Greilickville, Michigan

Greilickville ( ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Leelanau County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the population was 1,634, up from 1,530 at the 2010 census. The community is located within Elmwood Charter Township, and is located in the extreme southeast of the Leelanau Peninsula.

thumb|Sign for Greilickville along [[M-22 (Michigan highway)|M-22.]]

thumb|The former Norris Elementary School in 2020.

The community is located on the western shore of the West Arm of Grand Traverse Bay, a bay of Lake Michigan. Greilickville is immediately northwest of Traverse City, and is part of that city's urban area. Greilickville is the largest community in Leelanau County by population.

History

The Greilickville area was settled by Godfrey Greilick and his family in 1856, recently emigrating from Bohemia. Greilick operated a number of sawmills in southeast Leelanau County. In 1875, brothers Albert and Seth H. Norris established a settlement on the shore of Grand Traverse Bay consisting of a grist mill, tannery, brickyard, and pottery factory, as well as a post office with the name Norrisville. The post office lasted from September 1881 to June 1882, and again from May 1884 to July 1902. In 1874, James W. Markham purchased the Norris' brickyard, expanding it and establishing commercial service. Markham Bricks, renowned for their pale yellow color derived from sediments in Cedar Lake, was supplied to build much of nearby Traverse City and the Traverse City State Hospital.

In 1893, an extension of the Manistee and North-Eastern Railroad was opened through the community, with a station named Greilickville, in honor of Godfrey Greilick. The community later took on the name.

In 1961, when Greilickville's population was about 900, a special election was held in sections 28 and 33 of Elmwood Township, including Greilickville, to decide a proposal regarding making those areas a home-rule village called Elmwood. The proposal was defeated by a vote of 238 to 88.

In 1995, the Leelanau Trail, a public rail trail, opened on the right-of-way of the former Manistee and North-Eastern Railroad.

Geography

Greilickville is in the southeastern corner of Leelanau County and of Elmwood Charter Township. It is bordered to the south by Traverse City in Grand Traverse County and to the east by the West Arm of Grand Traverse Bay, part of Lake Michigan. The CDP extends north to the north end of Cedar Lake and west to Bugai Road. Michigan highway M-22 runs through the east side of Greilickville along the shore of Grand Traverse Bay, leading south into Traverse City and north to Suttons Bay.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Greilickville CDP has a total area of , of which are land and , or 36.47%, are water.

Major highway

is a north–south route that parallels the shore of Grand Traverse Bay. The route is popular among tourists, and can be used to access Traverse City, to the south, and Suttons Bay and Northport to the north. South of Greilickville, M-22 reaches junctions with US 31, M-37, and M-72.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Greilickville had a population of 1,634. The median age was 57.5 years. 15.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 39.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.1 males age 18 and over.

93.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 6.8% lived in rural areas.

There were 766 households in Greilickville, of which 22.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 57.3% were married-couple households, 10.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Education

Greilickville is served by Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS).

The community is zoned to Traverse City West Senior High School, in nearby Garfield Township. Until 2008, Norris Elementary School, operated by TCAPS, served elementary students in southeast Leelanau County. Today, elementary students in Greilickville are zoned to Willow Hill Elementary School, in Traverse City.