Grawn, Michigan

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.

Grawn, Michigan
Census-designated place (CDP) & unincorporated community
U.S. Post Office in Grawn
Location within Grand Traverse County
Grawn Location within the state of Michigan Show map of Michigan Grawn Location within the United States Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 44°39′45″N 85°41′36″W[1]
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Grand Traverse
Township	Blair
Area [2]
• Total	0.65 sq mi (1.69 km2)
• Land	0.65 sq mi (1.69 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation [1]	889 ft (271 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	816
• Density	1,253.46/sq mi (483.87/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code(s)	49637 49685 (Traverse City)
Area code	231
GNIS feature ID	627256[1]
FIPS code	26-34620

History

Historic view of the community

Grawn was founded in the 1870s as Blackwood after its first settler, James B. Blackwood.^[3] The Chicago and West Michigan Railway was built through Blackwood in 1890,^[4] 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.^[5] In the same year, the name was shortened to Grawn, and the village was given a post office with William H. Gibbs serving as the first postmaster.^[6] By 1905, potatoes had become the main crop of Grawn.^[7]

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 were found at the site and in local wells as a result of chemicals used to extinguish the fire.^[8][9]

The community of Grawn was listed as a newly organized census-designated place for the 2010 census, meaning that it now has officially defined boundaries and population statistics.^[10]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 0.63 square miles (1.63 km²), all land.^[11]

Major highways

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

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
2010	772		—
2020	816		5.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[12]

Education

The community is served by Traverse City Area Public Schools.^[13]