Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 6,513.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Bear Creek Township grades B+ overall, 197th of 697 graded towns in Michigan. Natural-hazard risk is low. Its schools rank ahead of 88% of Michigan towns and CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 80% of the country. What holds it back is price: homes are expensive, about $364K for a typical one and 4.7 times the Petoskey area’s $78K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 95% of U.S. towns, with 1 place on the National Register. 31% of residents are 65 or older in Bear Creek Township, above both the Michigan town median (19%) and the median of U.S. towns (18%). On history, just 42 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do better. Bear Creek Township's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 94% of U.S. towns.
Where Bear Creek Township beats most towns.
Bay ViewEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Bear Creek Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Bay View is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
The archive holds 3 maps from 1958 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in Bear Creek Township, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Bear Creek Township.
Bear Creek Township is a second-home town, gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns and trades workers with Petoskey and other neighbors.
39 miles of trail in 15 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit, 1,669 acres with 2.6 miles of trail. Bear Creek Township’s trail density is 0.9 miles per square mile.
| Bear Creek Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.9 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.4% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bay View Woods Park | 4.2 mi | 170 |
| 2. Petoskey State Park | 3.7 mi | 319 |
| 3. Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit | 2.6 mi | 1,669 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concord Academy PetoskeyLargest public high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 101 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
The FEMA risk score in Bear Creek Township is 3 of 100.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its widest gap with Michigan is food insecurity: 9.4% of its 13,459 adults worry about having enough food, against 15.4% statewide.
29% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Bear Creek Township. Bear Creek Township beats the Michigan average on 12 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 20% of adults get no exercise outside work in Bear Creek Township.
| Bear Creek Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 34% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 25% | 25% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 37% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 33% |
| What stands out | Bear Creek Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.4% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.7% | 11.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.7% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Petoskey weather station records that 124 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 99% of U.S. towns. The Petoskey weather station records that about 2 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 95% of U.S. towns.
Bear Creek Township has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 78° and January nights drop to 14°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Bear Creek Township has about as many jobs (2,718) as working residents, but only 340 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Bear Creek Township for work: only 14% work in town. Jobs based in Bear Creek Township fell to 2,718 in 2021, 453 fewer than in 2011. The top destinations are Petoskey (28%), Little Traverse Township (6%) and Resort Township (4%).
| Bear Creek Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Work from home | 7.8% | 10% | 11% |
| Median household income | $71,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
1 within 15 miles of the center of Bear Creek Township
About 3 of every 100 Bear Creek Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
Civil township in Michigan, United States
Bear Creek Township is a civil township of Emmet County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the township population was 6,542, making it the most populous municipality in Emmet County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Bear Creek Township.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its B+; Little Traverse Township (A) is closest.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bear Creek Township | #197 | B+ | C− | — | A | A− |
| Petoskey | #41 | A | C | B+ | A | A |
| Springvale Township | — | — | B− | — | A | A− |
| Melrose Township | — | — | B− | — | A− | B |
| Resort Township | #8 | A+ | B | — | A | A− |
| Little Traverse Township | #92 | A | B | — | A− | B+ |
| Bay View | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Conway | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Springvale Township and Melrose Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Bear Creek Township, Springvale Township, Melrose Township, Resort Township and Little Traverse Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Bay View and Conway aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Bear Creek Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Bear Creek Township grades B+ overall, better than 75% of U.S. towns and #197 of 697 in Michigan. It grades A− for health and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.