Empire is in
Leelanau County, and in the
Northern Region. You can locate Empire west of
Traverse City between
Suttons Bay and
Benzonia along Highway 22 near Glen Lake and the shore of
Lake Michigan.
This location was first settled in 1853 by the John LaRue Family. Eventually, the town was named after a boat "Empire" which became ice-bound in the harbor in the winter of 1863, and later used as a schoolhouse.
Today, Empire retains its small town settings and is primarily a tourist area. It is the gateway to the Sleeping Bear Dunes, which can be seen from the beach to the north.
