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Bear Lake vs Sigel Township

170 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (86.5× in Bear Lake) and trails (11.5× in Sigel Township).

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Bear Lake, MIA small town of 264Michigan · 264 people
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Sigel Township, MIA small town of 391Huron County · 391 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.

Bear LakeA small town of 264
Quiet strengthsBear Lake doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Bear Lake →
Sigel TownshipA small town of 391
Quiet strengthsSigel Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Sigel Township →
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.

Street grid86.5×
Bear Lake has the more walkable street grid
Bear Lake 113Sigel Township 1.3
Trails11.5×
Sigel Township has more miles of trail
Sigel Township 2.3 miBear Lake 0.2 mi
Property tax bill+40%
Tax bills are bigger in Sigel Township
Sigel Township $1,856Bear Lake $1,324
Kids under 18+10.3 pts
Sigel Township has more kids
Sigel Township 26.6%Bear Lake 16.3%
Typical home built23 yrs
Bear Lake’s homes are older
Sigel Township 1971Bear Lake 1948
Average commute6 min
Sigel Township has the shorter commute
Bear Lake 26 minSigel Township 20 min
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $280 more a month in Sigel Township

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.

Bear Lake$930/mo
Typical home $155K (Census) · tax rate 0.85% · Housing →
Sigel Township$1,200/mo
Typical home $200K (Census) · tax rate 0.93% · or rent about $1,225/mo · Housing →

The difference: $280 a month, about $3,300 a year, between Sigel Township and Bear Lake.

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

Bear Lake gets 45 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
Bear LakeSigel Township
Snow a year92″47″
January low17°F16°F
July high80°F77°F
Growing season (days)163d173d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)7th22nd
Outdoors & history
Bear LakeSigel Township
Trails0 mi2 mi
Conserved land0.9%12.4%
Settled1863—
National Register places—1
Archive photos1—
Famous people born here1—
Community
Bear LakeSigel Township
Library hours a week25 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
–Bear LakeNot graded BSigel TownshipBetter than 61% of districts in the state
Where they are

170 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Bear LakeMISigel TownshipHuron County
Bear Lake ↔ Sigel Township170 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.

Bear LakeSigel Township
People
Population 264Lowest 391Highest
Median age 38.6±7Lowest 4% below MI 39.1±6.4Highest about the MI average
Sigel Township and Bear Lake are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 16.3%±6.8Lowest MI: 21.2% 26.6%±3Highest MI: 21.2%
Age 65+ 15.5%±7.2Lowest MI: 18.6% 16.1%±3.6Highest MI: 18.6%
Sigel Township and Bear Lake are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 18.1%Lowest MI: 32.4% 21%Highest MI: 32.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 12.9%±10.1Highest MI: 6.1% 3.1%±4.1Lowest MI: 6.1%
Bear Lake and Sigel Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $63,281±$5kLowest 13% below MI $70,833±$9kHighest about the MI average
Sigel Township and Bear Lake are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $155,400±$37kLowest 33% below MI $200,000±$69kHighest 14% below MI
Sigel Township and Bear Lake are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly — $1,225±$135 9% above MI
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,324Lowest 54% below MI $1,856Highest 36% below MI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 40%±100Lowest MI: 50.4% 54.5%±100Highest MI: 50.4%
Sigel Township and Bear Lake are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 5%Highest MI: 13.2% 4.6%Lowest MI: 13.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 94.7%Highest MI: 73.2% 90.9%Lowest MI: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1948Lowest 24 yrs older than MI 1971Highest 1 yr older than MI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 26 minHighest 7% above MI 20 minLowest 19% below MI
Work from home 0%±7.9Lowest MI: 13.5% 6.9%±3.7Highest MI: 13.5%
Sigel Township and Bear Lake are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 2.2%Lowest 2.7%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 14.3 miHighest 12.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.60Highest 0.39Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Manistee Township (10%)Bad Axe (16%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Sigel TownshipFew work in Bear Lake
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.9%Lowest 12.4%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.2 miLowest 2.3 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.7 miHighest 0.1 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1 1
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 113Highest 1.3Lowest
Schools
School district —Sigel Township S/D #3F · Sigel Township S/D #4F
High school in town —None in town
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.

Bear Lake neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bear Lake’s Town Square.

Sigel Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Sigel Township’s Town Square.

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Towns like Bear Lake

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Rothbury356 people · $132K 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.

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