A town of 10,154, settled in 1840. A regional job hub with 5,969 jobs.
The 3 things Alpena does most differently from other towns.
1895 · Maltz Block Postcard 189530 postcards, papers and photographs from public archives, and 6 places on the National Register.
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Nothing on the calendar.
Ordered by what stands out in Alpena. Another town gets a different order.
About one in 3 of Alpena’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Alpena (21%), Lansing (1%) and Gaylord (1%). Half commute less than 3 miles.
The median sale price was $178,000 in May 2026.
3.9 miles of trails across 16 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Island Park | 1.4 mi | 18 |
| 2. Mich-e-ke-wis Park | 0.4 mi | 17 |
| 3. Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary | — | 18 |
Alpena beats the Michigan average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12.
| What stands out | Alpena | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 15.1% | 10.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.9% | 8.1% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.4% | 7% |
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 25% of U.S. communities.
Alpena reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 69% report less.
Alpena has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 78°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 59 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
The public schools Alpena’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, trail 54% of Michigan’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they sit near the middle.
| School | Grades | Students | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Besser Elementary School | K–5 | 470 | B |
| Ella M White Elementary | K–5 | 440 | B− |
| Lincoln Elementary | K–5 | 146 | C− |
| Immanuel Lutheran School Private | PK–8 | 137 | |
| All Saints Catholic School Private | PK–8 | 134 | |
| Alpena High School | 8–12 | 1,091 | B+ |
1917
Liberty Bonds - Public Gatherings - War Activities at Alpena, Michigan. Victory Loan drive
Photo · Wikimedia Commons. A different picture from Alpena’s archive appears here every day.
See all 30 archive items →6 places in Alpena on the National Register of Historic Places.
30 notable people were born in Alpena.
City in Michigan, United States
Alpena ( al-PEE-nə) is the only city in and the county seat of Alpena County, Michigan, United States. The population was 10,197 at the 2020 census, making it the third most populated city in the Northern Michigan region, after Traverse City and Cadillac. The city is surrounded by Alpena Township, but the two are administered autonomously. It is the core city of the Alpena micropolitan statistical area, which encompasses all of Alpena County and had a total population of 28,907 at the 2020 census. Alpena is located at the head of Thunder Bay, a bay of Lake Huron. Offshore of Alpena is the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, which protects an estimated 116 historically significant shipwre…
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