Horton Bay Historical District, 2015
Horton Bay’s story
147 years in pictures
The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2015 and 2 maps from 1958 on.
- 1879Horton Bay is settled
Horton BayMI
A town of 374, settled in 1879.
3 bordering townsMap →
Photo: rossograph · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
374
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$346K
Census ACS
Household income
$70K
median
Median age
64.3
years
Jobs based here
21
A commuter town
Is Horton Bay a good place to live?
Horton Bay’s median age is 64.3 years, above both Michigan’s towns (42.5 years) and U.S. towns (40.5 years). Only 2 of the 702 Michigan towns we compare have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Horton Bay. The biggest park or preserve is Nick Adams Nature Preserve, at 31 acres. Horton Bay has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
374 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Bay TownshipHayes TownshipEvangeline TownshipHorton Bay
Getting set up
Moving to Horton Bay: who provides what
Horton Bay is unincorporated, so Charlevoix County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerDTE20.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterHorton Bay Club water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers96% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesCharlevoix CountyCharlevoix 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 hereBay Township ClerkBay Township; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP codes49712, 4972049712 86% · 49720 14%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 Horton Bay.
Who lives here
48% of residents are 65 or older
People 65 and older are 48% of residents (19% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 23% of residents (38% statewide). 32% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across Michigan.
64.3median age · MI 40.2
Horton BayMichiganUnited States
Ages · share of residents
31%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma3%
High school25%
Some college18%
Associate’s23%
Bachelor’s21%
Graduate10%
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 49% and 75% women
The Census survey reached too few of Horton Bay’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±12.8 points. Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Horton Bay | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.7% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 1.3% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.2% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 6.4% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 3.5% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.1% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 31% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 16.8% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.5% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.5% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.2% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 23.3% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.4% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.1% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 400, single groups can be off by several points
Natural hazards
Horton Bay stands out in Michigan and nationally, with the FEMA risk score lower than most
Horton Bay’s FEMA risk score is 3 of 100, below both the Michigan town median (25 of 100) and the median of U.S. towns (44 of 100).
3risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold waves
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commute
With 0.1 jobs for every working resident, most of Horton Bay’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Horton Bay for work: only 1% work in town. The average trip to work in Horton Bay is 20 minutes. The top destinations are Boyne City (18%), Petoskey (11%) and Bear Creek Township (6%).
1%work in town
| Horton Bay | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $70,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Horton Bay1%
Boyne City18%
Petoskey11%
Bear Creek Township6%
Resort Township4%
10 mi
median commute distance
21
jobs based in Horton Bay
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Climate
In Horton Bay, expect snowy winters and pleasant summers
Horton Bay has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Horton Bay’s July high is 79°F.
124″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter16–30°
Spring31–52°
Summer55–77°
Fall39–57°
Oct 6
typical first frost
May 16
typical last frost
+1.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Horton Bay is
Horton Bay beats the Michigan average on 15 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 14% of Horton Bay adults report frequent mental distress.
| Horton Bay | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 18% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 32% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 34% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
15 better15 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Horton Bay | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.8% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 4.5% | 8.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.9% | 8.9% |
Mclaren Northern Michigan
8.2 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
Horton Bay has set aside 1% of its land for conservation
2.6 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves.
1%conserved
| Horton Bay | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
1%
conserved · 40 of 3,922 acres
2.6 mi
of trails · 0.4 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Maplecrest Preserve | 0.8 mi | 22 |
| 2. Church Family Preserve | 0.6 mi | 26 |
| 3. Nick Adams Nature Preserve | — | 31 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Horton Bay
16pages on Horton Bay
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Horton Bay
About 0 of every 100 Horton Bay residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Horton Bay for work
Where Horton Bay’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
21jobs based in Horton Bay
1%of working residents work in town
10 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2021
About Horton Bay
Census-designated place & unincorporated community in Michigan, United States
Horton Bay is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Charlevoix County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population of the CDP was 485 at the 2020 census. The community is located within Bay Township on northeastern shores of Lake Charlevoix.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 6.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 669 ft
- Area code
- 231
Questions about Horton Bay
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Horton Bay, MI a good place to live?
Horton Bay has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.