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%

Sidney Township$1,410/mo

Typical home $231K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.03% · or rent about $1,294/mo · Housing →

Arbela Township$930/mo

Typical home $150K (Census) · tax rate 1.13% · or rent about $985/mo · Housing →

The difference: $480 a month, about $5,700 a year, between Sidney Township and Arbela 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

Arbela Township places higher on 10 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

B−Sidney TownshipBetter than 46% of districts in the state –Arbela TownshipNot graded

Health

C−Sidney TownshipHealthier than 17% of U.S. towns C−Arbela TownshipHealthier than 23% of U.S. towns

7Sidney Township

10Arbela Township

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

Most conserved landOutdoors · 712 towns #180#593 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 723 towns #365#655 Cheapest rentCost of living · 687 towns #545#297 Most trailsOutdoors · 601 towns #339#543 Shortest commuteGetting around · 723 towns #449#694 Fastest growingGrowth · 723 towns #519#691 Highest graduation rateSchools · 540 towns #256#135 Most walkableOutdoors · 723 towns #584#706

Left end = #1 in Michigan. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Sidney 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

Sidney TownshipArbela Township

Snow a year73″49″

January low13°F —

July high84°F —

Growing season (days)133d —

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)15th 53rd

Outdoors & history

Sidney TownshipArbela Township

Trails12 mi 2 mi

Conserved land8.1%1.3%

National Register places1 —

Community

Sidney TownshipArbela Township

Colleges in town1 —

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

75 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Sidney TownshipMontcalm County Arbela TownshipTuscola County

Sidney Township ↔ Arbela Township75 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

Sidney TownshipArbela Township

People

Population 2,603Lowest 2,794Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -1.4%Highest MI: +2% -8.5%Lowest MI: +2%

Median age 46.9±6.1Lowest 17% above MI 47.8±6.6Highest 19% above MI

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

Kids under 18 20.9%±3.9Highest MI: 21.2% 18.3%±4.3Lowest MI: 21.2%

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

Age 65+ 27.3%±6.3Highest MI: 18.6% 21.4%±3.9Lowest MI: 18.6%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 15.8%Highest MI: 32.4% 12.5%Lowest MI: 32.4%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.5%±1 MI: 6.1% 1.5%±1 MI: 6.1%

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $60,050±$11kLowest 18% below MI $65,185±$9kHighest 11% below MI

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $188,300±$28kHighest 19% below MI $150,400±$16kLowest 35% below MI

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

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,294±$367Highest 15% above MI $985±$223Lowest 13% below MI

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

Property taxmedian, yearly $1,938Highest 33% below MI $1,707Lowest 41% below MI

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 69.2%±33.7Highest MI: 50.4% 26.1%±42.7Lowest MI: 50.4%

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

Below poverty line 14.7%Highest MI: 13.2% 13.4%Lowest MI: 13.2%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 90%Lowest MI: 73.2% 92.7%Highest MI: 73.2%

Typical home builtmedian year 1976Highest 4 yrs newer than MI 1975Lowest 3 yrs newer than MI

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 26 minLowest 8% above MI 36 minHighest 50% above MI

Work from home 8.3%±3.8Lowest MI: 13.5% 9.1%±3.8Highest MI: 13.5%

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

Work in townworking residents 2.3%Highest 0.8%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 26.8 miHighest 19.8 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.55Highest 0.06Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Greenville (12%)Frankenmuth (11%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Arbela TownshipFew work in Sidney Township

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 8.1%Highest 1.3%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 11.9 miHighest 2.4 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.3 miHighest 0.1 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 4Highest 0Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 3.9Highest 2.1Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #326 of 493 in MI—

School district Central Montcalm Public Schools · Montcalm Area ISD—

High school in town Central Montcalm Middle High School—

Students per teacherat that high school 19.7 —

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.

Sidney Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Sidney Township’s Town Square.

Arbela Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Arbela Township’s Town Square.

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Bordering Sidney Township

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Montcalm Township3,452 people · $211K homes

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Fairplain Township1,896 people · $162K homes

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Evergreen Township3,001 people · $195K homes

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Douglass Township2,213 people · $157K homes

Towns like Sidney Township

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Warren Township2,295 people · $155K homes

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Adams Township2,149 people · $164K homes

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Garfield Township1,907 people · $172K homes

+ Compare

Sage Township2,325 people · $164K 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.

Sidney Township vs Arbela Township

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $480 more a month in Sidney Township

Arbela Township places higher on 10 of 19 MI lists

What daily life feels like in each

75 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Sidney Township and Arbela Township

Bordering Sidney Township

Towns like Sidney Township

Post to Sidney Township

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