Living in Sterling, MI
Sterling is a tiny town of 448 people in Arenac County, Michigan. It's about 30 miles from Midland, MI and 111 miles from Grand Rapids, MI, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 80°F and winter highs 28°F, with about 51 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $89k and rent runs about $775 a month.
448people
$89kTypical home
$775/moRent
80° / 28°Summer / winter
51"Snow
201Sunny days
124Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 448
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 459 people per sq mi
- 111 mi to Grand Rapids, MI
- 30 mi to Midland, MI
- 30 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $89k (≈$562/mo)
- Median rent $775/mo
- Median household income $62k
- Property tax about 1.7% of value
- 6.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 80°F
- Winter highs around 28°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 60°F)
- 201 sunny days a year (54 totally clear)
- 164 cloudy days a year
- 60 of 90 winter days are gray
- 124 days a year with rain or snow
- 51" of snow a year
- 17 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 37 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
Safety
- Low violent crime (186 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (285 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 44
- 30% of households have kids
- 22% are 65 or older
- 16% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 3% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 26 min
- 2% walk or take transit to work
- 35 mi to MBS airport
- 110 mi to GRR (major hub)
- 73 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 84% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1954
- 90% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Gently rolling terrain
- Elevation 748 ft
- 463 mi to the ocean
- 8 mi to a big lake
- 27 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 38 mi to the nearest ski area
- 3 mi to the nearest campground
- 16 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 68 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 6 bars within 25 mi
- 4 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 4 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 23 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 27% of Michigan districts (reading)
- 5 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 6 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 22 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 9 mi to the nearest vet
- 29 mi to the nearest dog park
- 6 congregations per 10k people
- 30 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Arenac County: R+41 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
- Very low heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk