Eastport, MI

Eastport is an Antrim County census-designated place of 206 residents in the 2020 census, set on the narrow land between Torch Lake and Grand Traverse Bay. The community occupies the northern tip of Torch Lake, with one shoreline facing the inland lake and another opening toward Lake Michigan's bay. That geography gives Eastport two kinds of waterfront at once: a sheltered lake edge and a wider bay shore.

Lumberman Murdock Andress settled here in 1863, and a hotel followed in 1869. The post office opened as Wilson in 1872 and took the Eastport name the next year, reflecting the community's position on the eastern side of Grand Traverse Bay. Lumber and shipping made the strip useful before seasonal lake life became more visible. Today Torch Lake Township roads follow the isthmus, with shoreline lodging and lake access connecting Eastport to the wider Antrim County vacation country. Eastport is a small northern Michigan place whose character comes from the narrow ground between two large waters.