Grawn, Michigan

Census-designated place & unincorporated community in Michigan, United States

44°39′45″N 85°41′36″W / 44.66250°N 85.69333°W / 44.66250; -85.69333^[1]Country

United StatesState

MichiganCounty

Grand TraverseTownshipBlairArea

^[2]

• Total0.65 sq mi (1.69 km²) • Land0.65 sq mi (1.69 km²) • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km²)Elevation

^[1]

889 ft (271 m)Population

(2020)

• Total816 • Density1,253.46/sq mi (483.87/km²)Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)ZIP code(s)

49637
49685 (Traverse City)

Area code231GNIS feature ID627256^[1]FIPS code26-34620

Grawn (/ɡrɔːn/) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Grand Traverse County in the U.S. state of Michigan.^[1] At the 2020 census, the community's population was 816. The community is located within Blair Township on the border with Green Lake Township.

History

Grawn was founded in the 1870s as Blackwood after its first settler, James B. Blackwood. The Chicago and West Michigan Railway was built through Blackwood in 1890,^[3] and the village was renamed to Grawn Station, after Charles T. Grawn, the former superintendent of Central Michigan Normal School, and later the superintendent of Traverse City Area Public Schools.^[4] The same year, the name was shortened to Grawn, and given a post office with William H. Gibbs as the first postmaster.^[5] By 1905, potatoes had become the main crop of Grawn.^[6]

In December 1995, a fire broke out at Carl's Tire Retreading Company in Grawn. The fire burned for 20 days, and led to the evacuation of locals and of Blair Elementary School. In 2003, PFAS was found at the site and in local wells as a result of chemicals used to extinguish the fire.^[7]^[8]

The community of Grawn was listed as a newly-organized census-designated place for the 2010 census, meaning it now has officially defined boundaries and population statistics.^[9]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 0.63 square miles (1.63 km²), all land.^[10]

Major highways

US 31 runs west–east at this portion of its route through the center of the community.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
2010	772	—
2020	816	5.7%
U.S. Decennial Census^[11]

Education

It is within Traverse City Area Public Schools.^[12]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Chums Corner". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
^ "michiganrailroads.com - Evolution Map - Lower - 1890". www.michiganrailroads.com. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
^ "Charles Grawn | Central Michigan University". www.cmich.edu. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
^ Romig, Walter (1986). Michigan Place Names: The History of the Founding and the Naming of More Than Five Thousand Past and Present Michigan Communities. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 978-0-8143-1838-6.
^ "A Backwards Look at Grawn" (PDF). Blair Township History.
^ "Site Profile - Carl's Tire Retreading - EPA OSC Response". response.epa.gov. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
^ Ellison, Garret (July 25, 2018). "Huge 1996 tire fire near Traverse City caused PFAS plume". mlive. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
^ "Michigan: 2010 Population and Housing Unit Counts 2010 Census of Population and Housing" (PDF). 2010 United States Census. United States Census Bureau. September 2012. p. III-5. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
^ "Michigan: 2010 Population and Housing Unit Counts 2010 Census of Population and Housing" (PDF). 2010 United States Census. United States Census Bureau. September 2012. p. 22 Michigan. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
^ United States Census Bureau (January 1, 2020). "School District Reference Map: Grand Traverse County, MI" (PDF) (Map). 2020 Census. 1:97,877. Suitland, Maryland: United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 16, 2023.