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Michigan›Grand Traverse County

PeninsulaMI

A town of 6,097. Nearly 16% of it is conserved land.

1 bordering townMap →
Population
6,097
+11.7% since 2010
Median home value
$707K
Census ACS
Household income
$138K
median
Median age
58.4
years
Jobs based here
611
A commuter town

What makes Peninsula stand out

The 3 things Peninsula does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data
A growing town

Peninsula has grown 11.7% since 2010

5,433 people in 2010; 6,097 today.

5,4332010
6,0682020
6,097Today

U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 · ACS

Peninsula’s report card

See the data ↓

Now in Peninsula

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Peninsula is #716 of 719 in MI for “Most affordable”. Fair?
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The data

Ordered by what stands out in Peninsula. Another town gets a different order.

Work & commute

Most working residents commute out of Peninsula

Most working residents leave Peninsula for work: only 9% work in town. The top destinations are Traverse City (39%), Garfield (11%) and East Bay (3%). Half commute less than 10 miles.

9%work in town

Where working residents work

In Peninsula9%
Traverse City39%
Garfield11%
East Bay3%
Elmwood2%
10 mi
median commute distance
611
jobs based in Peninsula
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2021 · ACSCommute map →
Outdoors

16% of Peninsula is conserved land

33 miles of trails across 31 parks and preserves.

#141for trails in MI
16%
conserved · 3,243 of 20,306 acres
33 mi
of trails · 1 per sq mi
#68
most conserved land in MI
#332
most walkable in MI
Biggest places to walkTrailsAcres
1. Old Mission State Park13.2 mi667
2. Power Island Wilderness Park5.8 mi202
3. Pelizzari Natural Area2.8 mi63
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-USParks & trails →
Health

Healthier than 71% of U.S. towns

Peninsula beats the Michigan average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.

B+Health Grade
32 measures vs. Michigan
8 better23 too close to call1 worse
What stands outPeninsulaMI
Fewer adults facing food insecurity10.7%15.4%
Fewer adults facing housing insecurity8.4%11.9%
More adults who have had cancer10.8%8.9%
Munson Medical Center
10.6 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
82nd
percentile among MI towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSAFull health report →
Schools

Peninsula’s public schools outperform 85% of Michigan districts

The public schools Peninsula’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, outperform 85% of Michigan’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they sit near the middle.

ASchool Grade
SchoolGradesStudentsGrade
Old Mission Peninsula SchoolK–6146A−
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduationAll 1 schools →
Natural hazards

Very low risk, with cold waves at the top

Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 6% of U.S. communities.

6risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
6Very low riskLowerHigher
Cold wavesInland flooding
4
paid flood claims since 1986
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMANatural hazards →
Climate

Snowy winters, pleasant summers

Peninsula has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 79°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 115 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

115″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter20–31°
Spring33–52°
Summer57–77°
Fall42–57°
Oct 19
typical first frost
May 13
typical last frost
+2.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020Full climate →
Get outside

33 miles of trails in Peninsula

16% of the town is conserved land, across 31 parks and preserves.

Map of trails and conserved land in PeninsulaConservedTrails
1
Old Mission State Park13.2 mi of trails · 667 acres
Directions
2
Power Island Wilderness Park5.8 mi of trails · 202 acres
3
Pelizzari Natural Area2.8 mi of trails · 63 acres
Directions
Trails © OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Peninsula Township, MI location
2019 · Peninsula Township, MI location · Wikimedia Commons
Peninsula’s story

Peninsula in pictures

5 postcards, papers and photographs from public archives, and 3 places on the National Register.

1873PeninsulaTownshipPeninsula Township, MI officesMission Point Light 35mm
Explore the history →

Landmarks

3 places in Peninsula on the National Register of Historic Places.

All landmarks →

About Peninsula

Civil township in Michigan, United States

Peninsula Township is a civil township of Grand Traverse County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The township had a population of 6,068 at the 2020 census, an increase from 5,433 at the 2010 census. Peninsula Township is coterminous with (has the same dimensions as) the Old Mission Peninsula, which projects about 17 miles (27 km) north from its base in Traverse City into Grand Traverse Bay, an arm of Lake Michigan. The peninsula divides the Grand Traverse Bay into an East Arm and West Arm. The peninsula is well known for its cherry harvest and viticulture, and is included in the Old Mission Peninsula AVA, a federally recognized viticultural region. At the northern tip of the peninsula is Miss…

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Population
6,068
Area
32 sq mi
Elevation
594 ft

Peninsula’s neighbors

One town shares a border with Peninsula.

Explore the map →

More about Peninsula

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Photo of Peninsula

Peninsula, MI · Photo: User: (WT-shared) Haem85 at wts wikivoyage · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source ↗