The village is located within Empire Township, and is famous for its proximity to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

Empire is home to the lakeshore's headquarters, the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center.

Potter and Struthers built a second mill in 1885, which T. Wilce Company purchased in 1887.

[6] The local Robert H. Manning Memorial Light was built in 1991 by O'Brien Brothers Construction as a memorial to Robert H. Manning, a lifelong resident of Empire and avid fisherman.

Every year, the village of Empire celebrates the raising of the anchor on the third Saturday in July.

Situated approximately 22 miles (35 km) due west of Traverse City,[7] Empire is located in the center of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

The Empire Bluffs lie to the south and the sand dunes of the National Lakeshore lie to the north, the area has views of the dunes, North Manitou and South Manitou islands, and Lake Michigan.

Most Sleeping Bear Dunes panoramas portrayed on postcards are taken from a walking trail which runs to the top of the Empire Bluffs.

[citation needed] The small village of Empire is located up a short hill, just a few minutes walk from the beach.

The racial makeup of the village was 98.94% White, 0.26% Native American, 0.26% Asian, and 0.53% from two or more races.

39.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Its main function was to protect the northern skies of the United States from military threats.