10 Wallet-Friendly Small Towns To Retire In The Great Lakes
Each summer morning, the SS Badger, the last coal-fired passenger steamship still operating in the United States, pulls out of Ludington's harbor for the crossing to Wisconsin. Life in the small towns of the Great Lakes still follows the water. Freighters, ferries, and fishing boats set the rhythm, and lighthouses stand guard over many harbors. Many of these towns sell homes well below their state's median price, according to the Census Bureau. Most also have a hospital in town or within a short drive.
Alpena, Michigan
Close to 200 historic shipwrecks lie off Alpena in Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, in waters sailors once called Shipwreck Alley. The free Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center tells their stories, and glass-bottom boat tours pass over some of the wrecks in summer. The Besser Museum adds a planetarium and regional history exhibits.
The Thunder Bay River runs through downtown under a small drawbridge, and a riverwalk and lakeshore paths along Lake Huron make for easy daily walks. MyMichigan Medical Center Alpena provides hospital care in town. Homes have a median value of about $119,000, roughly half the Michigan median.
Ludington, Michigan
A sandy hike through Ludington State Park leads to the black-and-white Big Sable Point Lighthouse, one of the town's best-known landmarks. Just north of town, the park has miles of dunes, beaches, and wooded trails. Hamlin Lake, inside the park, is popular for paddling and fishing.
In town, Stearns Park offers a long public beach on Lake Michigan and a breakwater walk to the North Breakwater Light, and the SS Badger sails from the harbor in summer. Corewell Health Ludington Hospital is in town, and the median home value is about $201,000.
Escanaba, Michigan
Walleye draw anglers to the bays around Escanaba in every season, in open water and through the ice in winter. The town sits on Little Bay de Noc in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Along the waterfront, Ludington Park has walking paths, a band shell, and the 1867 Sand Point Lighthouse, now a museum.
Each August, the Upper Peninsula State Fair is held in Escanaba, drawing visitors from across the peninsula. OSF St. Francis Hospital serves the region, and homes carry a median value of about $125,000. Retirees here should expect a long winter and a short, pleasant summer.
Port Huron, Michigan
Freighters pass close to shore all day in Port Huron, where Lake Huron empties into the St. Clair River and Canada sits just across the water. The Blue Water Bridge links the city to Sarnia, Ontario. The Fort Gratiot Lighthouse, built in 1829, is the oldest lighthouse in Michigan and is open for tours.
The Huron Lightship, a retired floating lighthouse, is now a museum, and the Thomas Edison Depot Museum marks the station where a young Thomas Edison once worked. The Bridge to Bay Trail follows the riverfront for miles. McLaren Port Huron provides hospital care, and the median home value of about $149,000 is well below the state median.
Port Clinton, Ohio
Every New Year's Eve, Port Clinton drops a giant fiberglass walleye downtown, a nod to its claim as the Walleye Capital of the World. Ferries run from the town on Lake Erie's western basin to Put-in-Bay and Kelleys Island in summer, making island day trips easy.
The town has a public beach and lakefront parks, and the African Safari Wildlife Park, a drive-through animal park, sits just outside town. Magruder Hospital provides care in town, and homes have a median value of about $152,000, well below the Ohio median.
Vermilion, Ohio
Vermilion's historic downtown, known as Harbour Town 1837, is lined with 19th-century buildings, and Main Street Beach sits right at the end of the main street on Lake Erie. The town at the mouth of the Vermilion River has a median home value of about $184,000, below the Ohio median.
The Vermilion Lagoons, a neighborhood of canals and docks, gives the town a waterfront feel. Each June, the Festival of the Fish celebrates the town's fishing heritage with a parade and a lighted boat show. Hospitals in neighboring Lorain County are about 15 to 20 minutes away.
Conneaut, Ohio
Each August, the beach at Conneaut hosts D-Day Conneaut, one of the largest World War II reenactments in the country, staged in honor of the Normandy landings. The rest of the summer, Conneaut Township Park offers a broad sandy beach on Lake Erie, and the Conneaut Historical Railroad Museum preserves a steam locomotive and the town's old depot.
The surrounding county is known for its covered bridges, which make for easy scenic drives in the fall. University Hospitals Conneaut Medical Center is in town, and homes have a median value of about $132,000.
Dunkirk, New York
Dunkirk has the lowest median home value on this list, at about $95,000, less than a quarter of the New York median. The small city on Lake Erie has Brooks-TLC Hospital System in town, and the State University of New York at Fredonia sits next door, with concerts and lectures open to the public.
The Dunkirk Lighthouse and Veterans Park Museum overlooks the lake from a bluff west of town, and the city pier is a popular spot for fishing and sunsets. Dunkirk sits in the heart of the Lake Erie grape belt, where vineyards and wineries line the roads along the shore.
Two Rivers, Wisconsin
Two Rivers claims to be the birthplace of the ice cream sundae, and the Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum preserves a large collection of wooden printing type in a working shop. The Rogers Street Fishing Village museum tells the story of the town's commercial fishermen.
Point Beach State Forest, just north, offers miles of beach and dunes along with the Rawley Point Lighthouse. Hospitals in neighboring Manitowoc are about 10 minutes away, and the median home value of about $140,000 is well below the Wisconsin median.
North East, Pennsylvania
Concord grape vineyards spread toward the lake around North East, which sits in the middle of the Lake Erie grape belt on Pennsylvania's short stretch of Lake Erie shoreline. Several wineries welcome visitors for tastings, and each September, the Wine Country Harvest Festival celebrates the grape harvest.
The Lake Shore Railway Museum displays historic locomotives and railcars beside the tracks, and lakeside parks offer quiet beaches away from the crowds. Homes have a median value of about $167,000, and hospitals are about 20 minutes west.
Retiring On The Great Lakes
These 10 towns prove that waterfront living does not require an ocean or a big budget. Each offers homes below its state median, with healthcare close by and the lake never far away. Before moving, spend a winter weekend in town, check snowfall totals, and compare heating costs. The summers make up for a great deal.
