Personnel of National High School Orchestra, 1930
Interlochen’s story
136 years in pictures
The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1930 and 2 maps from 1956 on.
- 1890Interlochen is settled
InterlochenMI
With 791 residents, this town was settled in 1890.
Photo: rossograph · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
791
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$368K
+4.1% in a year
Household income
$105K
median
Median age
39.7
years
Jobs based here
272
Balanced
Is Interlochen a good place to live?
Interlochen’s middle household income is $105,000, above both the Michigan town median ($77,000) and the median of U.S. towns ($80,000). Interlochen’s concentration of trails is 2.4 miles per square mile, above both the Michigan town median (0.3) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Interlochen has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
791 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
Moving to Interlochen: who provides what
Interlochen is unincorporated, so Grand Traverse County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerDTE20.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterInterlochen Center for the Arts water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers95% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesGrand Traverse CountyGrand Traverse County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Michigan you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereGreen Lake Township ClerkGreen Lake Township; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP codes49643, 4963749643 95% · 49637 5%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Interlochen.
Housing
A home in Interlochen is worth about $368K, on Zillow’s estimate
In the year to September 2026, typical home values climbed 4.1%. Interlochen: just over four in five households live in a home they own.
$368KZillow home value
Typical home value
Interlochen$368K
Michigan$264K
+4.1%
value change, 1 year
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazards
Interlochen has a low natural-hazard risk, chiefly from cold waves
On expected storm and flood damage, Interlochen sits below just over two thirds of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects in the town, 48% come from cold waves and 38% from inland flooding.
32risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesInland flooding
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
In Interlochen, expect snowy winters and pleasant summers
A July afternoon gets to about 81° and a January night to 14°, and about 101 inches of snow fall in a winter.
101″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter16–31°
Spring31–54°
Summer55–78°
Fall39–57°
Oct 15
typical first frost
May 9
typical last frost
+2.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commute
About one in three of Interlochen’s working residents commute to Traverse City
Half commute less than 10 miles. Since 2011, Interlochen has added 164 jobs, to 272 in 2021. Commuting out is the norm in the town: 3% of working residents work locally. The top destinations are Traverse City (31%), Garfield Township (17%) and Green Lake Township (13%).
3%work in town
| Interlochen | Typical Michigan town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 2.8% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Interlochen3%
Traverse City31%
Garfield Township17%
Green Lake Township13%
Long Lake Township3%
10 mi
median commute distance
272
jobs based in Interlochen
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Health
How healthy Interlochen is
The share of adults in Interlochen who smoke cigarettes is 16%. The town tracks Michigan closely on all 32 CDC measures. Two figures for adults locally: 27% have been diagnosed with depression, 38% have obesity.
| Interlochen | Typical Michigan town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 16% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 27% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 37% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
0 better32 too close to call0 worse
Munson Medical Center
9.9 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
0% of Interlochen is conserved land
There are 3.1 miles of trail across 1 park or preserve. Interlochen’s park or preserve takes up 12 acres.
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 808 acres
3.1 mi
of trails · 2.4 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit | 1 mi | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Interlochen
16pages on Interlochen
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Interlochen
About 0 of every 100 Interlochen residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
About Interlochen
Census-designated place & unincorporated community in Michigan, United States
Interlochen ( IN-tər-lok-ən) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Grand Traverse County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the population was 694, up from 583 at the 2010 census. The community is located within Green Lake Township, and is home to a post office operating with ZIP Code 49643. The community is home to the Interlochen Center for the Arts and also contains Interlochen State Park between the shores of Duck Lake and Green Lake. Interlochen is a designated Michigan State Historic Site.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 840 ft
- ZIP code
- 49643
Questions about Interlochen
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Interlochen, MI a good place to live?
Interlochen has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.