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%

Thornapple Township$1,760/mo

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

Blendon Township$2,390/mo

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

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

Health

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

8Thornapple Township

9Blendon Township

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

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

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

Thornapple TownshipBlendon 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)26th 18th

Outdoors & history

Thornapple TownshipBlendon Township

Trails14 mi 1 mi

Conserved land2.7%0.8%

National Register places2 —

Famous people born here—1

Community

Thornapple TownshipBlendon Township

Library hours a week16 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.

Thornapple TownshipBlendon Township

Thornapple Township ↔ Blendon 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

Thornapple TownshipBlendon Township

People

Population 9,514Highest 7,357Lowest

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

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

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 26.3%±3.5Lowest MI: 21.2% 27.5%±3.8Highest 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+ 10.4%±1.9Lowest MI: 18.6% 15.8%±2.7Highest MI: 18.6%

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

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.2%±2Highest MI: 6.1% 3.3%±1.8Lowest 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 $90,772±$18kLowest 25% above MI $95,288±$12kHighest 31% 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 $280,800±$26kLowest 21% above MI $395,600±$21kHighest 71% above MI

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,059±$97Lowest 6% below MI $1,164±$222Highest 3% above 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 $3,499Lowest 20% above MI $3,777Highest 30% above MI

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

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

Housing

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

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

Getting to work

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

Work from home 9.6%±3.4Highest MI: 13.5% 8%±2.7Lowest 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 11.8%Highest 6.5%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 15.3 miHighest 10.8 miLowest

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

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

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

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 2.7%Highest 0.8%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 14.4 miHighest 1.0 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.4 miHighest 0.0 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 11Highest 1Lowest

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

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.

Thornapple Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Thornapple Township’s Town Square.

Blendon Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Blendon Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Thornapple Township

+ Compare

Irving Township3,807 people · $366K homes

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Yankee Springs Township5,406 people · $374K homes

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Caledonia Township16,485 people · $383K homes

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Leighton Township7,149 people · $358K homes

Towns like Thornapple Township

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Howell Township8,286 people · $276K homes

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Blair Township9,105 people · $275K homes

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Sparta Township9,494 people · $232K homes

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Flat Rock10,340 people · $229K 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.

Thornapple Township vs Blendon 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 Thornapple Township and Blendon Township

Bordering Thornapple Township

Towns like Thornapple Township

Post to Thornapple Township

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