The 18 tiniest cities in Michigan (original) (raw)

(Mark Copier | The Grand Rapids Press)

Meet Michigan's smallest cities

When the Michigan territory was first surveyed, it was laid out in a grid of townships each measuring six square miles — supposedly the distance someone could travel on horse to and from the county courthouse in one day. Michigan now has more than 500 incorporated municipalities, and many of them are quite small — though the smallest ones are not necessarily the most remote. Read on for to learn a little about all of Michigan's cities (not including villages) with populations under 1,000, from most to least populous; the location of the smallest city may surprise you.

MLive file photo | Mark Copier

18. Saugatuck

Pop: 925

Incorporated: 1968

The population of this artist haven on the Kalamazoo River more than triples in size during the summertime, when its galleries, boutiques and scenery (including its Lake Michigan dunes) make it a popular tourist destination. It was originally known as "Kalamazoo Village."

17. Caspian

Pop: 906

Incorporated: 1949

This Iron County community and former mining village in the western Upper Peninsula is known as the "caring city." When it was founded at the turn of the century, it was originally known as "Palatka." As with several communities in the western U.P., the city boasts a rich Italian heritage.

16. Grant

Pop: 894

Incorporated: 1969

Named for President Ulysses S. Grant, this west Michigan city sits practically equidistant to Grand Rapids and Muskegon. The city began as a sawmill town, and at the height of lumber-era production, was shipping off more than a million feet of lumber every year.

15. Au Gres

Pop: 889

Incorporated: 1905

Nicknamed Michigan's "Perch Capital," Au Gres' actual name refers to the gritty sandstone that French explorers found here when they first came to the region. The Au Gres river cuts through the city before it empties into Saginaw Bay, which made it a hot spot for logging and, in recent history, a popular vacation destination.

14. Clarkston

Pop: 882

Incorporated: 1992

The earliest known house built in this half-square-mile-sized city in Oakland County was constructed in 1830. The city's entire historic downtown is on the National Register of Historic Places.

13. Onaway

Pop: 880

Incorporated: 1903

"The Sturgeon Capital of Michigan" sits where the tip of Michigan's pointer finger would be and is about 10 miles from Ocqueoc Falls, hailed as the only accessible waterfall in the Lower Peninsula.

12. Stephenson

Pop: 862

Incorporated: 1968

Stephenson sits on a slice of land that pokes down into Lake Michigan from the southern shore of the U.P. There's been a post office here since 1878, but the community wasn't officially incorporated into a city until nearly a century later.

11. Lake City

Pop: 836

Incorporated: 1932

Though only having a total area of just over a mile, Lake City touches three lakes — Lake Sapphire, Crooked Lake, and Lake Missaukee — hence the city's name. It's known as Michigan's "Christmas Tree Capital."

Kids pick blueberries on a blueberry farm in Gobles. MLive file photo | Mark Bugnaski

10. Gobles

Pop: 829

Incorporated: 1957

This city in Van Buren County, in the southwest corner of the state, was originally known as Gobleville. It was shortened to "Gobles" in 1922. The city was torn up by a fire in 2012, which destroyed several businesses.

MLive file photo, DANIELLE MCGREW

9. Caseville

Pop: 777

Incorporated: 2010

Caseville sits on the tip of Michigan's Thumb, at the mouth of the Pigeon River where it empties into Saginaw Bay. The 10-day "Cheeseburger in Caseville" festival, which celebrates Jimmy Buffet and the city's "tropical" Great Lakes paradise vibe, is a major draw every August.

8. McBain

Pop: 656

Incorporated: 1907

This Missaukee County city got its start as a sawmill town in the late 1800's. It's home to the very tiny roadside Wayside Chapel.

A parade in Rose City. MLive file photo, Brian Smith

7. Rose City

Pop: 653

Incorporated: 1905

This former lumber town was originally founded under the name "Churchill," but was renamed to honor its founder, Allen S. Rose, around the turn of the century when the railroads came through. The city suffered a major blow in 1910 when a fire wiped out 30 buildings — nearly the entire business district — in less than an hour, fueled by the timber-frame construction used at that time.

Sturgeon Point Light Station is one of the historic attractions in and near Harrisville. MLive file photo, EDWARD HOOGTERP

6. Harrisville

Pop: 514

Incorporated: 1905

This little city on the shores of Lake Huron was founded in the late 1800's and retains several of its turn-of-the-century structures, which can be seen on the Harrisville Heritage Route Trail. The city's harbor is also a popular spot for trout and salmon fishing.

MLive file photo

5. Mackinac Island

Pop: 492

Incorporated: 1899

As many as 15,000 tourists may cram onto this 3.8-mile island on a single summer day during peak season — yet the year-round population is less than 500 residents. Many of the full-time residents live in Harrisonville (known to some as "the village"), which is just up a hill past Grand Hotel.

4. Whittemore

Pop: 384

Incorporated: 1907

Located in Iosco County, just north of Saginaw Bay, this city encompasses less than one square mile (0.99 square miles, to be exact). One of Whittemore's claims to fame is the Whittemore Speedway, the longest continuously operating racetrack in the state.

The Berkshire Mine in Gaastra

3. Gaastra

Pop: 347

Incorporated: 1948

Named after the speculator who bought and platted this land at the turn of the 20th century, this Iron County city and former mining town sits along the far western border of the Upper Peninsula. It shares a police and fire department with the neighboring small city of Caspian.

Omer's historic Second Arenac County Courthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places. Photo via Wikimedia Commons user Ian Poellet.

2. Omer

Pop: 337

Incorporated: 1903

Signs on the way into Omer declare it to be Michigan’s smallest city, but in fact it is the second smallest. Omer is intersected by the Rifle River, which played a role in a story that gained the city international attention, when a a canoeist who'd fallen into the river was ticketed, under an antiquated law, for swearing in front of children. (The ACLU defended him, and the law was struck down.)

Lake Angelus, via Wikimedia Commons user OmidGul

1. Lake Angelus

Pop: 290

Incorporated: 1984

Though Omer claims the title of "smallest city in Michigan," this city is officially Michigan’s smallest — but it's located in Oakland County, the second-most populous county in the state. It's also tiny, size-wise: The city takes up 1.6 square miles, 0.6 of which is taken up by the lake that gives the city its name.

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