Living in Free Soil, MI
Free Soil is a tiny town of 112 people in Mason County, Michigan. It's about 54 miles from Traverse City, MI and 84 miles from Grand Rapids, MI, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 80°F and winter highs 30°F, with about 106 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $116k and rent runs about $917 a month.
112people
$116kTypical home
$917/moRent
80° / 30°Summer / winter
106"Snow
119Sunny days
152Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 112
- Its own small hub, not a suburb
- About 108 people per sq mi
- 84 mi to Grand Rapids, MI
- 54 mi to Traverse City, MI
- 40 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $116k (≈$729/mo)
- Median rent $917/mo
- Median household income $59k
- Property tax about 0.8% of value
- 4.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 80°F
- Winter highs around 30°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
- 152 days a year with rain or snow
- 106" of snow a year
- 34 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 21 nights a year below 10°F
- Breezy
Safety
- Very low violent crime (164 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (469 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 55
- 23% of households have kids
- 28% are 65 or older
- 23% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 3% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 23 min
- 4% walk or take transit to work
- 54 mi to TVC airport
- 91 mi to GRR (major hub)
- 84 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 80% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1952
- 86% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 692 ft
- 536 mi to the ocean
- 11 mi to a big lake
- 9 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 26 mi to the nearest ski area
- 4 mi to the nearest campground
- 14 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 37 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 5 bars within 25 mi
- 6 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 12 museums within 25 mi
- 1 brewery or distillery within 25 mi
- 12 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 48% of Michigan districts (reading)
- 3 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 9 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 9 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 12 mi to the nearest vet
- 18 mi to the nearest dog park
- 8 congregations per 10k people
- 21 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Mason County: R+21 in 2024
- Michigan: Purple — split almost evenly
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- Low tornado risk
- Very low wildfire risk
- Very low earthquake risk
- Low flood risk
- Very low drought risk
- High winter storm risk
- Very low heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk