A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Down paymentRate%

Alpine Township$2,520/mo

Typical home $404K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.20% · or rent about $1,172/mo · Housing →

Walker$2,150/mo

Typical home $359K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.91% · or rent about $1,202/mo · Housing →

The difference: $370 a month, about $4,400 a year, between Alpine Township and Walker.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Walker places higher on 18 of 21 MI lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Michigan ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety

–Alpine TownshipNot graded C−WalkerSafer than 23% of U.S. towns

Schools

B+Alpine TownshipBetter than 70% of districts in the state AWalkerBetter than 86% of districts in the state

Health

B+Alpine TownshipHealthier than 68% of U.S. towns A−WalkerHealthier than 80% of U.S. towns

2Alpine Township

18Walker

Lists won, of 21 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most new homesHousing · 512 towns #368#86 Most trailsOutdoors · 601 towns #469#153 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 723 towns #529#163 Best schoolsSchools · 493 towns #348#99 Most conserved landOutdoors · 712 towns #419#135 Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 142 towns #98#49 Most remote workersWork · 714 towns #534#367 Most educatedPeople · 723 towns #324#160

Left end = #1 in Michigan. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Alpine Township’s rankings →

Where they are

Alpine Township and Walker share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

Alpine TownshipWalker

Alpine Township ↔ Walker5.8 miles apart · They share a border

Who commutes between them

616 Alpine Township residents work in Walker (9.7% of its workers)

205 Walker residents work in Alpine Township (1.8% of its workers)

Work & commute in Alpine Township →

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons

Alpine TownshipWalker

Snow a year75″75″

January low17°F 17°F

July high82°F 82°F

Growing season (days)157d 157d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)5th 8th

Outdoors & history

Alpine TownshipWalker

Trails5 mi 25 mi

Conserved land3.2%9.9%

Settled1847 1962

Famous people born here—1

Community

Alpine TownshipWalker

Library hours a week38 hrs 55 hrs

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Only big differences vs Michigan average

Alpine TownshipWalker

People

Population 14,040Lowest 25,386Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +5.6%Lowest MI: +2% +6.8%Highest MI: +2%

Median age 36.9±2.3 8% below MI 36.9±2.1 8% below MI

Kids under 18 21.9%±3Highest MI: 21.2% 20.4%±2.2Lowest MI: 21.2%

Alpine Township and Walker are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 15.4%±2.9Lowest MI: 18.6% 18.3%±2.2Highest MI: 18.6%

Walker and Alpine Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 27.3%Lowest MI: 32.4% 38.6%Highest MI: 32.4%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.1%±1.4Lowest MI: 6.1% 6%±1.2Highest MI: 6.1%

Walker and Alpine Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $67,807±$13kLowest 7% below MI $76,360±$5kHighest 5% above MI

Walker and Alpine Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $233,900±$12kLowest about the MI average $295,200±$14kHighest 27% above MI

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,172±$45Lowest 4% above MI $1,202±$40Highest 6% above MI

Walker and Alpine Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $2,807Highest 3% below MI $2,698Lowest 7% below MI

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 52.4%±12Highest MI: 50.4% 43.4%±9.5Lowest MI: 50.4%

Alpine Township and Walker are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 11.2%Highest MI: 13.2% 7.6%Lowest MI: 13.2%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 60.1%Lowest MI: 73.2% 65.2%Highest MI: 73.2%

Typical home builtmedian year 1985Highest 13 yrs newer than MI 1984Lowest 12 yrs newer than MI

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 21 minHighest 12% below MI 20 minLowest 17% below MI

Work from home 7.2%±3.3Lowest MI: 13.5% 10%±2.1Highest MI: 13.5%

Walker and Alpine Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 5.1%Lowest 10.8%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.8 miHighest 8.3 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.73Lowest 2.12Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Grand Rapids (24%)Grand Rapids (28%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others 10% work in Walker2% work in Alpine Township

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 3.2%Lowest 9.9%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 4.8 miLowest 24.8 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 1.0 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 3Lowest 12Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 7.7Lowest 27.0Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #348 of 493 in MI #99 of 493 in MI

School district Comstock Park Public Schools · Kenowa Hills Public SchoolsGrand Rapids Public Schools · Grandville Public Schools

High school in town Kenowa Hills High SchoolNone in town

Students per teacherat that high school 18.0 —

Michigan average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024

Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Alpine Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Alpine Township’s Town Square.

Walker neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Walker’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Alpine Township and Walker

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Alpine Township

+ Compare

Plainfield Township34,040 people · $327K homes

+ Compare

Wright Township3,192 people · $321K homes

+ Compare

Comstock Park10,577 people · $235K homes

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Sparta Township9,494 people · $232K homes

Towns like Alpine Township

+ Compare

Hazel Park14,963 people · $159K homes

+ Compare

Harper Woods15,116 people · $157K homes

+ Compare

Sault Ste. Marie13,335 people · $139K homes

+ Compare

Riverview12,186 people · $215K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

Alpine Township vs Walker

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs $370 more a month in Alpine Township

Walker places higher on 18 of 21 MI lists

Alpine Township and Walker share a border

What daily life feels like in each

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Alpine Township and Walker

Bordering Alpine Township

Towns like Alpine Township

Post to Alpine Township

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