Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 11,780, settled in 1874.
East Bay Township's standout: natural-hazard risk is low. Overall it grades A−, ranked 137th of 697 in Michigan. Its schools outperform 80% of the state's and CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 76% of the country. East Bay Township’s trail density is 3.4 miles per square mile, where Michigan’s towns sit at 0.3 and U.S. towns at 0.4. On history, just 103 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do worse. Brown Bridge Quiet Area, at 1,772 acres with 15.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where East Bay Township beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Cherry Knoll Elementary School | PK–5 | 333 |
| Courtade Elementary School | PK–5 | 215 |
| East Middle School | 6–8 | 829 |
4.7% of the town is conserved land, across 20 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far East Bay Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 6,212 in 1980, 11,589 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2019 and 2 maps from 1956 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in East Bay Township, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in East Bay Township.
East Bay Township gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns and has less food insecurity than most of Michigan.
143 miles of trail in 20 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit | 83.3 mi | 5,753 |
| 2. Brown Bridge Quiet Area | 15.8 mi | 1,772 |
| 3. Camp Greilick County Park | 3.9 mi | 192 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Traverse City Area Public Schools. Three of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Grand Traverse Academy, with 824 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 829 | A− |
| Grand Traverse AcademyLargest public high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 824 | A− |
| Courtade Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 215 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 94% of U.S. communities. Since 2012, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in East Bay Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its widest gap with Michigan is food insecurity: 9.6% of its 10,975 adults worry about having enough food, against 15.4% statewide.
30% of East Bay Township adults sleep under 7 hours, below both the Michigan town median (34%) and the median of U.S. towns (36%). 16% of East Bay Township adults say their health is fair or poor. East Bay Township beats the Michigan average on 13 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| East Bay Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 34% | 36% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 19% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 25% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | East Bay Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.6% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 5.7% | 8.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.3% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents leave East Bay Township for work: only 4% work in town. East Bay Township’s average trip to work is 20 minutes. Jobs based in East Bay Township grew to 2,241 in 2021, 172 more than in 2011.
| East Bay Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 16% | 10% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.5% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.5% | 5.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
The Traverse City Munson weather station, 8 miles away, records that 101 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 97% of U.S. towns.
East Bay Township has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in East Bay Township is 80°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Children under 18 are 15% of residents (21% statewide); people 65 and older are 25% of residents (19% statewide). 41% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in East Bay Township.
| East Bay Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 50.3 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 15% | 21% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 25% | 19% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 41% | 26% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.8 points. Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women.
| East Bay Township | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.8% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.4% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.6% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.4% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.1% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 18.9% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 17% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.7% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.9% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 20.1% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.9% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.4% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 26.5% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.2% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
1 within 15 miles of the center of East Bay Township
About 5 of every 100 East Bay Township residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Michigan.
Where East Bay Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
Charter township in Michigan, United States
East Bay Charter Township is a charter township of Grand Traverse County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 11,589 at the 2020 census, up from 10,663 at the 2010 census. It is one of three charter townships in Grand Traverse County, and is the second-most populous township in Northern Michigan, behind neighboring Garfield Township. The northern portion of the township is adjacent to Traverse City and is part of that city's urban area. The southern portion remains largely rural, with many small lakes. East Bay Township is the location of Traverse City State Park.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with East Bay Township.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Bay Township | #137 | A− | C+ | — | A− | A− |
| Traverse City | #305 | B | C− | C+ | A− | B+ |
| Union Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Blair Township | #284 | B | B− | — | A− | B |
| Whitewater Township | #118 | A | B− | — | A | A− |
| Paradise Township | #204 | B+ | B+ | — | A | B− |
| Acme Township | #49 | A | C+ | — | A− | A− |
| Garfield Township | #258 | B+ | C− | — | A− | B+ |
East Bay Township, Blair Township, Whitewater Township, Paradise Township, Acme Township and Garfield Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Union Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare East Bay Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. East Bay Township grades A− overall, better than 82% of U.S. towns and #137 of 697 in Michigan. It grades A− for health and A− for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.