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Big small town

Living in Houghton, MI

Houghton is a big small town of 8,474 people in Houghton County, Michigan. It's about 157 miles from Wausau, WI and 270 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 76°F and winter highs 23°F, with about 176 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $255k and rent runs about $978 a month.

8,474people
$255kTypical home
$978/moRent
76° / 23°Summer / winter
176"Snow
118Sunny days
167Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Big small town of 8,474
  • Its own small hub, not a suburb
  • About 1,933 people per sq mi
  • 270 mi to Minneapolis, MN
  • 157 mi to Wausau, WI
  • 68 mi to the nearest town of 10k+

Money

  • Typical home $255k (≈$1,605/mo)
  • Median rent $978/mo
  • Median household income $43k
  • Property tax about 1.8% of value
  • 10.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 76°F
  • Winter highs around 23°F
  • Comfortable summers (dew point 55°F)
  • 118 sunny days a year (11 totally clear)
  • 247 cloudy days a year
  • 76 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 167 days a year with rain or snow
  • 176" of snow a year
  • 56 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 52 nights a year below 10°F
  • Breezy

Safety

  • Very low violent crime (31 per 100k)
  • Very low property crime (752 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 22
  • 20% of households have kids
  • 8% are 65 or older
  • 67% have a college degree
  • Mixed community
  • 59% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 13 min
  • 37% walk or take transit to work
  • 5 mi to CMX airport
  • 271 mi to MSP (major hub)
  • 248 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 51% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1977
  • 84% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Gently rolling terrain
  • Elevation 932 ft
  • 436 mi to the ocean
  • 2 mi to a big lake
  • Trailhead in town
  • Ski area in town
  • 3 mi to the nearest campground
  • 4 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 29 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 11 bars within 25 mi
  • 4 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 15 museums within 25 mi
  • 1 brewery or distillery within 25 mi
  • Farmers market in town

Everyday

  • Schools in the top 15% of Michigan districts (reading)
  • Grocery store in town
  • 6 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 6 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • 2 mi to the nearest vet
  • 3 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 8 congregations per 10k people
  • College in town

Politics

  • Houghton County: R+17 in 2024
  • Michigan: Purple — split almost evenly

Natural hazards

  • Very low hurricane risk
  • Very 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

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