Watervale Historic District · National Register of Historic Places
Blaine Township’s story
Blaine Township in pictures
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →
Blaine TownshipMI
A town of 501.
3 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Rachel Kramer from Grandville, MI, United States · CC BY 2.0
Population
501
2025 Census estimate · +2.9% since 2020
Median home value
$249K
Census ACS
Household income
$75K
median
Median age
63.6
years
Jobs based here
27
A commuter town
Is Blaine Township a good place to live?
45% of residents are 65 or older in Blaine Township, above both the Michigan town median (19%) and the median of U.S. towns (18%). Of the 702 Michigan towns we compare, none has a higher median age than Blaine Township. 33% of the land in Blaine Township is conserved, above both the Michigan town median (4.4%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Watervale Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places. Blaine Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
501 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Joyfield TownshipGilmore TownshipArcadia TownshipBlaine Township
Nearby attractions
All 6 attractions →Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and 2 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Blaine Township. Close and well known come first.
9 mi National LakeshoreSleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore1.6M visitors a year
22 mi TheatreRamsdell Theatre9 mi MuseumMichigan Legacy Art ParkSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore: en:User:Grod028, Public domain · Ramsdell Theatre: Doug Coldwell, CC BY-SA 4.0
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Blaine Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Blaine Township, and how to reach them.
PowerConsumers Energy20.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Blaine Township’s trash rules yet
SchoolsFrankfort-Elberta Area SchoolsBenzie County Central School2 districts serve Blaine Township; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn Michigan you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereBlaine Township ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP codes49635, 4961349635 70% · 49613 30%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Blaine Township.
Outdoors
Blaine Township has set aside nearly a third of its land for conservation
15 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. Blaine Township’s trail density is 0.7 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Green Point Dunes Nature Preserve, 244 acres with 1.7 miles of trail.
32.5%conserved
32.5%
conserved · 4,349 of 13,394 acres
15 mi
of trails · 0.7 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Arcadia Dunes: The C.S. Mott Nature Preserve | 9.4 mi | 1,850 |
| 2. Green Point Dunes Nature Preserve | 1.7 mi | 244 |
| 3. Pete's Woods - Arcadia Dunes: The C.S. Mott Nature Preserve | 1.4 mi | 132 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazards
Blaine Township faces a low natural-hazard risk, led by cold waves
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 79% of U.S. communities.
21risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesInland flooding
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commute
With 0.2 jobs for every working resident, most of Blaine Township’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Blaine Township for work: only 0% work in town. The average trip to work in Blaine Township is 22 minutes. The top destinations are Benzonia Township (19%), Frankfort (16%) and Traverse City (6%).
0%work in town
| Blaine Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Blaine Township0%
Benzonia Township19%
Frankfort16%
Traverse City6%
Weldon Township6%
11 mi
median commute distance
27
jobs based in Blaine Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Blaine Township
Blaine Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 77°, January nights drop to 17° and about 93 inches of snow falls in a winter.
93″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter19–30°
Spring34–51°
Summer57–75°
Fall42–56°
Oct 26
typical first frost
May 2
typical last frost
+2.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
Fewer of Blaine Township’s adults binge drink than in the typical Michigan or U.S. town
13% of Blaine Township adults binge drink. Blaine Township beats the Michigan average on 14 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 29% of Blaine Township adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Blaine Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 17% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 85% | 80% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 34% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 18% | 17% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
14 better10 too close to call8 worse
| What stands out | Blaine Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 6.8% | 11.9% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 5.1% | 8.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 14.9% | 8.9% |
Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital
6.7 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Blaine Township
17pages on Blaine Township
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Blaine Township; the nearest are
Northwestern Michigan CollegeCommunity college · Public · Traverse City32.7 mi$5,860 in-state tuitionWest Shore Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Scottville38.3 mi$4,470 in-state tuitionFerris State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Big Rapids69 mi$14,778 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Blaine Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Blaine Township for work
Where Blaine Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
27jobs based in Blaine Township
0%of working residents work in town
11 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2021
About Blaine Township
Civil township in Michigan, United States
Blaine Township is a civil township of Benzie County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the township population was 484. It is located in the southwest portion of the county. There are no significant population centers in the township; the nearest towns are Arcadia to the south, Benzonia to the northeast, and Elberta to the northwest. M-22 is the township's main thoroughfare.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 21 sq mi
- Elevation
- 653 ft
Questions about Blaine Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Blaine Township, MI a good place to live?
Blaine Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.