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%

Blendon Township$2,390/mo

Typical home $396K (Census) · tax rate 0.95% · or rent about $1,164/mo · Housing →

Thornapple Township$1,760/mo

Typical home $281K (Census) · tax rate 1.25% · or rent about $1,059/mo · Housing →

The difference: $630 a month, about $7,500 a year, between Blendon Township and Thornapple Township.

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

Blendon Township places higher on 9 of 19 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.

Schools

ABlendon TownshipBetter than 93% of districts in the state A−Thornapple TownshipBetter than 82% of districts in the state

Health

ABlendon TownshipHealthier than 86% of U.S. towns B+Thornapple TownshipHealthier than 68% of U.S. towns

9Blendon Township

8Thornapple Township

Lists won, of 19 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most trailsOutdoors · 601 towns #591#320 Shortest commuteGetting around · 723 towns #154#417 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 723 towns #98#343 Most new homesHousing · 512 towns #27#190 Most walkableOutdoors · 723 towns #547#356 Lowest obesityHealth · 723 towns #77#260 Most conserved landOutdoors · 712 towns #635#459 Fewest smokersHealth · 723 towns #55#217

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

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

Blendon TownshipThornapple Township

Snow a year78″78″

January low19°F 19°F

July high83°F 83°F

Growing season (days)174d 174d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)18th 26th

Outdoors & history

Blendon TownshipThornapple Township

Trails1 mi 14 mi

Conserved land0.8%2.7%

National Register places—2

Famous people born here1 —

Community

Blendon TownshipThornapple Township

Library hours a week—16 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.

Where they are

27 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Blendon TownshipThornapple Township

Blendon Township ↔ Thornapple Township27 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.

Only big differences vs Michigan average

Blendon TownshipThornapple Township

People

Population 7,357Lowest 9,514Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +22.7%Highest MI: +2% +18.4%Lowest MI: +2%

Median age 39±1.6Highest about the MI average 36.2±2.4Lowest 10% below MI

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

Kids under 18 27.5%±3.8Highest MI: 21.2% 26.3%±3.5Lowest MI: 21.2%

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

Age 65+ 15.8%±2.7Highest MI: 18.6% 10.4%±1.9Lowest MI: 18.6%

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 28%Lowest MI: 32.4% 29.6%Highest MI: 32.4%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.3%±1.8Lowest MI: 6.1% 6.2%±2Highest MI: 6.1%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $95,288±$12kHighest 31% above MI $90,772±$18kLowest 25% above MI

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $395,600±$21kHighest 71% above MI $280,800±$26kLowest 21% above MI

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,164±$222Highest 3% above MI $1,059±$97Lowest 6% below MI

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

Property taxmedian, yearly $3,777Highest 30% above MI $3,499Lowest 20% above MI

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 57.1%±22.6Highest MI: 50.4% 20%±14.1Lowest MI: 50.4%

Below poverty line 4.6%Lowest MI: 13.2% 5.6%Highest MI: 13.2%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 87.5%Lowest MI: 73.2% 88.4%Highest MI: 73.2%

Typical home builtmedian year 1986Lowest 14 yrs newer than MI 1989Highest 17 yrs newer than MI

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 21 minLowest 15% below MI 26 minHighest 6% above MI

Work from home 8%±2.7Lowest MI: 13.5% 9.6%±3.4Highest MI: 13.5%

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

Work in townworking residents 6.5%Lowest 11.8%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 10.8 miLowest 15.3 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.59Lowest 0.67Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Grand Rapids (9%)Grand Rapids (16%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Thornapple TownshipFew work in Blendon Township

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 0.8%Lowest 2.7%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 1.0 miLowest 14.4 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.4 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Lowest 11Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 4.3Lowest 9.3Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#159 of 493 in MI

School district —Thornapple Kellogg School District

High school in town —Thornapple Kellogg High School

Students per teacherat that high school — 19.1

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.

Blendon Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Blendon Township’s Town Square.

Thornapple Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Thornapple Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Blendon Township and Thornapple Township

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Bordering Blendon Township

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Zeeland Township12,137 people · $358K homes

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Allendale Township26,540 people · $321K homes

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Olive Township5,145 people · $284K homes

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Georgetown Township54,965 people · $336K homes

Towns like Blendon Township

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Howell Township8,286 people · $276K homes

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Oakfield Township6,122 people · $347K homes

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Berlin Township9,995 people · $268K homes

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Blair Township9,105 people · $275K homes

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.

Blendon Township vs Thornapple Township

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $630 more a month in Blendon Township

Blendon Township places higher on 9 of 19 MI lists

What daily life feels like in each

27 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Blendon Township and Thornapple Township

Bordering Blendon Township

Towns like Blendon Township

Post to Blendon Township

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