Whitewater Township, MI (Elk Lake Road), 2019
Whitewater Township’s story
Whitewater Township in pictures
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2019 and 2 maps from 1957 on.
Explore the history →Whitewater TownshipMI
A town of 2,736.
Population
2,736
2025 Census estimate · +1.9% since 2020
Median home value
$373K
Census ACS
Household income
$94K
median
Median age
52.3
years
Jobs based here
420
A commuter town
TownGrade
A
#118 of 697 in MI
What should you know before moving to Whitewater Township?
Whitewater Township's standout: natural-hazard risk is low. Overall it grades A, 118th of 697 graded towns in Michigan. Its schools outperform 90% of the state's and residents are healthier than 82% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Whitewater Township’s trail density is 2.7 miles per square mile, against 0.3 in Michigan’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 93% of U.S. towns. Only 81 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score lower on history.
What makes Whitewater Township stand out
Where Whitewater Township beats most towns.
Get outside
145 miles of trails in Whitewater Township
1.1% of the town is conserved land, across 10 parks and preserves.
Trails © OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
How Whitewater Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Whitewater Township is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for hazard risk (better than 96% of comparable towns) to D for walkability (better than 7%), so the A overall blends very different results.
Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 12% of U.S. communities; cold waves tops the listA+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5 of 20; 1.7% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →SchoolsAOpen →HealthKalkaska Memorial Health Center 10.5 miles awayA−Open →Jobs & income$94K median household incomeB+Open →Cost of livingTypical home $373K, 4.6 years of the Traverse City metro’s $81K median household incomeB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors1% conserved landB+Open →HistoryC−Open →Civic life3.4 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsB+Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Whitewater Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Whitewater Township, and how to reach them.
PowerDTE20.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
Internet5 providers87% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpWhitewater Township Recycling Drop Off Site5777 Vinton RoadOpenStreetMap
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 hereWhitewater Township ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP codes49690, 4969649690 95% · 49696 5%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 Whitewater Township.
Whitewater Township is a second-home town, gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns and has less food insecurity than most of Michigan.
OutdoorsB+
Conserved land covers 1.1% of Whitewater Township
Whitewater Township sits where Michigan’s towns sit at 4.4% and U.S. towns at 4.3% on this measure. 145 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Sand Lakes Quiet Area, 2,364 acres with 18.4 miles of trail.
#22for trails in MI
1.1%
conserved · 387 of 34,078 acres
145 mi
of trails · 2.7 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit | 106.2 mi | 14,850 |
| 2. Sand Lakes Quiet Area | 18.4 mi | 2,364 |
| 3. Whitewater Township Park | 2 mi | 101 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
SchoolsA
Whitewater Township earns an A for schools
Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
90%of MI districts it outscoresASchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mill Creek AcademyLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 233 | – |
| Woodland SchoolTop results in townGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 209 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A+
Very low risk in Whitewater Township, with cold waves at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 88% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Whitewater Township since 2020.
12risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesInland floodingWinter weather
1
paid flood claims since 2020
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthA−
Whitewater Township earns an A− for health
Its widest gap with Michigan is food insecurity: 8.1% of its 5,647 adults worry about having enough food, against 15.4% statewide.
29% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Whitewater Township. Whitewater Township beats the Michigan average on 16 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 15% of adults report frequent mental distress in Whitewater Township.
82%healthier than U.S. townsA−Health Grade
| Whitewater Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 34% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 18% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 33% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
16 better15 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Whitewater Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.1% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 4.9% | 8.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.8% | 8.9% |
Kalkaska Memorial Health Center
10.5 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
87th
percentile among MI towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B+
With 0.4 jobs for every working resident, most of Whitewater Township’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Whitewater Township for work: only 2% work in town. 3.2% of Whitewater Township residents live below the poverty line. Since 2011, Whitewater Township has added 266 jobs, to 420 in 2021.
2%work in town
| Whitewater Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 3.2% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $94,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.2% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Work from home | 13% | 10% | 11% |
Where working residents work
In Whitewater Township2%
Traverse City32%
Garfield Township13%
East Bay Township4%
Elk Rapids Township4%
13 mi
median commute distance
420
jobs based in Whitewater Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 7% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Climate
Whitewater Township has snowy winters and pleasant summers
The Traverse City Munson weather station, 12 miles away, records that 101 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 97% of U.S. towns.
Whitewater Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Whitewater Township is 81°F.
101″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter17–31°
Spring32–54°
Summer55–79°
Fall40–58°
Oct 16
typical first frost
May 12
typical last frost
+2.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Whitewater Township
18pages on Whitewater Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Whitewater Township
Northwestern Michigan CollegeCommunity college · Public · Traverse City9.5 mi$5,860 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Whitewater Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Whitewater Township for work
Where Whitewater Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
420jobs based in Whitewater Township
2%of working residents work in town
13 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2021
About Whitewater Township
Civil township in Michigan, United States
Whitewater Township is a civil township of Grand Traverse County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,688 at the 2020 census, an increase from 2,597 at the 2010 census. Whitewater Township includes shores on Elk Lake and Lake Skegemog, two large lakes in the Chain of Lakes. A portion of the township is within the Grand Traverse Indian Reservation.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 54 sq mi
- Elevation
- 817 ft
Whitewater Township’s neighbors
6 towns share a border with Whitewater Township.
Kalkaska Township next door grades lower for schools (C+ to Whitewater Township’s A) and higher for cost of living (A+ to B−).
Milton TownshipAcme TownshipUnion TownshipEast Bay TownshipKalkaska TownshipClearwater TownshipWhitewater Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whitewater Township | #118 | A | B− | — | A | A− |
| Milton Township | — | — | C− | — | A | B |
| Acme Township | #49 | A | C+ | — | A− | A− |
| Union Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| East Bay Township | #137 | A− | C+ | — | A− | A− |
| Kalkaska Township | #272 | B | A+ | — | C+ | C |
| Clearwater Township | #324 | B | A | — | C+ | B |
Milton Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Whitewater Township, Milton Township, Acme Township, East Bay Township, Kalkaska Township and Clearwater Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Union Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Whitewater Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Whitewater Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Whitewater Township, MI a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Whitewater Township grades A overall, better than 85% of U.S. towns and #118 of 697 in Michigan. It grades A− for health and A for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Whitewater Township, MI expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.