Walloon Lake, Mich, 1900
Walloon Lake’s story
126 years in pictures
Census counts: 3 in 1870, 271 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 3 maps from 1958 on.
- 1900Walloon Lake is settled
Walloon LakeMI
Today 294 people live in this town, first settled in 1900.
Population
294
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$285K
Census ACS
Household income
$87K
median
Median age
50.7
years
Jobs based here
152
Balanced
Settled
1900
126 years ago
Is Walloon Lake a good place to live?
52% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Walloon Lake, above both Michigan’s towns (26%) and U.S. towns (29%). Walloon Lake’s trail density is 2.9 miles per square mile, where Michigan’s towns sit at 0.3 and U.S. towns at 0.4. North Shore Natural Area, at 86 acres with 1.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Walloon Lake has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
294 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Walloon Lake.
Natural hazards
Walloon Lake has a very low natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding
7risk score of 100
Compared with 93% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in Walloon Lake is lower. Expected losses in Walloon Lake break down as 53% from inland flooding and 37% from cold waves.
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold waves
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Walloon Lake has snowy winters and pleasant summers
112″snow a winter
About 112 inches of snow fall in a winter here; January nights dip to 13° and July afternoons rise to 80°.
Typical low → high °F
Winter15–30°
Spring30–52°
Summer55–78°
Fall39–57°
Oct 3
typical first frost
May 23
typical last frost
+1.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commute
With 1.4 jobs for every working resident, Walloon Lake draws in 148 commuters
4%work in town
Since 2011, Walloon Lake has added 82 jobs, to 152 in 2021. Only 4% of working residents stay in Walloon Lake for work; the rest commute out. Its typical journey to work is recorded as 22 minutes. The top destinations are Petoskey (13%), Melrose Township (8%) and Boyne City (7%).
| Walloon Lake | Typical Michigan town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 4.4% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.6% | 5.9% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Walloon Lake4%
Petoskey13%
Melrose Township8%
Boyne City7%
Bear Creek Township5%
12 mi
median commute distance
152
jobs based in Walloon Lake
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Health
How healthy Walloon Lake is
This Michigan town does better than the Michigan average on 9 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 2. 9.4% of adults worry about having enough food in Walloon Lake. Among adults locally, 82% had a checkup this year and 16% say their health is fair or poor.
| Walloon Lake | Typical Michigan town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 82% | 80% | 79% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 19% | 19% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 9.4% | 14% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
9 better21 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Walloon Lake | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.4% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.5% | 11.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.5% | 8.9% |
Mclaren Northern Michigan
7.2 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
Walloon Lake keeps 0.1% of its land conserved
0.1%conserved
3.8 miles of trail wind through 3 parks and preserves. Walloon Lake’s parks and preserves take up 91 acres in all.
0.1%
conserved · 1 of 862 acres
3.8 mi
of trails · 2.9 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. North Shore Natural Area | 1.3 mi | 86 |
| 2. Melrose Township Park | — | 4 |
| 3. Village Green Park | 0.1 mi | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Walloon Lake
16pages on Walloon Lake
The big questions
Out and about
Getting set up
Moving to Walloon Lake: who provides what
Walloon Lake is unincorporated, so Charlevoix County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerDTE20.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterWalloon Lake Water SystemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers85% 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 hereMelrose Township ClerkMelrose Township; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP code4979649796 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.
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Walloon Lake
About 4 of every 100 Walloon Lake residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
About Walloon Lake
Census-designated place & unincorporated community in Michigan, United States
Walloon Lake 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 271 at the 2020 census. The community is located within Melrose Township. As an unincorporated community, Walloon Lake has no legal autonomy of its own but does have its own post office with the 49796 ZIP Code.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 715 ft
- ZIP code
- 49796
- Area code
- 231
Questions about Walloon Lake
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Walloon Lake, MI a good place to live?
Walloon Lake has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Walloon Lake is in here
Say something about Walloon Lake.
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