Inland Leelanau: Cedar, Maple City, and the farm country

Away from the water, the southwestern corner of the county is quieter farm-and-forest country. Think rolling fields, orchards, vineyards, and woods, tucked between Traverse City and the dunes. The heart of it is Cedar, a small community in Solon Township. It was settled in the 1880s and is known for its Polish roots. Its Cedar Polka Festival has gone strong since the 1970s, and it packs the town every summer. Nearby Maple City anchors Kasson Township. The hills around here are full of farms and cherry orchards. Just to the northwest stand the slopes of the long-closed Sugar Loaf resort — a local landmark people still talk about.

This part of Leelanau trades lake frontage for elbow room. It’s a short drive to Traverse City’s stores and jobs in one direction. In the other, you reach Lake Leelanau, the wineries, and Sleeping Bear Dunes. That makes it a practical, more affordable home base in an expensive county.

For buyers, this is where you look for acreage, a building site, orchard or hobby-farm land, or simply more house for the money. Lots are larger and prices gentler than along the water. Properties run on private wells and septic systems (see the well-and-septic note). So check the well, the drainfield, and where utilities run.