Living in St. James, MI
St. James is a tiny town of 269 people in Charlevoix County, Michigan. It's about 68 miles from Traverse City, MI and 192 miles from Grand Rapids, MI, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 76°F and winter highs 27°F, with about 96 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $325k and rent runs about $925 a month.
269people
$325kTypical home
$925/moRent
76° / 27°Summer / winter
96"Snow
159Sunny days
149Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 269
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 261 people per sq mi
- 192 mi to Grand Rapids, MI
- 68 mi to Traverse City, MI
- 68 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $325k (≈$2,049/mo)
- Median rent $925/mo
- Median household income $70k
- Property tax about 0.9% of value
- 9.0% 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
- 149 days a year with rain or snow
- 96" of snow a year
- 33 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 29 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
Safety
- Very low violent crime (130 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (345 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 47
- 26% of households have kids
- 27% are 65 or older
- 40% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 2% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 18 min
- 2% walk or take transit to work
- 37 mi to PLN airport
- 198 mi to GRR (major hub)
- 193 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 84% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1967
- 93% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 643 ft
- 420 mi to the ocean
- 1 mi to a big lake
- 33 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 33 mi to the nearest ski area
- Campground in town
- 1 golf course within 25 mi
Things to do
- 4 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- Few or no bars within 25 mi
- Few or no coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 5 museums within 25 mi
- 1 brewery or distillery within 25 mi
- 38 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 30% of Michigan districts (reading)
- Grocery store in town
- 35 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 66 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 37 mi to the nearest vet
- 38 mi to the nearest dog park
- 10 congregations per 10k people
- 4 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Charlevoix County: R+17 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
Some of this place's Census numbers are blended with county figures because its survey sample is small.