Acme Township sits on the East Arm of Grand Traverse Bay, just past the northeast edge of Traverse City, where US-31 and M-72 meet. Most people know it for one landmark above all: the glass tower of the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa.
The southwest corner near Traverse City has filled in with homes, condos and shopping. The rest of the township is still mostly farmland, known for its cherries, with about 4,500 residents at the 2020 census.
I'm Taylor Brown. My mom and business partner, Janel, and I sell homes all over Northern Michigan, and Acme is where buyers often land when they want to be close to town and close to the bay without being in the middle of either.
The resort next door. Paul and Sue Nine started the Grand Traverse Resort in the 1970s, and the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians bought it in 2003. The tower is 17 stories, with the Aerie restaurant up on the 16th floor.
Three golf courses: The resort runs The Bear, designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened in 1985; The Wolverine, a Gary Player design from 1999; and Spruce Run, the original course, later expanded to 18 holes. Several condo communities, including Golfview, sit right among them.
The bay: East Bay is a few minutes' drive from most of the township, and US-31 runs close to the shoreline through Acme on its way north to Elk Rapids.
What buyers should know.
Short-term rentals depend on the zoning district: Acme Township caps licenses at 100, split between tourist homes (where you live there and host) and vacation homes (the whole house, nobody living there). Vacation homes are allowed only in the agricultural district and in some existing single-family homes in the Commercial and Corridor Flex districts, so most residential neighborhoods are off the table for whole-house rentals. Permits do not transfer when a home sells. Check the exact parcel on our STR Checker before you count on rental income.
Two school districts: Part of the township is in Elk Rapids Schools and part is in Traverse City Area Public Schools. Confirm the district for the exact address, because it also changes the tax rate a little. On the 2025 rates, a primary residence paid about 25.3 mills on the Elk Rapids side and about 26.8 on the Traverse City side. Our payment calculator has both.
Condo or house: Around the resort you will find a lot of condos, and with a condo the association's budget, reserves and rental rules matter as much as the unit itself. We read those documents with you before you commit.
Why our experience matters here. Acme mixes resort condos, bay-area subdivisions and working farmland inside one township, and each of those gets priced and regulated differently. We can pull the right comparable sales and tell you plainly how the rental and school rules apply to the place you are looking at.
Come see it. Reach out and we'll spend an afternoon in Acme together, from the resort area out to the farm roads and the bay, and talk through whether it fits what you are looking for.
Janel & Taylor Brown
The Brown Team | Real Estate One
(231) 360-1510
