The community extends at least 15 miles to the south, reaching toward Interlochen, Grawn, Kingsley and Buckley while weaving around our many inland lakes. Long Lake, Spider Lake, Duck Lake, Arbutus Lake, Green Lake and the Boardman River fill the local map with waterways and continue to stretch our neighborhoods around their curving, scenic shores. The term Traverse City can be misleading to an outsider since the city limits are quite small compared to the actual business and residential area. The city boundaries encompass the north central core of the Traverse area, hosting the nucleus of community services but only one quarter of the area's population. Adjacent townships, in particular the large Garfield, East Bay and Elmwood townships, wrap around the city with ever-growing commercial and residential developments.
Several dynamics impact our local fiber.
Traverse City is the regional hub, drawing employees, customers and visitors from all directions. Statistics show that more than half of the workers residing in Leelanau county are employed in Traverse City. Likewise, almost 40 percent of workers living in Antrim, Benzie and Kalkaska counties have jobs in Traverse. Specific fields such as healthcare, retail and tourism consistently draw from even broader boundaries. The local economy is driven by tourism, healthcare, agriculture, education and light manufacturing.