Half of Garfield Township’s homes were built after 1993
More historic than 21% of U.S. towns · #629 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Most of Garfield Township was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1993. Below: maps from 1956 on and the census since 1900.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Garfield Township is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns, #629 of 701 in Michigan. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Garfield 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 Garfield 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 two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±2.6 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. 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 Garfield Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Hamlets and corners on the map
BrooksideCherryland Mobile Home ParkKing's Court Mobile Home ParkMeadow Lane Mobile Home ParkSilver Lake View Mobile Home ParkTown and Country Mobile Village
1cemetery inside Garfield Township
Grand Traverse Memorial Gardens
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The first two townships of Grand Traverse County were organized in 1853; the Old Mission Peninsula was assigned to Peninsula Township, with its present-day boundaries, and the rest of the county, including Traverse City, was assigned to Traverse Township. However, it was renamed in 1882 in honor of recently assassinated president James A. Garfield. In 1977, Garfield Township became a charter township.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Garfield 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 Garfield Township.
People over time
Garfield Township, census by census
Grew from 986 people in 1900 to 19,499 in 2020, more than tenfold.
13 censuses, 1900–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Garfield Township’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
Famous people close to Garfield Township
Nobody well known was born in Garfield Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Garfield Township is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns, #629 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 Garfield Township?
6% of Garfield Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.6 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1993.
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 (4), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.
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