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Big small town

Living in Petoskey, MI

Petoskey is a big small town of 5,856 people in Emmet County, Michigan. It's about 51 miles from Traverse City, MI and 169 miles from Grand Rapids, MI, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 76°F and winter highs 27°F, with about 122 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $364k and rent runs about $1k a month.

5,856people
$364kTypical home
$1,006/moRent
76° / 27°Summer / winter
122"Snow
159Sunny days
164Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Big small town of 5,856
  • Its own small hub, not a suburb
  • About 1,138 people per sq mi
  • 169 mi to Grand Rapids, MI
  • 51 mi to Traverse City, MI
  • 51 mi to the nearest town of 10k+

Money

  • Typical home $364k (≈$2,296/mo)
  • Median rent $1,006/mo
  • Median household income $74k
  • Property tax about 1.1% of value
  • 2.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 76°F
  • Winter highs around 27°F
  • Somewhat humid summers (dew point 57°F)
  • 159 sunny days a year (31 totally clear)
  • 206 cloudy days a year
  • 71 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 164 days a year with rain or snow
  • 122" of snow a year
  • 41 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 31 nights a year below 10°F
  • Windier than most places

Safety

  • Very low violent crime (149 per 100k)
  • Very low property crime (459 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 41
  • 26% of households have kids
  • 23% are 65 or older
  • 53% have a college degree
  • Not very diverse
  • 5% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 16 min
  • 9% walk or take transit to work
  • 18 mi to PLN airport
  • 174 mi to GRR (major hub)
  • 170 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 63% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1970
  • 91% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Gently rolling terrain
  • Elevation 748 ft
  • 432 mi to the ocean
  • 2 mi to a big lake
  • 6 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 8 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 3 mi to the nearest campground
  • 32 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 83 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 11 bars within 25 mi
  • 17 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 9 museums within 25 mi
  • 3 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 3 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the top 18% of Michigan districts (reading)
  • 2 mi to the nearest grocery store
  • 6 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 30 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • 7 mi to the nearest vet
  • 7 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 8 congregations per 10k people
  • 21 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Emmet County: R+11 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 Petoskey

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