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Empire is a tiny town of 341 people in Leelanau County, Michigan. It's about 23 miles from Traverse City, MI and 129 miles from Grand Rapids, MI, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 80°F and winter highs 29°F, with about 121 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $456k and rent runs about $1k a month.
341people
$456kTypical home
$1,228/moRent
80° / 29°Summer / winter
121"Snow
119Sunny days
139Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 341
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 331 people per sq mi
- 129 mi to Grand Rapids, MI
- 23 mi to Traverse City, MI
- 23 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $456k (≈$2,877/mo)
- Median rent $1,228/mo
- Median household income $84k
- Property tax about 0.7% of value
- 2.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 80°F
- Winter highs around 29°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 58°F)
- 119 sunny days a year (17 totally clear)
- 246 cloudy days a year
- 76 of 90 winter days are gray
- 139 days a year with rain or snow
- 121" of snow a year
- 41 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 20 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
People
- Median age 64
- 21% of households have kids
- 38% are 65 or older
- 54% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 2% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 26 min
- 1% walk or take transit to work
- 24 mi to TVC airport
- 136 mi to GRR (major hub)
- 130 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 93% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1977
- 93% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Gently rolling terrain
- Elevation 627 ft
- 489 mi to the ocean
- 3 mi to a big lake
- Trailhead in town
- 9 mi to the nearest ski area
- 3 mi to the nearest campground
- 19 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 99 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 10 bars within 25 mi
- 23 coffee shops within 25 mi
- 1 music venue or club within 25 mi
- 10 museums within 25 mi
- 8 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 16 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 37% of Michigan districts (reading)
- 7 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 14 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 19 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 15 mi to the nearest vet
- 14 mi to the nearest dog park
- 9 congregations per 10k people
- 19 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Leelanau County: D+8 in 2024
- Michigan: Purple — split almost evenly
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- Moderate tornado risk
- Very low wildfire risk
- Very low earthquake risk
- Very low flood risk
- Very low drought risk
- High winter storm risk
- Very low heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk
Some of this place's Census numbers are blended with county figures because its survey sample is small.