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Ashley vs Gobles

91 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (5.5× in Gobles) and rent (+51% in Ashley).

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Ashley, MIHomes around $203KMichigan · 483 people
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Gobles, MIKnown for its schoolsMichigan · 595 people
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Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

AshleyHomes around $203K
Housing$203K typical home24% below the MI typical home All about Ashley →
GoblesKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 69%of MI districts All about Gobles →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Trails5.5×
Gobles has more miles of trail
Gobles 2.2 miAshley 0.4 mi
Rent+51%
Rent runs higher in Ashley
Ashley $950Gobles $630
Average commute13 min
Gobles has the shorter commute
Ashley 35 minGobles 23 min
Growth since 2010+12.5 pts
Gobles has grown faster since 2010
Gobles +2.7%Ashley -9.8%
Bachelor’s degree++9 pts
More adults in Ashley have a degree
Ashley 21.4%Gobles 12.4%
Property tax bill+16%
Tax bills are bigger in Gobles
Gobles $1,677Ashley $1,445
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $430 more a month in Gobles

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.

Ashley$1,290/mo
Typical home $203K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.32% · or rent about $950/mo · Housing →
Gobles$1,720/mo
Typical home $261K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.61% · or rent about $630/mo · Housing →

The difference: $430 a month, about $5,200 a year, between Gobles and Ashley.

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.

Life in each

Gobles gets 70 more inches of snow a year

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
AshleyGobles
Snow a year39″109″
January low15°F17°F
July high82°F83°F
Growing season (days)164d156d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)61st22nd
Outdoors & history
AshleyGobles
Trails0 mi2 mi
Conserved land0%6.2%
Settled18841864
Archive photos—2
Community
AshleyGobles
Library hours a week36 hrs45 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

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.

Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

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.

Schools
–AshleyNot graded B+GoblesBetter than 69% of districts in the state
Where they are

91 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

AshleyMIGoblesMI
Ashley ↔ Gobles91 miles apart
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.

AshleyGobles
People
Population 483Lowest 595Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -9.8%Lowest MI: +2% +2.7%Highest MI: +2%
Median age 48.5±11.4Lowest 21% above MI 51.4±10.7Highest 28% above MI
Gobles and Ashley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 16.4%±3.2Highest MI: 21.2% 12.1%±4.5Lowest MI: 21.2%
Ashley and Gobles are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 27.3%±9.7Lowest MI: 18.6% 32.3%±10Highest MI: 18.6%
Gobles and Ashley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 21.4%Highest MI: 32.4% 12.4%Lowest MI: 32.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.1%±2.8Highest MI: 6.1% 3%±2.3Lowest MI: 6.1%
Ashley and Gobles are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $58,846±$6kHighest 19% below MI $44,250±$18kLowest 39% below MI
Ashley and Gobles are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $109,500±$11kHighest 53% below MI $104,200±$24kLowest 55% below MI
Ashley and Gobles are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $950±$123Highest 16% below MI $630±$146Lowest 44% below MI
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,445Lowest 50% below MI $1,677Highest 42% below MI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 32.8%±16.6Lowest MI: 50.4% 35.7%±15.4Highest MI: 50.4%
Gobles and Ashley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 15.8%Lowest MI: 13.2% 22.8%Highest MI: 13.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 67.3%Lowest MI: 73.2% 69.6%Highest MI: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1965Highest 7 yrs older than MI 1959Lowest 13 yrs older than MI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 35 minHighest 46% above MI 23 minLowest 7% below MI
Work from home 0.9%±1.4Lowest MI: 13.5% 6.3%±5.2Highest MI: 13.5%
Gobles and Ashley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 2.8%Lowest 3.5%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 18.3 miHighest 16.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.85Lowest 1.23Highest
Top workplaceoutside town St. Johns (8%)Bloomingdale Township (7%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in GoblesFew work in Ashley
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 6.2%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.4 miLowest 2.2 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.5 miLowest 2.2 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Lowest 2Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 44.0Highest 38.7Lowest
Schools
School district —Gobles Public School District
High school in town —Gobles High School
Students per teacherat that high school — 15.8
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.

Ashley neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Ashley’s Town Square.

Gobles neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Gobles’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Ashley and Gobles

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

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Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks Michigan towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

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.

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