Benzie County is a county in Michigan, United States, on the shore of Lake Michigan in the northwest part of the Lower Peninsula. It had a population of 17,970 at the 2020 census and covers 320 square miles (830 km2) of land, centred near 44°38′N 86°15′W.
Beulah is the county seat, and its postal code is 49617. The county has one city, six villages, twelve civil townships and a scatter of unincorporated communities. It runs on Eastern Time and is Michigan’s smallest county by land area, though its 540 square miles of water — most of Lake Michigan and Crystal Lake — push its total area to 860 square miles (2,200 km2).
Towns & Villages in Benzie County
Benzie County has one incorporated city and six incorporated villages, plus a set of unincorporated communities and resort settlements scattered across its twelve townships. CDP = Census-Designated Place (unincorporated but tracked by the Census Bureau); Unincorp. = an unincorporated place with no separate census count.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frankfort | City · seat* | 1,252 | 49635 |
| Beulah | Village · seat | — | 49617 |
| Benzonia | Village | — | 49616 |
| Elberta | Village | — | 49628 |
| Honor | Village | — | 49640 |
| Lake Ann | Village | — | 49650 |
| Thompsonville | Village | — | 49683 |
| Bendon | CDP | — | 49617 |
| Nessen City | CDP | — | 49640 |
| Pilgrim | CDP | — | — |
| Crystal Downs Country Club | CDP | — | 49635 |
| Crystal Mountain | CDP | — | 49683 |
| Hardwood Acres | CDP | — | — |
| Maple Grove | CDP | — | — |
| Chimney Corners Resort | Unincorp. | — | 49617 |
| Crystallia | Unincorp. | — | 49683 |
| Edgewater | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Platte River | Unincorp. | — | 49640 |
| Wallin | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Watervale | Unincorp. | — | 49617 |
| Weldon | Unincorp. | — | — |
*Frankfort is Benzie County’s largest city; Beulah is the seat of county government. The two are three miles apart on opposite sides of Betsie Lake and are often treated as a single community, Frankfort–Beulah, on maps and in local shorthand.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Crystal Lake Township | — | Beulah, Benzonia (partly) |
| Benzonia Township | — | Benzonia, Crystal Downs |
| Homestead Township | — | Crystal Mountain |
| Almira Township | — | Lake Ann |
| Colfax Township | — | Thompsonville |
| Blaine Township | — | Honor |
| Platte Township | — | Honor (partly), Platte River |
| Weldon Township | — | Weldon |
| Joyfield Township | — | Joyfield |
| Inland Township | — | Nessen City |
| Gilmore Township | — | Gilmore Lake area |
| Lake Township | — | Frankfort (partly), Elberta |
Frankfort and Elberta both incorporate out of Lake Township; Frankfort also extends into Crystal Lake Township. Per-township 2020 census population breakdowns were not available from the sources checked for this profile and are omitted rather than estimated.
ZIP Codes
- 49617 — Beulah (also serves Chimney Corners Resort and Watervale)
- 49616 — Benzonia
- 49635 — Frankfort (also serves Crystal Downs Country Club)
- 49628 — Elberta (PO Box ZIP)
- 49640 — Honor (also serves Nessen City and Platte River)
- 49650 — Lake Ann
- 49683 — Thompsonville (also serves Crystal Mountain)
Pilgrim, Hardwood Acres, Maple Grove, Edgewater, Wallin and Weldon have no dedicated ZIP code and are served by whichever of the seven town post offices is closest.
Geography
Benzie County sits where the Lower Peninsula’s forested interior meets Lake Michigan, and its 63% water share — the largest of any Michigan county by proportion — comes mostly from that Lake Michigan shoreline plus Crystal Lake, Betsie Lake and Platte Lake. The Betsie River, from which the county takes its name, drains west through Benzonia and Beulah into Betsie Bay at Frankfort. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore covers a strip of the county’s northern shoreline, and the Manistee National Forest reaches into its southern townships.
Benzie County borders Leelanau County to the north, Grand Traverse County to the east, Wexford County to the southeast, and Manistee County to the south. Lake Michigan forms its entire western edge.
Demographics
Benzie County had 17,970 residents at the 2020 census. Frankfort (1,252) and Benzonia are its two largest incorporated places; most residents live in unincorporated parts of the twelve townships rather than in a village or city. Median household income runs below the Michigan median of $69,183, typical of a rural, seasonal-tourism county where many jobs are part-year. Population density works out to roughly 56 people per square mile of land, low even by northern-Michigan standards because of the county’s large lake-water share.
Economy & Local Life
Tourism and recreation anchor the local economy: Crystal Mountain is one of Michigan’s largest ski and golf resorts, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore draws hikers and beachgoers in summer, and Crystal Lake and the Betsie/Platte river system support boating and sport fishing. Frankfort’s harbor has a working marina and a small commercial-fishing history tied to Lake Michigan. Away from the lakeshore, agriculture — orchards and hay ground in particular — and small manufacturing round out employment. Benzie County Central Schools and Frankfort-Elberta Area Schools are the county’s public districts.
History
Benzie County was set off from Leelanau County in 1863 and organized as an independent county in 1869. Its name comes from the Betsie River, itself an English spelling of the French “riviere aux Bec-scies” (river of the sawbill, a local name for the merganser duck). Frankfort grew around a 19th-century Lake Michigan shipping and car-ferry port; car ferries once crossed to Kewaunee and Manitowoc, Wisconsin, from its harbor. Beulah, on Crystal Lake, became the county seat and later a resort village as rail and then automobile tourists discovered the lake’s clear water.
Getting There
US 31 runs the length of the county from northeast to southwest, and M-22 and M-115 connect the lakeshore villages to it.
- Traverse City — 25 miles northeast
- Manistee — 25 miles south
- Cadillac — 40 miles southeast
- Ludington — 55 miles south
Cherry Capital Airport in Traverse City is the nearest commercial airport, with daily flights to Detroit, Chicago and other hubs. There is no Amtrak service in Benzie County.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Benzie County, Michigan?
It is in the northwest part of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, on Lake Michigan between Traverse City and Manistee.
What is the population of Benzie County?
17,970 people, per the 2020 census.
How big is Benzie County?
320 square miles of land (830 km2); with its lake water included, total area is 860 square miles.
What is the county seat of Benzie County?
Beulah, a small village on Crystal Lake.
How many towns are in Benzie County?
One city (Frankfort) and six villages (Beulah, Benzonia, Elberta, Honor, Lake Ann, Thompsonville), plus twelve townships and several unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Benzie County?
Seven: 49617 (Beulah), 49616 (Benzonia), 49635 (Frankfort), 49628 (Elberta), 49640 (Honor), 49650 (Lake Ann) and 49683 (Thompsonville).
Why is Benzie County so much water?
Lake Michigan forms its entire western border and Crystal Lake, Betsie Lake and Platte Lake add to the total — together 540 square miles, or 63% of the county’s area.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Michigan.