About Central

Central neighborhood in downtown Traverse City has a deep history, magnificent homes, and higher density blocks that have served throughout most of the city's history as a purely residential area.  

The Central neighborhood holds many of the turn-of-last-century mansions, and compliments of those home owners, many still remain with as much character as they did when they were built.  The later mansions of Sixth Street (known as “Silk Stocking Row”) include the immense 32-room house built by Traverse City founder Perry Hannah (now Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home) and dozens of other elegant homes.  The Central neighborhood was started at the end of the 19th century, with the majority of the houses in the neighborhood constructed between 1890 and 1914. The neighborhood is unique for the socio-economic diversity of its residents.

The Central neighborhood has four main thoroughfares as its borders.  With Division street to the west, Fourteenth Street to the south, Front Street just to the north, and Union Street just to the east, Central Neighborhood is just that - Centralized - with much of the city infastructure around it.  

This is one of the most desired neighborhoods in Traverse City because of its proximity to businesses, schools and downtown - for this reason, the strength of the home values are high in the Central neighborhood.

Central Grade School as well as Thirlby Field are here! Central Grade is the oldest neighborhood school in the TCAPS system, in operation since 1874, with the current building constructed in 1934, after a fire in October of that year. Some classes were held in the Perry Hannah house while the building was being reconstructed.

Thirlby Field, also known as Harry Running Stadium, is a 7,000-seat football stadium.  It was built in 1934 on a site where football has been played since 1896. It is the home of the Traverse City Central Trojans, Traverse City West Titans and Traverse City St. Francis Gladiators football teams.  Mr. Thirlby, a local farmer, gave the land to the Traverse City Area Public Schools for athletic contests, and at that time, the visiting teams would come by train right to the field. Some of that rail can still be found in the vicinity of Cass Street, just north of Fourteenth.

Stats for Central Neighborhood