Leelanau County, Michigan

Leelanau County is a county in Michigan, United States, occupying the Leelanau Peninsula between Lake Michigan and Grand Traverse Bay. It had a population of 22,301 at the 2020 census and covers 2,532 square miles (6,560 km2) centred near 45°08′N 86°02′W — of which only 347 square miles (900 km2) is land, the rest open water of Lake Michigan and Grand Traverse Bay.

Suttons Bay Township has been the county seat since 2008 (Leland held the seat before then), and its postal code is 49682. The county has 3 incorporated villages, 7 census-designated places, and 10 civil townships. It sits in the Eastern time zone and shares the 231 area code with the rest of northwestern Lower Michigan.

Towns & Villages in Leelanau County

Leelanau County has no incorporated cities — its population centers are three villages plus a set of unincorporated communities and census-designated places spread across the peninsula’s ten townships. The table below lists every recognized settlement carried over from the county’s community list, with type and home township noted; population figures are given where the Census Bureau publishes a distinct 2020 count, and — marks places counted only within their township total.

Two of the peninsula’s oldest crossroads, Isadore and Solon, both grew up around a single country church rather than a platted town center, so neither carries its own ZIP — mail for both routes through the nearest post office town listed above. North Manitou Island, part of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, has no year-round residents and is reached only by ferry from Leland.

Townships

The Census Bureau does not publish a separate population figure for each Leelanau township in its standard county subdivision release, so this table is ordered by geography rather than size; township-level counts are omitted here rather than estimated.

ZIP Codes

• 49682 — Suttons Bay (also serves Greilickville, Bingham, Peshawbestown, Cherry Bend)
• 49670 — Northport
• 49674 — Omena
• 49654 — Leland
• 49653 — Lake Leelanau
• 49621 — Cedar (also serves Solon)
• 49664 — Maple City (also serves Isadore)
• 49630 — Empire
• 49636 — Glen Arbor (also serves Glen Haven, Burdickville, North Manitou Island)

Every township in the county is covered by one of these nine post office ZIPs; there is no separate ZIP for a township government seat apart from its namesake settlement.

Geography

Leelanau County is entirely coterminous with the Leelanau Peninsula, a narrow finger of land separating Grand Traverse Bay from the open water of Lake Michigan. The peninsula’s rolling, glacially carved terrain rises to sand dunes along its western shore inside Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, and its interior holds Lake Leelanau, a long inland lake that splits into North and South arms and gives the CDP at its narrows its name. Roughly 86% of the county’s total area is water, reflecting how far Lake Michigan and Grand Traverse Bay extend the county’s boundary offshore, including North and South Manitou Islands.

The county borders Grand Traverse County to the southeast and Benzie County to the south. Its remaining boundaries are entirely water: Grand Traverse Bay and Lake Michigan separate it from Antrim and Charlevoix counties to the northeast and from Wisconsin’s Door County across the open lake to the west.

Demographics

Leelanau County’s 2020 population of 22,301 makes it one of the smaller counties in northern Lower Michigan by headcount, though its land area is modest at only 347 square miles, giving a density of roughly 64 people per square mile. Greilickville, just outside Traverse City, is the county’s largest unincorporated community, followed by Suttons Bay village, the county seat. Median household income runs above the Michigan median of $69,183, reflecting the county’s resort and vineyard economy and its proximity to Traverse City’s job market; Leelanau is consistently ranked among Michigan’s higher-income counties.

Economy & Local Life

Tourism, viticulture, and orchard agriculture drive the county’s economy. The Leelanau Peninsula American Viticultural Area is home to roughly two dozen wineries strung along two well-marked wine trails, and the county remains one of Michigan’s top producers of tart cherries alongside neighboring counties on the Grand Traverse region’s “Cherry Capital” belt. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, headquartered in Empire, draws visitors from across the Midwest and supports a large seasonal hospitality workforce; the National Park Service visitor center there is the county’s single biggest civic anchor outside Suttons Bay’s government offices. The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians maintains tribal government offices and Leelanau Sands Casino in Peshawbestown.

History

Leelanau County was set off from Michilimackinac County in 1840 and formally organized in 1863. Its name comes from the Leelanau Peninsula itself, a name popularized by 19th-century Michigan author Henry Schoolcraft, who is often credited with coining it from Ojibwe-inspired syllables meaning roughly “land of delight,” though the exact etymology is debated among historians. Leland, at the mouth of the Carp River, served as county seat from the county’s organization until 2008, when the seat moved to a new government center in Suttons Bay Township. The Sleeping Bear Dunes area gained national attention in 2011 when Good Morning America viewers voted it the “Most Beautiful Place in America,” cementing tourism’s role in the county’s modern economy.

Getting There

M-22 and M-204 are the county’s principal highways, tracing the Leelanau Peninsula’s shoreline in a loop from Traverse City through Suttons Bay, Northport, Leland, Glen Arbor, and Empire.

• Traverse City — 8 miles southeast of the Elmwood Township line
• Northport — 27 miles north of Suttons Bay
• Empire — 22 miles southwest of Suttons Bay
• Frankfort, Benzie County — 30 miles south

Cherry Capital Airport (TVC) in Traverse City, just across the county line, is the nearest commercial airport, with regional and seasonal nonstop service to several major hub cities.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Leelanau County?
It occupies the Leelanau Peninsula in northwestern Lower Michigan, between Grand Traverse Bay and Lake Michigan, just northwest of Traverse City.

What is the population of Leelanau County?
22,301 residents at the 2020 census.

How big is Leelanau County?
347 square miles of land (900 km2); including the surrounding waters of Lake Michigan and Grand Traverse Bay, its total area is 2,532 square miles.

What is the Leelanau County seat?
Suttons Bay Township, seat since 2008; Leland was the seat before that.

How many towns are in Leelanau County?
Three incorporated villages — Suttons Bay, Northport, and Empire — plus seven census-designated places and several smaller unincorporated communities across ten townships.

What ZIP codes are in Leelanau County?
Nine, anchored by 49682 (Suttons Bay), 49670 (Northport), 49630 (Empire), 49654 (Leland), 49653 (Lake Leelanau), 49621 (Cedar), 49664 (Maple City), 49636 (Glen Arbor), and 49674 (Omena).

Why is Leelanau County mostly water on the map?
The county’s official boundary extends into Lake Michigan and Grand Traverse Bay, including North and South Manitou Islands, so roughly 86% of its total area is water rather than land.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Michigan.