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Big small town

Living in Shields, MI

Shields is a big small town of 7,402 people in Saginaw County, Michigan. It's about 6 miles from Saginaw, MI and 86 miles from Grand Rapids, MI, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 83°F and winter highs 30°F, with about 44 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $175k and rent runs about $941 a month.

7,402people
$175kTypical home
$941/moRent
83° / 30°Summer / winter
44"Snow
205Sunny days
127Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Big small town of 7,402
  • Part of a metro area
  • About 940 people per sq mi
  • 86 mi to Grand Rapids, MI
  • 6 mi to Saginaw, MI
  • 6 mi to the nearest town of 10k+

Money

  • Typical home $175k (≈$1,100/mo)
  • Median rent $941/mo
  • Median household income $82k
  • Property tax about 1.6% of value
  • 6.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 83°F
  • Winter highs around 30°F
  • Somewhat humid summers (dew point 60°F)
  • 205 sunny days a year (63 totally clear)
  • 160 cloudy days a year
  • 58 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 127 days a year with rain or snow
  • 44" of snow a year
  • 15 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 26 nights a year below 10°F
  • Breezy

Safety

  • Above-average violent crime (670 per 100k), county-wide
  • Low property crime (1,175 per 100k), county-wide

People

  • Median age 48
  • 21% of households have kids
  • 28% are 65 or older
  • 30% have a college degree
  • Not very diverse
  • 6% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 25 min
  • 3% walk or take transit to work
  • 8 mi to MBS airport
  • 82 mi to GRR (major hub)
  • 35 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 77% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1975
  • 90% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Flat, open land
  • Elevation 610 ft
  • 476 mi to the ocean
  • 20 mi to a big lake
  • 34 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 4 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 10 mi to the nearest campground
  • 29 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 213 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 54 bars within 25 mi
  • 41 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 30 museums within 25 mi
  • 3 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 7 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the top 45% of Michigan districts (reading)
  • Grocery store in town
  • 3 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 30 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • 6 mi to the nearest vet
  • 3 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 7 congregations per 10k people
  • 8 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Saginaw County: R+3 in 2024
  • Michigan: Purple — split almost evenly

Natural hazards

  • Very low hurricane risk
  • Moderate tornado risk
  • Very low wildfire risk
  • Very low earthquake risk
  • Low flood risk
  • Very low drought risk
  • Moderate winter storm risk
  • Low heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near Shields

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