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Marilla Township vs Dickson Township

Next-door neighbors in Manistee County. The biggest differences: conserved land (+35.3 pts in Dickson Township) and median age (17 yrs in Dickson Township).

M ×
Marilla Township, MIAn outdoors townManistee County · 482 people
D ×
Dickson Township, MIAn outdoors townManistee County · 922 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.

Marilla TownshipAn outdoors town
Outdoors24% conserved land36 miles of trails across 4 parks and preserves All about Marilla Township →
Dickson TownshipAn outdoors town
Outdoors59.3% conserved land111 miles of trails across 6 parks and preserves All about Dickson 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.

Conserved land+35.3 pts
Dickson Township has more conserved land
Dickson Township 59.3%Marilla Township 24%
Median age17 yrs
Dickson Township skews older
Dickson Township 48.9Marilla Township 31.9
Trails3.1×
Dickson Township has more miles of trail
Dickson Township 111.0 miMarilla Township 36.2 mi
Kids under 18+14.7 pts
Marilla Township has more kids
Marilla Township 36.7%Dickson Township 22%
Average commute14 min
Dickson Township has the shorter commute
Marilla Township 46 minDickson Township 32 min
Home values+42%
Homes cost more in Marilla Township
Marilla Township $223,900Dickson Township $157,400
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $340 more a month in Marilla 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.

Marilla Township$1,300/mo
Typical home $224K (Census) · tax rate 0.66% · Housing →
Dickson Township$950/mo
Typical home $157K (Census) · tax rate 0.97% · or rent about $1,625/mo · Housing →

The difference: $340 a month, about $4,100 a year, between Marilla Township and Dickson 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.

Where they are

Marilla Township and Dickson Township share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Marilla TownshipDickson TownshipMarilla TownshipDickson Township
Marilla Township ↔ Dickson Township6.5 miles apart · They share a border · Same county
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
–Marilla TownshipNot graded C+Dickson TownshipBetter than 38% of districts in the state
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
Marilla TownshipDickson Township
Snow a year93″93″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)22nd32nd
Outdoors & history
Marilla TownshipDickson Township
Trails36 mi111 mi
Conserved land24%59.3%
Community
Marilla TownshipDickson Township
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.

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.

Marilla TownshipDickson Township
People
Population 482Lowest 922Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census — -1.3% MI: +2%
Median age 31.9±5.3Lowest 21% below MI 48.9±6.6Highest 22% above MI
Kids under 18 36.7%±2.8Highest MI: 21.2% 22%±5.2Lowest MI: 21.2%
Age 65+ 16.4%±6Lowest MI: 18.6% 26.1%±1.8Highest MI: 18.6%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 15.8%Lowest MI: 32.4% 19.7%Highest MI: 32.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.1%±2.2Highest MI: 6.1% 1.6%±1.7Lowest MI: 6.1%
Marilla Township and Dickson Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $63,654±$7kHighest 13% below MI $55,781±$13kLowest 23% below MI
Marilla Township and Dickson Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $223,900±$34kHighest 3% below MI $157,400±$9kLowest 32% below MI
Rentmedian gross, monthly — $1,625±$997 44% above MI
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,467Lowest 49% below MI $1,525Highest 47% below MI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 11.1%±100Lowest MI: 50.4% 66.7%±28.2Highest MI: 50.4%
Dickson Township and Marilla Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 10.2%Lowest MI: 13.2% 21.8%Highest MI: 13.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 89.2%Lowest MI: 73.2% 91.3%Highest MI: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1977Highest 5 yrs newer than MI 1975Lowest 3 yrs newer than MI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 46 minHighest 90% above MI 32 minLowest 31% above MI
Work from home 11.6%±14.5Highest MI: 13.5% 8.2%±5Lowest MI: 13.5%
Marilla Township and Dickson Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0%Lowest 3.3%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 24.3 miHighest 22.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.00Lowest 0.53Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Traverse City (15%)Manistee Township (23%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Dickson TownshipFew work in Marilla Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 24%Lowest 59.3%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 36.2 miLowest 111.0 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.0 miLowest 1.6 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 4Lowest 6Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 1.0Lowest 1.3Highest
Schools
School district —Kaleva Norman Dickson School District
High school in town —Brethren High School
Students per teacherat that high school — 16.9
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.

Marilla Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Marilla Township’s Town Square.

Dickson Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Dickson Township’s Town Square.

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Bordering Marilla Township

M
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Maple Grove Township1,555 people · $117K homes
C
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Cleon Township1,124 people · $188K homes
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Springville Township1,559 people · $132K homes

Towns like Marilla Township

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Noble Township551 people · $225K homes
F
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Freeport523 people · $176K homes
B
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Bloomfield Township485 people · $193K homes
W
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Walker Township496 people · $202K 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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