Silver Lake Rebuilding, 2019
Chums Corner’s story
Chums Corner in pictures
The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2019.
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Chums CornerMI
A town of 1,186.
2 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Gonzaga15 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,186
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$373K
Census ACS
Household income
$101K
median
Median age
50.9
years
Jobs based here
1,047
A job hub
Is Chums Corner a good place to live?
Chums Corner’s midpoint age is 50.9 years, above both Michigan’s towns (42.5 years) and U.S. towns (40.5 years). Optimist Youth Foundation Cabin Property, at 42 acres with 1.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. We don’t grade Chums Corner yet; the figures below are still real.
What makes Chums Corner stand out
Where Chums Corner beats most towns.
Small town
1,186 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Garfield TownshipBlair TownshipChums Corner
Getting set up
Moving to Chums Corner: who provides what
Chums Corner is unincorporated, so Grand Traverse County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerDTE20.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterBlair Township water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers86% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesGrand Traverse CountyGrand Traverse County provides services here
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 hereBlair Township ClerkBlair Township; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP code4968549685 100%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 Chums Corner.
Work & commute
A job hub: Chums Corner has 2.3 jobs for every working resident and draws in 1,038 commuters
Employers in Chums Corner added 900 jobs between 2011 and 2021, to 1,047. Just 2% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. The town’s typical journey to work stands at 21 minutes, where Michigan’s towns sit at 25 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Half of commuters travel less than 6 miles.
2%work in town
| Chums Corner | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 2% | 5.9% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Chums Corner2%
Traverse City34%
Garfield Township21%
East Bay Township4%
Blair Township3%
6 mi
median commute distance
1,047
jobs based in Chums Corner
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Natural hazards
In Chums Corner, the FEMA risk score runs lower than in the typical Michigan or U.S. town
Expected losses in Chums Corner break down as 59% from cold waves and 24% from inland flooding.
2risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesInland floodingWinter weather
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Who lives here
More middle-aged adults than Michigan overall
31% of adults 25 and older hold at least a bachelor’s degree, against 32% across Michigan. Adults 35 to 64 are 57% of residents (38% statewide); people 65 and older are 5% of residents (19% statewide).
50.9median age · MI 40.2
Chums CornerMichiganUnited States
Ages · share of residents
38%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma3%
High school17%
Some college32%
Associate’s18%
Bachelor’s11%
Graduate20%
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 24% and 53% women
The Census survey reached too few of Chums Corner’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±14.6 points. Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Chums Corner | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.4% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.3% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.2% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.5% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.6% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.2% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 38.3% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 3.2% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 1.3% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.5% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 17.2% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 31.9% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 17.8% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 10.9% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 19.7% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,200, single groups can be off by several points
Climate
Chums Corner: snowy winters and pleasant summers
In July, afternoons reach 80°; in January, nights fall to 15°, and about 101 inches of snow falls in a winter.
101″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter17–31°
Spring31–53°
Summer55–78°
Fall39–57°
Oct 15
typical first frost
May 9
typical last frost
+2.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Chums Corner is
In Chums Corner, 16% of adults say their health is fair or poor. Two figures for adults here: 9.3% have diabetes, 32% have high blood pressure.
| Chums Corner | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.3% | 12% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 36% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 34% | 36% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
12 better20 too close to call0 worse
| What stands out | Chums Corner | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.8% | 15.4% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.5% | 10.2% |
Munson Medical Center
5.9 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Housing
The median home in Chums Corner sells for about $521K
For households in Chums Corner, the share who own their home is 91%.
$521Kmedian sale price
1
homes sold in April
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Outdoors
0% of Chums Corner is conserved land
Trails total 1.6 miles in 5 parks and preserves. The density of trails in Chums Corner is 0.6 miles per square mile.
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 1,774 acres
1.6 mi
of trails · 0.6 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Optimist Youth Foundation Cabin Property | 1.5 mi | 42 |
| 2. Silver Meadows Park | — | 10 |
| 3. Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Chums Corner
16pages on Chums Corner
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Chums Corner
Northwestern Michigan CollegeCommunity college · Public · Traverse City7.1 mi$5,860 in-state tuition
About 11 of every 100 Chums Corner residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
A job hub
Every workday, about 1,038 people come to Chums Corner for work
Where Chums Corner’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
1,047jobs based in Chums Corner
2%of working residents work in town
6 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2021
About Chums Corner
Census-designated place & unincorporated community in Michigan, United States
Chums Corner (also called Chum's Corner, Chums Corners, or simply Chums) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Grand Traverse County in the U.S. state of Michigan. According to the 2020 census, the population was 1,065. The community is located within Blair Township.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.7 sq mi
- Elevation
- 889 ft
Questions about Chums Corner
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Chums Corner, MI a good place to live?
We don’t grade Chums Corner yet; the figures below are still real.