The Wealthiest Small Town in Michigan Might Surprise You

When someone mentions that wealthiest areas in America and Michigan, what cities come to mind? Often times, people think of huge meccas, like New York City or Los Angeles and their rich suburbs. But, there are some wealthy locations that are in small town USA. After all, some people prefer a slower, quieter kind of lifestyle, and you'll find that in the charming small towns across America. So, what's the wealthiest small town in Michigan?

GOBankingRates (via Yahoo.com) has put together a study of U.S. Census Bureau income data in locations in every state, looking at 500 to 15,000 households to determine the wealthiest small towns in America. Then, they ranked them from lowest to highest income. Note that the study didn't include Alaska, due to "a lack of sufficient data." They listed the small towns that made the cut, as well as the median income in those towns.

What's interesting is that the median income in these small towns varies a lot per state. For example, in New York state, the richest small town is Flower Hill with a median income of $246,533. But, in West Virginia, the richest small town is Cassville with a median income of $105,440. If you're wondering, the small town with the highest median income in America is Orinda, California, with a median income of  $248,984, and the small town with the lowest "high" median income is Shelburne, Vermont, at $96,976.

So, let's get to the wealthiest small town in Michigan. It's the popular Orchard Lake Village City with a median income of $203,750. Are you surprised? Looking through this list, I haven't heard of most of these small towns. That would actually make for a great road trip, to visit the closest of these towns and see why they attract such wealthy Americans. For now, if you're in Orchard Lake Village City, you're living in the wealthiest small town in the state.

Summer is on the way, and that means it's about to be road trip season. I always enjoy driving around during the spring and summer months, discovering new towns around Michigan. Fall is a great time to road trip, too, because of the gorgeous colors. This state has so many beautiful small towns, which make for perfect stops during a long road trip.

So, how small are Michigan's tiniest dwellings? I actually looked up some data from the state of Michigan and discovered that many towns in Michigan have just a few hundred people. That's almost hard to imagine. Some examples are Addison at 597, Akron at 394 and Alba at 295. Now, that's really, really small.

When it comes to Michigan's quaint cities, I always enjoy South Haven. My uncle lives around that area, and I used to go there at lot as a kid. The beach town is right on the eastern shores of Lake Michigan, in the southwest part of the state. Its population is just over 4,000 residents, but it seems way bigger during the summer months, as it's a very popular tourist destination. Just thinking about South Haven's warm, sandy beaches is making me smile. If you head there, don't forget to check out South Haven's trademark red lighthouse.

Of course, South Haven is just the beginning when it comes to great places to visit. Read on for 40 small towns in Michigan that you need to visit this summer for a weekend getaway. You'll also find information on each town below with a link to that town's official website, so you can find more details about the best time to visit and how to get there.

https://www.munising.org/

https://www.travelmarquette.com/

https://www.traversecity.com/

https://www.michigan.org/city/holland

https://saultstemarie.com/

https://www.alpena.mi.us/

https://tawascity.org/

https://www.sjcity.com/

https://www.cityofharborsprings.com/

https://www.escanaba.org/

https://www.frankenmuth.org/

https://www.mackinacisland.org/

https://www.ci.northville.mi.us/

https://villageofontonagon.org/

https://www.michigan.org/city/paradise

https://www.copperharbor.org/

https://www.saugatuck.com/

https://petoskeyarea.com/

https://www.southhaven.org/

https://visitludington.com/

http://www.pentwater.org/

https://www.mytecumseh.org/

http://www.colonmichigan.org/

http://www.cityofboynecity.com/

https://www.michigan.org/city/caseville

https://portaustinarea.com/

https://www.easttawas.com/

https://stignace.com/

https://www.michigan.org/city/suttons-bay

https://www.newberrychamber.net/

http://www.cityofmarshall.com/

https://www.harrisvillemi.org/

https://www.frankfortmich.com/

https://villageofelberta.com/

https://elkrapids.org/

https://www.michigan.org/city/au-gres

https://www.rosecitymich.com/

https://www.gaylordmichigan.net/

https://menominee.us/