More historic than 20% of U.S. towns · #644 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Most of East Bay Township was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1984. Below: maps from 1956 on and the census since 1980.
The East Bay Township post office opened in 1874, the earliest record of the town by name. Three smaller post offices, East Traverse Bay (1868), Traverse Bay (1873) and East Bay (1874), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 6,212 in 19802020 census: 11,589152 years
How historic is East Bay Township?
C−
More historic than 20% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first East Bay Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives East Bay Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, East Bay Township is more historic than 20% of U.S. towns, #644 of 701 in Michigan. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of East Bay Township’s overall grade.
Few Michigan towns list much on the Register (a typical Michigan town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so East Bay Township’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (32% of Michigan towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C. The pre-1940 share (±2.4 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about East Bay Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners and places now gone
Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
East Traverse Bay
1868–1873
Traverse Bay
1873–1874
East Bay
1874–1879
18601940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Devils ElbowWoodcreek Mobile Home Park
Gone or out of use
East Bay Post Officepost office
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
East Bay Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of East Bay Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
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.
Its first post office opened in 1874. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 10,663 to 11,589 (+9%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
East Bay Township, 1868 to 1956
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of East Bay Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1956Kingsley sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of East Bay Township.
People over time
East Bay Township, census by census
Between 6,212 and 11,589 people in every census since 1980.
5 censuses, 1980–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on East Bay Township’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
Famous people close to East Bay Township
Nobody well known was born in East Bay Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
The East Bay Township post office opened in 1874, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does East Bay Township rank for history?
East Bay Township is more historic than 20% of U.S. towns, #644 of 701 in Michigan. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in East Bay Township?
3% of East Bay Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.4 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1984.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
2019
