-geo-stub)

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Chums Corner, Michigan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chums_Corner%2C_Michigan) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chums_Corner%2C_Michigan?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.