Garfield is a charter township in Grand Traverse County, Michigan, home to about 19,913 people across 27 square miles. Its ZIP codes are 49684 and 49685, and parts of 49686 and 49696 are in Garfield too.
Homes sold for a median of $297 per square foot across 2 ZIP codes in the three months ending August 2026, and all of them were seller’s markets.
Mostly Garfield; also Traverse City and Elmwood Charter Township
Mostly Garfield; also Long Lake and Blair
Mostly Traverse City; part is in Garfield
Mostly East Bay; part is in Garfield
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Garfield. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up Garfield’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR)131 miles away |
|---|---|
| Closer regional airport | Cherry Capital Airport (TVC)3 miles away |
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Milwaukee, WI166 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Chicago, IL228 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Garfield; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
Garfield had 19,499 residents in the 2020 census, up 41% since 2000.
It’s the 101st largest of 1,531 towns in Michigan by population.
Grand Traverse County grew from 20,479 residents in 1900 to 95,238 in 2020.
Grand Traverse County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 79°F in summer, and winter lows average 14°F. About 36.2 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year, with about 101 inches of snow.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Traverse City Munson, MI weather station (2 miles away).
47,454 jobs at 3,549 businesses in Grand Traverse County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
1,601 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Garfield’s ZIP codes.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 203 |
|---|---|
| Specialist doctors | 345 |
| Dentists | 59 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 336 |
| Mental health providers | 433 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 162 |
| Optometrists | 23 |
| Chiropractors | 40 |
| Pharmacies | 22 |
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Parks (53 nearby)
Grocery stores (14 nearby)
Pharmacies (4 nearby)
Libraries (3 nearby)
Museums (1 nearby)
Theaters and performance venues (8 nearby)
Counts are within about 3.5 miles of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
Public schools here are run by Traverse City Area Public Schools, Northwest Education Services, The Greenspire School. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blair Elementary SchoolTraverse City | Pre-K–5 | 202 | Public | 8.2 mi |
| Central Grade SchoolTraverse City | Pre-K–7 | 510 | Public | 1.1 mi |
| Long Lake Elementary SchoolTraverse City | Pre-K–5 | 364 | Public | 5.9 mi |
| Silver Lake Elementary SchoolTraverse City | Pre-K–5 | 286 | Public | 6.6 mi |
| TCAPS Montessori SchoolTraverse City | Pre-K–8 | 331 | Public | 2.5 mi |
| Westwoods Elementary SchoolTraverse City | Pre-K–5 | 365 | Public | 9.1 mi |
| Willow Hill Elementary SchoolTraverse City | Pre-K–5 | 429 | Public | 1.6 mi |
| North EdCreekside SchoolTraverse City | K–12 | 64 | Special Education | 2.2 mi |
| The Greenspire SchoolTraverse City | 6–12 | 93 | Charter | 2.2 mi |
| West Middle SchoolTraverse City | 6–8 | 1,081 | Public | 2.9 mi |
| The Greenspire High SchoolTraverse City | 9–12 | 176 | Charter | 2.3 mi |
| West Senior HighTraverse City | 9–12 | 1,384 | Public | 4.0 mi |
| School | Grades | Students | Affiliation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children HouseTraverse City | Pre-K–8 | 136 | Nonsectarian | 4.0 mi |
| The Children's HouseTraverse City | Pre-K–8 | 136 | Nonsectarian | 4.0 mi |
| The Pathfinder SchoolTraverse City | Pre-K–8 | 109 | Nonsectarian | 2.6 mi |
| Trinity Lutheran SchoolTraverse City | Pre-K–8 | 90 | Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod | 1.6 mi |
| St Francis High SchoolTraverse City | 9–12 | 337 | Roman Catholic | 1.2 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools; Private School Universe Survey (2023-2024) for private schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Shares ZIP codes with Traverse City, East Bay, Long Lake, Peninsula, Blair, Elmwood Charter Township, Bingham Township (Leelanau County), Green Lake, Whitewater, Almira, Solon Township (Leelanau County), Union Township (Grand Traverse County) and Traverse City City.
Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.