Web Design in Northport, MI

Northport, Michigan

Northport is in Leelanau County.

About Northport, Michigan

Northport is a village near the northern tip of the Leelanau Peninsula, in Leelanau Township, Leelanau County, on the Grand Traverse Bay shore of Lake Michigan. It lies about 29 miles north of Traverse City and forms part of that city's metropolitan area, and had 496 residents at the 2020 census. It served as the county seat of Leelanau County from 1863 to 1883 and was the largest town in the county in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

History of Northport

• Michigan's 1848 smallpox epidemic affected the entire community, after which Chief Peter Waukazoo and Reverend George Smith moved it.
• Northport served as the county seat of Leelanau County from 1863 to 1883.
• Several general stores were built in the town in 1859, selling cloth, thread, needles, foods, axes and more; there was no doctor in town at the time, so Reverend Smith was called on to deliver babies and help the ill.

Landmarks and Places in Northport

• The Grand Traverse Lighthouse, built in 1858, stands within Leelanau State Park north of the village and now operates as a museum and tourist attraction.
• Leelanau State Park covers nearly 1,300 acres at the tip of Michigan's little finger, with a rustic campground, two mini cabins, 8.5 miles of hiking and skiing trail, and shoreline where Petoskey stones can be found.
• Braman Hill Recreation Center is a year-round facility with tennis and basketball courts, a skate park and ice rink, a shooting range, a sledding hill, hiking trails and a warming hut, and a fire ring and scenic view at the top of the hill.

The Northport Economy

• Cherry growing, which began locally in 1853, remains a major industry in Northport and Leelanau County.
• Woolsey Airport, a general aviation field with two runways north of the town, is a popular field for pilots flying to the upper parts of the peninsula.
• Leelanau State Park and the Grand Traverse Lighthouse north of the village draw visitor traffic.

Community Life in Northport

• A Winter Carnival is held in February at Braman Hill Park, with sledding and tubing, ice skating, a Cardboard Box Sled Race, a broomball tournament and a chili cook off.
• The Scott Brow Fishing Derby is held each spring at the Old Mill Pond, sponsored by the Northport Sportsman's Club, which also stocks the water.
• The Cars in the Park car show is held annually at Haserot Park near downtown Northport.

Local reference: en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org