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Big small town

Living in Houghton Lake, MI

Houghton Lake is a big small town of 5,769 people in Roscommon County, Michigan. It's about 52 miles from Traverse City, MI and 103 miles from Grand Rapids, MI, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 81°F and winter highs 28°F, with about 74 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $126k and rent runs about $827 a month.

5,769people
$126kTypical home
$827/moRent
81° / 28°Summer / winter
74"Snow
201Sunny days
137Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Big small town of 5,769
  • A standalone small town, not a suburb
  • About 537 people per sq mi
  • 103 mi to Grand Rapids, MI
  • 52 mi to Traverse City, MI
  • 34 mi to the nearest town of 10k+

Money

  • Typical home $126k (≈$796/mo)
  • Median rent $827/mo
  • Median household income $50k
  • Property tax about 1.0% of value
  • 4.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 81°F
  • Winter highs around 28°F
  • Somewhat humid summers (dew point 57°F)
  • 201 sunny days a year (54 totally clear)
  • 164 cloudy days a year
  • 60 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 137 days a year with rain or snow
  • 74" of snow a year
  • 27 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 47 nights a year below 10°F
  • Usually calm

Safety

  • Very low violent crime (110 per 100k), county-wide
  • Very low property crime (223 per 100k), county-wide

People

  • Median age 55
  • 15% of households have kids
  • 34% are 65 or older
  • 16% have a college degree
  • Not very diverse
  • 3% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 26 min
  • 1% walk or take transit to work
  • 51 mi to TVC airport
  • 105 mi to GRR (major hub)
  • 104 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 84% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1974
  • 82% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Flat, open land
  • Elevation 1,171 ft
  • 495 mi to the ocean
  • 49 mi to a big lake
  • 12 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 24 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 3 mi to the nearest campground
  • 21 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 58 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 12 bars within 25 mi
  • 6 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 9 museums within 25 mi
  • No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 20 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the bottom 36% of Michigan districts (reading)
  • 2 mi to the nearest grocery store
  • 22 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 25 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • 24 mi to the nearest vet
  • 13 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 8 congregations per 10k people
  • 47 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Roscommon County: R+33 in 2024
  • Michigan: Purple — split almost evenly

Natural hazards

  • Very low hurricane risk
  • Low 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

Places near Houghton Lake

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