Big Bay is a tiny town located in the state of Michigan. With a population of 257 people and just one neighborhood, Big Bay is the 637th largest community in Michigan. Big Bay has an unusually large stock of pre-World War II architecture, making it one of the older and more historic towns.
Unlike some towns where white-collar or blue-collar occupations dominate the local economy, Big Bay is neither predominantly one nor the other. Instead, it has a mixed workforce of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Big Bay is a town of service providers, construction workers and builders, and professionals. There are especially a lot of people living in Big Bay who work in healthcare suport services (28.26%), teaching (18.48%), and food service (17.39%).
Another notable thing is that Big Bay is an extremely popular vacation destination. A significant portion of the population is seasonal. During the vacation season, the town experiences a large influx of people who take up residence in second homes they own in the area. As the vacation season ends, the population drops again, leaving behind a substantially quieter and smaller town.
Because of many things, Big Bay is a very good place for families to consider. With an enviable combination of good schools, low crime, college-educated neighbors who tend to support education because of their own experiences, and a high rate of home ownership in predominantly single-family properties, Big Bay really has some of the features that families look for when choosing a good community to raise children. Is Big Bay perfect? Of course not, and if you like frenetic nightlife, it will be far from your cup of tea. But overall this is a solid community, with many things to recommend it as a family-friendly place to live.
Residents will find that the town is relatively quiet. This is because it is not over-populated, and it has fewer college students, renters, and young children - all of whom can be noisy at times. So, if you're looking for a relatively peaceful place to live, Big Bay is worth considering.
Being a small town, Big Bay does not have a public transit system used by locals to get to and from work.
The percentage of adults in Big Bay who are college-educated is close to the national average for all communities of 21.84%: 20.15% of the adults in Big Bay have a bachelor's degree or advanced degree.
The per capita income in Big Bay in 2022 was $32,556, which is middle income relative to Michigan and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $130,224 for a family of four.
The people who call Big Bay home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Big Bay residents report their race to be White. Important ancestries of people in Big Bay include German, Irish, French, Norwegian, and English.
The most common language spoken in Big Bay is English. Other important languages spoken here include Polish and Italian.
Many things matter about a neighborhood, but the first thing most people notice is the way a neighborhood looks and its particular character. For example, one might notice whether the buildings all date from a certain time period or whether shop signs are in multiple languages. This particular neighborhood in Big Bay, the neighborhood, has some outstanding things about the way it looks and its way of life that are worth highlighting.
Of note is NeighborhoodScout's research finding that the neighborhood has some of the lowest rates of children living in poverty of any neighborhood in the United States. In a nation where approximately 1 in 4 children are living in poverty, the community truly stands out from the rest in this regard.
In addition, divorcees may find friendship and understanding in this neighborhood, as 24.1% of its residents are divorced. NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis found that this divorce rate is higher than in 98.7% of the neighborhoods in America.
Also, if you're nearing retirement age, or in retirement, the is an excellent choice for you to consider for top-quality retirement living. This neighborhood is rated by NeighborhoodScout as among the top 6.1% of retiree-friendly neighborhoods in Michigan, combining peace and quiet, safety from crime, and offering diverse housing options from which retirees can choose. Maybe it's because of these amenities that a large proportion of the residents here are college educated seniors, mixed with other age groups. For these and other reasons, NeighborhoodScout identifies this neighborhood as a top-notch place to consider if you are thinking of or planning to retire in Michigan.
This neighborhood has wide open spaces, few people, and lots of space to stretch out. If you like locations that fit that description, you may like this neighborhood. Based on NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis, with only 4 people per square mile living here, this neighborhood is less crowded than 98.6% of America. One of the notable things about is that it is one of the quietest neighborhoods in America, according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis and quantitative rating of quietness. When you are here, you will find it to be very quiet. If quiet and peaceful are your cup of tea, you may have found a great place for you.
In addition, vacant homes and apartments are a significant characteristic of this neighborhood. In fact, with 54.7% of the residential real estate vacant, the neighborhood claims the distinction of having a higher vacancy rate than 99.0% of the neighborhoods in America. This can either be because much of the property is seasonally occupied, like in many vacation areas, or that much of the real estate is more permanently abandoned.
Did you know that the neighborhood has more Finnish and German ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 6.3% of this neighborhood's residents have Finnish ancestry and 45.8% have German ancestry.
is also pretty special linguistically. Significantly, 6.9% of its residents five years old and above primarily speak Polish at home. While this may seem like a small percentage, it is higher than 96.0% of the neighborhoods in America.
How wealthy a neighborhood is, from very wealthy, to middle income, to low income is very formative with regard to the personality and character of a neighborhood. Equally important is the rate of people, particularly children, who live below the federal poverty line. In some wealthy gated communities, the areas immediately surrounding can have high rates of childhood poverty, which indicates other social issues. NeighborhoodScout's analysis reveals both aspects of income and poverty for this neighborhood.
The neighbors in the neighborhood in Big Bay are lower-middle income, making it a below average income neighborhood. NeighborhoodScout's research shows that this neighborhood has an income lower than 84.1% of U.S. neighborhoods. In addition, 0.0% of the children seventeen and under living in this neighborhood are living below the federal poverty line, which is a lower rate of childhood poverty than is found in 100.0% of America's neighborhoods.
A neighborhood is far different if it is dominated by enlisted military personnel rather than people who earn their living by farming. It is also different if most of the neighbors are clerical support or managers. What is wonderful is the sheer diversity of neighborhoods, allowing you to find the type that fits your lifestyle and aspirations.
In the neighborhood, 29.7% of the working population is employed in executive, management, and professional occupations. The second most important occupational group in this neighborhood is clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations, with 24.5% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in manufacturing and laborer occupations (24.5%), and 19.3% in sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants.
The languages spoken by people in this neighborhood are diverse. These are tabulated as the languages people preferentially speak when they are at home with their families. The most common language spoken in the neighborhood is English, spoken by 97.1% of households. Other important languages spoken here include Polish and Italian.
Boston's Beacon Hill blue-blood streets, Brooklyn's Orthodox Jewish enclaves, Los Angeles' Persian neighborhoods. Each has its own culture derived primarily from the ancestries and culture of the residents who call these neighborhoods home. Likewise, each neighborhood in America has its own culture – some more unique than others – based on lifestyle, occupations, the types of households – and importantly – on the ethnicities and ancestries of the people who live in the neighborhood. Understanding where people came from, who their grandparents or great-grandparents were, can help you understand how a neighborhood is today.
In the neighborhood in Big Bay, MI, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as German (45.8%). There are also a number of people of Irish ancestry (16.3%), and residents who report English roots (9.6%), and some of the residents are also of French ancestry (9.0%), along with some Finnish ancestry residents (6.3%), among others.
How you get to work – car, bus, train or other means – and how much of your day it takes to do so is a large quality of life and financial issue. Especially with gasoline prices rising and expected to continue doing so, the length and means of one's commute can be a financial burden. Some neighborhoods are physically located so that many residents have to drive in their own car, others are set up so many walk to work, or can take a train, bus, or bike. The greatest number of commuters in neighborhood spend between 15 and 30 minutes commuting one-way to work (34.1% of working residents), which is shorter than the time spent commuting to work for most Americans.
Here most residents (71.3%) drive alone in a private automobile to get to work. In addition, quite a number also hop out the door and walk to work to get to work (10.3%) and 8.7% of residents also carpool with coworkers, friends, or neighbors for their daily commute. In a neighborhood like this, as in most of the nation, many residents find owning a car useful for getting to work.