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North Star Township vs Ithaca

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: street grid (11.6× in Ithaca) and jobs per worker (7.5× in Ithaca).

N ×
North Star Township, MIA small town of 867Gratiot County · 867 people
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Ithaca, MIHomes around $199KMichigan · 2,817 people
Swap order
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.

North Star TownshipA small town of 867
Quiet strengthsNorth Star Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about North Star Township →
IthacaHomes around $199K
Housing$199K typical home25% below the MI typical home Schools#243 for schools in MIof 493 towns Health71% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Ithaca →
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 grid11.6×
Ithaca has the more walkable street grid
Ithaca 23.2North Star Township 2.0
Jobs per worker7.5×
Ithaca is more of a job hub
Ithaca 1.58North Star Township 0.21
Home values+38%
Homes cost more in North Star Township
North Star Township $184,300Ithaca $133,200
Kids under 18+10 pts
North Star Township has more kids
North Star Township 26.8%Ithaca 16.8%
Homeowners+19.5 pts renters
Ithaca has more renters
North Star Township 91.8%Ithaca 72.3%
Work in town+19.1 pts
More of Ithaca’s workers stay in town
Ithaca 19.1%North Star Township 0%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $180 more a month in Ithaca

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.

North Star Township$1,110/mo
Typical home $184K (Census) · tax rate 0.92% · or rent about $1,208/mo · Housing →
Ithaca$1,290/mo
Typical home $199K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.48% · or rent about $819/mo · Housing →

The difference: $180 a month, about $2,200 a year, between Ithaca and North Star 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

North Star Township and Ithaca share a border

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

North Star TownshipIthacaNorth Star TownshipIthaca
North Star Township ↔ Ithaca4.3 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
31 North Star Township residents work in Ithaca (12.2% of its workers)
Work & commute in North Star Township →
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
–North Star TownshipNot graded B+IthacaBetter than 72% of districts in the state
Health
–North Star TownshipNot graded CIthacaHealthier than 29% of U.S. towns
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
North Star TownshipIthaca
Snow a year39″39″
January low15°F15°F
July high82°F82°F
Growing season (days)164d164d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)61st27th
Outdoors & history
North Star TownshipIthaca
Trails0 mi0 mi
Conserved land3.4%4.5%
Settled—1869
National Register places—2
Archive photos—7
Famous people born here—7
Community
North Star TownshipIthaca
Library hours a week—43 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.

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.

North Star TownshipIthaca
People
Population 867Lowest 2,817Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +0.8%Highest MI: +2% -2%Lowest MI: +2%
Median age 38.9±4.6Lowest 3% below MI 42.5±10.6Highest 6% above MI
Ithaca and North Star Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 26.8%±3.8Highest MI: 21.2% 16.8%±4.6Lowest MI: 21.2%
Age 65+ 15.6%±4Highest MI: 18.6% 15.3%±3.8Lowest MI: 18.6%
North Star Township and Ithaca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 24.2%Lowest MI: 32.4% 26.3%Highest MI: 32.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.5%±3.5Lowest MI: 6.1% 7.8%±4.2Highest MI: 6.1%
Ithaca and North Star Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $75,000±$14kHighest about the MI average $63,109±$5kLowest 13% below MI
North Star Township and Ithaca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $184,300±$15kHighest 20% below MI $133,200±$26kLowest 42% below MI
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,208±$477Highest 7% above MI $819±$89Lowest 27% below MI
North Star Township and Ithaca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,700Lowest 41% below MI $1,975Highest 32% below MI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 26.7%±100Lowest MI: 50.4% 46.7%±18.4Highest MI: 50.4%
Ithaca and North Star Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 5.8%Lowest MI: 13.2% 16.8%Highest MI: 13.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 91.8%Highest MI: 73.2% 72.3%Lowest MI: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1953Lowest 19 yrs older than MI 1958Highest 14 yrs older than MI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 32 minHighest 33% above MI 24 minLowest about the MI average
Work from home 7.3%±2.8Highest MI: 13.5% 0.7%±0.8Lowest MI: 13.5%
Work in townworking residents 0%Lowest 19.1%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 19.3 miHighest 18.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.21Lowest 1.58Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Ithaca (12%)Alma (10%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 12% work in IthacaFew work in North Star Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 3.4%Lowest 4.5%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.2 mi 0.2 mi
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Lowest 3Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 2.0Lowest 23.2Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#243 of 493 in MI
School district —Ithaca Public Schools
High school in town —Ithaca High School
Students per teacherat that high school — 18.6
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.

North Star Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to North Star Township’s Town Square.

Ithaca neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Ithaca’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering North Star Township

W
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Washington Township830 people · $162K homes
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Hamilton Township408 people · $174K homes
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Emerson Township751 people · $184K homes

Towns like North Star Township

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Hartwick Township764 people · $160K homes
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Porter Township1,181 people · $167K homes
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Sheridan Township700 people · $201K homes
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Reeder Township801 people · $168K 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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