Best Web Design in Elmwood Charter Township, MI (2026)

Web Design for Elmwood Charter Township, Michigan

Elmwood Charter Township is the southeasternmost and most populous township in Leelanau County, curving around the West Arm of Grand Traverse Bay directly across the water from Traverse City. Its lakeside community of Greilickville, once the busy sawmill village 'Norristown,' has traded logging and brickmaking for marinas, a children's museum, and public beaches, earning the township its 'Gateway to Leelanau County' billing. M-22, a Pure Michigan Byway, runs the bay shore into the peninsula's wine country and orchards.

AppWT serves Elmwood Charter Township and the surrounding Michigan area from Livonia, Michigan.

About Elmwood Charter Township

Also known as. Gateway to Leelanau County. Norristown (historic name of its main community, Greilickville).

History. Organized on December 21, 1863, with about 200 residents. The Greilickville area was first settled around 1852 when Seth and Albert Norris built a gristmill; Seth added a tannery in 1858 and Albert a brickyard in 1864, so the village was first known as Norristown. Godfrey Greilick and his family, immigrants from Bohemia, settled around 1856 and operated several sawmills in southeast Leelanau County; by 1883 Greilick's mill produced 8.5 million feet of hardwood lumber in a single year. A 1907 fire destroyed the sawmill, and the village shifted from industry toward tourism. Granted a charter and converted from a civil township to a charter township in 1987, largely because of growth around Traverse City. The City of Traverse City annexed a southeastern corner of the township in 1989.

Local economy. Functions as a suburban community and tourism gateway for Traverse City and the Leelanau Peninsula. Boating and marina economy centered on the Elmwood Township Marina, with 176 slips and deep-water launch capability along M-22. Historic economy was built on logging, sawmilling, brickmaking, and tanning. Proximity to Traverse City's employment, plus Leelanau wine, orchard, and resort tourism, drives the local economy.

Culture and community. The Great Lakes Children's Museum on Bay Shore Drive offers hands-on exhibits about the Great Lakes environment and ecosystems. Waterfront recreation on West Grand Traverse Bay, including beaches, boating, and volleyball. Part of the TART/Leelanau Trail system for hiking and biking. Serves as the launch point for M-22 touring into Leelanau wine country and the Sleeping Bear Dunes region.

What makes Elmwood Charter Township distinct. Greilickville is the largest community in Leelanau County by population, yet it remains an unincorporated census-designated place. The town was originally called Norristown after the prolific Norris family before the Greilick name took hold. A former railroad station called Hatch's Crossing (Hatchs) is now a stop on the Leelanau Trail. Though its name means elm woods, the township is defined far more by water, sitting on both Grand Traverse Bay and part of Lake Leelanau.

Elmwood Charter Township Landmarks and Local Life

• Greilickville Harbor Park - a former logging and brickmaking industrial site turned public beach and marina, one of only a few public access points to West Grand Traverse Bay, with volleyball courts, chess tables, and a picnic pavilion
• Elmwood Township Marina - with 176 slips on the West Arm of Grand Traverse Bay, considered the finest marina on the bay
• Great Lakes Children's Museum.
• DeYoung Natural Area - with trails leading to Cedar Lake
• The Leelanau Trail - a rail-trail running north to Suttons Bay and south to Traverse City
• M-22 - a Pure Michigan Byway and Scenic Heritage Route along the bay