Suttons Bay Township, Michigan | |
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 Location withinLeelanau County (red) and the administered village ofSuttons Bay (pink) | |
  Suttons Bay Township Location within the state of Michigan Show map of Michigan Suttons Bay Township Suttons Bay Township (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates:44°59′35″N85°38′11″W / 44.99306°N 85.63639°W /44.99306; -85.63639 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Michigan |
| County |  Leelanau |
| Established | 1863 |
| Government | |
| • Supervisor | Tom Nixon |
| • Clerk | Sandra Van Huystee |
| Area | |
• Total | 41.89 sq mi (108.5 km2) |
| • Land | 24.52 sq mi (63.5 km2) |
| • Water | 17.37 sq mi (45.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 600 ft (183 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 2,883 |
| • Density | 117.6/sq mi (45.4/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code(s) | |
| Area code | 231 |
| FIPS code | 26-77620[3] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1627143[4] |
| Website | Official website |
Suttons Bay Township is acivil township and county seat ofLeelanau County in theU.S. state ofMichigan. The population was 2,883 at the2020 census.[2]The village ofSuttons Bay is located within the township alongGrand Traverse Bay.
In a 2004 referendum, voters approved moving thecounty seat from the community ofLeland to a site insection 19 in the southwest corner of the township, nearer to the geographic center of the county. Suttons Bay Township is the only civil township to serve as a county seat in the state of Michigan.
In 1854, Harry Chittenden Sutton and his crew established a wooding station to provide fuel to wood-burning steamboats.[5] The Sutton name first caused the village to be called Suttonsburg. Pleasant City was another name, but Suttons Bay was later adopted for this growing community.
Railroads played an important role in the development of the area. Running through Suttons Bay, the train passed near the site of Sutton's station and the community's next enterprise, a sawmill built by Sutton's son-in-law, George Carr, and connected toFountain Point, an historic resort site.[6]
The township also includes the smallOjibwe community ofPeshawbestown, also known as Eagletown.[7] Once a Franciscan mission named after Chief Peshaba, who ruled in the 1880s, this community has grown to include a casino and resort.
Other features of Suttons Bay Township includeLake Leelanau on its southwestern corner, which can be accessed by takingM-204 west to the community ofLake Leelanau,[8] where the channel runs between Lake Leelanau's upper and lower lakes. This township is also prime cherry country, with several orchards and wineries among its hills.[9][10]
The township containsFountain Point, which was built in 1889 and is listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 41.89 square miles (108.49 km2), of which 24.52 square miles (63.51 km2) is land and 17.37 square miles (44.99 km2) (41.47%) is water.[11]
The45th parallel runs through Suttons Bay Township with a marker alongM-22. The township is bordered on the east by the West Arm ofGrand Traverse Bay and partially byLake Leelanau on the southwest.
M-22 runs south–north along the coast ofGrand Traverse Bay
M-204 runs east–west through the township beginning in the village ofSuttons BayAs of thecensus[3] of 2000, there were 2,982 people, 1,114 households, and 834 families residing in the township. The population density was 121.2 inhabitants per square mile (46.8/km2). There were 1,406 housing units at an average density of 57.2 per square mile (22.1/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 75.52%White, 0.20%African American, 19.01%Native American, 0.10%Asian, 3.45% fromother races, and 1.71% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 6.51% of the population.
There were 1,114 households, out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.3% weremarried couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.1% were non-families. 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the township the population was spread out, with 28.9% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.7 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $48,068, and the median income for a family was $52,596. Males had a median income of $36,389 versus $22,794 for females. Theper capita income for the township was $22,640. About 5.8% of families and 7.1% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 8.9% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.
Municipalities and communities ofLeelanau County, Michigan,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |