Grawn, Michigan
Coordinates44°39′45″N 85°41′36″W
CountryUnited States
StateMichigan
CountyGrand Traverse
TownshipBlair
Unit prefImperial
Area total1.69 km²
Area land1.69 km²
Area water0.00 km²
Area total0.65 sq mi
Area land0.65 sq mi
Area water0.00 sq mi
Elevation889 ft
Population as of2020
Population total816
Population density1253.46 sq mi
Population density483.87 km²
Time zoneEastern (EST) (UTC-5)
Time zone (DST)EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code(s)49637
49685 (Traverse City)
Area code231
GNIS feature ID627256[1]
FIPS code26-34620

Grawn (/gɹɔːn/) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Grand Traverse County in the U.S. state of Michigan.[1] At the 2020 census, the community's population was 816. The community is located within Blair Township on the border with Green Lake Township.

History

Grawn was founded in the 1870s as Blackwood after its first settler, James B. Blackwood.[2] The Chicago and West Michigan Railway was built through Blackwood in 1890,[3] and the village was renamed to Grawn Station, after Charles T. Grawn, the former superintendent of Central Michigan Normal School, and later the superintendent of Traverse City Area Public Schools.[4] In the same year, the name was shortened to Grawn, and the village was given a post office with William H. Gibbs serving as the first postmaster.[5] By 1905, potatoes had become the main crop of Grawn.[6]

In December 1995, a fire broke out at Carl's Tire Retreading Company in Grawn. The fire burned for 20 days and led to the evacuation of locals and of Blair Elementary School. In 2003, PFAS were found at the site and in local wells as a result of chemicals used to extinguish the fire.[7][8]

The community of Grawn was listed as a newly organized census-designated place for the 2010 census, meaning that it now has officially defined boundaries and population statistics.[9]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Grawn has a total area of 0.63 square miles (1.63 km2), all land.[10]

Major highways

  • runs west–east at this portion of its route through the center of the community.

Education

The community is served by Traverse City Area Public Schools.[11]

References

  1. ^
  2. ^ https://www.blairtownship.org/History/4.Pane_16.pdf[dead link]
  3. ^ "michiganrailroads.com - Evolution Map - Lower - 1890". www.michiganrailroads.com. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved 2020-05-14.
  4. ^ "Charles Grawn | Central Michigan University". www.cmich.edu. Retrieved 2020-05-14.
  5. ^ Romig, Walter (1986). Michigan Place Names: The History of the Founding and the Naming of More Than Five Thousand Past and Present Michigan Communities. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 978-0-8143-1838-6.
  6. ^ "A Backwards Look at Grawn". Blair Township History
  7. ^ "Site Profile - Carl's Tire Retreading - EPA OSC Response". response.epa.gov. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
  8. ^ Ellison, Garret (2018-07-25). "Huge 1996 tire fire near Traverse City caused PFAS plume". mlive. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
  9. ^ "Michigan: 2010 Population and Housing Unit Counts 2010 Census of Population and Housing". 2010 United States census. United States Census Bureau. September 2012. p. III-5. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  10. ^ "Michigan: 2010 Population and Housing Unit Counts 2010 Census of Population and Housing". 2010 United States census. United States Census Bureau. September 2012. p. 22 Michigan. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  11. ^ United States Census Bureau (January 1, 2020). 2020 Census. Suitland, Maryland: United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 16, 2023.