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Big small town

Living in Sault Ste. Marie, MI

Sault Ste. Marie is a big small town of 13,335 people in Chippewa County, Michigan. It's about 133 miles from Traverse City, MI and 251 miles from Grand Rapids, MI, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 77°F and winter highs 24°F, with about 120 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $139k and rent runs about $804 a month.

13,335people
$139kTypical home
$804/moRent
77° / 24°Summer / winter
120"Snow
152Sunny days
167Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Big small town of 13,335
  • Its own small hub, not a suburb
  • About 904 people per sq mi
  • 251 mi to Grand Rapids, MI
  • 133 mi to Traverse City, MI
  • Has its own stores and services

Money

  • Typical home $139k (≈$879/mo)
  • Median rent $804/mo
  • Median household income $55k
  • Property tax about 1.8% of value
  • 5.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 77°F
  • Winter highs around 24°F
  • Comfortable summers (dew point 55°F)
  • 152 sunny days a year (24 totally clear)
  • 213 cloudy days a year
  • 70 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 167 days a year with rain or snow
  • 120" of snow a year
  • 38 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 54 nights a year below 10°F
  • Usually calm

Safety

  • About average violent crime (364 per 100k)
  • Very low property crime (735 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 34
  • 24% of households have kids
  • 17% are 65 or older
  • 27% have a college degree
  • Mixed community
  • 13% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 14 min
  • 7% walk or take transit to work
  • 17 mi to CIU airport
  • 255 mi to GRR (major hub)
  • 242 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 71% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1956
  • 87% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Flat, open land
  • Elevation 705 ft
  • 350 mi to the ocean
  • 3 mi to a big lake
  • 28 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 74 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 2 mi to the nearest campground
  • 5 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 21 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 7 bars within 25 mi
  • 3 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 10 museums within 25 mi
  • No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 12 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the top 34% of Michigan districts (reading)
  • Grocery store in town
  • 6 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 103 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • 2 mi to the nearest vet
  • 52 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 6 congregations per 10k people
  • College in town

Politics

  • Chippewa County: R+24 in 2024
  • Michigan: Purple — split almost evenly

Natural hazards

  • Very low hurricane risk
  • Very low tornado risk
  • 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 Sault Ste. Marie

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