The End of the Road — and That’s the Point: Northport
Drive M-22 until you almost run out of peninsula and you’ll find Northport — the northernmost village in Leelanau County and, for a certain kind of buyer, exactly the place they’ve been looking for their whole lives.
Founded back in 1849 on the shore of Grand Traverse Bay, Northport has more than two miles of waterfront, a beautiful protected marina, and a downtown that feels like a secret the rest of the county is keeping. It’s about twenty minutes past Leland and a world away from the August crush.
I’m Taylor Brown. My mom and business partner, Janel, and I love showing Northport to people who think they want “quiet” and then realize, standing on Bay Street, that they actually mean this.
Water on three sides. Being near the tip means water is everywhere.
Grand Traverse Bay: The marina and South Beach sit right downtown — sand, a volleyball court, and calm bay water just steps from Main Street.
The tip itself: Drive a little farther to Leelanau State Park and the Grand Traverse Lighthouse, built in 1858. You can climb the tower for a sweeping view of the bay meeting Lake Michigan, and hike the Cathead Bay trails to some of the most remote, beautiful shoreline in the county.
A real downtown. For a village this far out, Northport punches well above its size. Barb’s Bakery is the morning ritual — get the cinnamon twists and a coffee. The Garage Bar & Grill does house-smoked meats and an easy, down-to-earth night out. Around them is a tight cluster of friendly shops, a busy little marina, and a summer calendar of music in the park that pulls the whole community together.
What buyers should know. Northport is a true four-season community, not just a summer colony — anchored by the small, well-liked Northport Public School and a year-round crowd that includes a lot of creative, independent transplants. Because it’s at the end of the road, you trade a few minutes of drive time for something you can’t buy back: privacy, dark skies, and water frontage that costs meaningfully less than the same view would closer to Traverse City. For buyers willing to go the extra twenty minutes, Northport is one of the best values on the bay.
Why our experience matters here. Janel knows how to read a market this specialized — where comparable sales are few and pricing a remote waterfront property correctly takes real local judgment, not a Zillow estimate.
I can tell you the honest tradeoffs: what the winter drive to Traverse City actually feels like, which roads the county plows first, where cell and internet hold up for remote work, and which pockets hold value best.
Let’s drive out together. Northport rewards people who actually come see it. Reach out and let’s make the drive — coffee at Barb’s, a walk out to the lighthouse — and talk about whether the end of the road is your beginning.
Janel & Taylor Brown
The Brown Team | Real Estate One
(231) 360-1510
