Otter Lake is a tiny village located in the state of Michigan. With a population of 359 people and just one neighborhood, Otter Lake is the 581st largest community in Michigan. Otter Lake has a large stock of pre-World War II architecture, making it one of the older and more historic villages in the country.
When you are in Otter Lake, you'll notice that it is more blue-collar than most other communities in America. 37.29% of Otter Lake’s employed work in blue-collar jobs, while America averages only 27.7% that do. Overall, Otter Lake is a village of sales and office workers, production and manufacturing workers, and service providers. There are especially a lot of people living in Otter Lake who work in sales jobs (19.21%), office and administrative support (12.43%), and teaching (6.78%).
A relatively large number of people in Otter Lake telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 8.88% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.
The village is relatively quiet, having a combination of lower population density and few of those groups of people who have a tendency to be noisy. For example, Otter Lake has relatively fewer families with younger children, and/or college students. Combined, this makes Otter Lake a pretty quiet place to live overall. If you like quiet, you will probably enjoy it here.
In Otter Lake, however, the average commute to work is quite long. On average, people spend 34.12 minutes each day getting to work, which is significantly higher than the national average.
As is often the case in a small village, Otter Lake doesn't have a public transportation system that people use for their commute.
In Otter Lake, just 10.27% of people have at least a bachelor's degree, which is quite a bit lower than the national average for cities and towns of 21.84%.
The per capita income in Otter Lake in 2022 was $28,580, which is middle income relative to Michigan, and lower middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $114,320 for a family of four. However, Otter Lake contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
The people who call Otter Lake home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Otter Lake residents report their race to be White. Important ancestries of people in Otter Lake include German, Irish, English, Polish, and Italian.
The most common language spoken in Otter Lake 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 Otter Lake, the neighborhood, has some outstanding things about the way it looks and its way of life that are worth highlighting.
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.
Did you know that the neighborhood has more Irish and Eastern European ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 25.5% of this neighborhood's residents have Irish ancestry and 1.9% have Eastern European ancestry.
Do you like to be surrounded by people from all over the country or world, with different perspectives and life experiences? Or do you instead prefer to be in a neighborhood where most residents have lived there for a long time, creating a sense of cohesiveness? NeighborhoodScout's analysis reveals that this neighborhood stands out among American neighborhoods for the uniqueness of the mobility of its residents. More residents of the neighborhood live here today that also were living in this same neighborhood five years ago than is found in 96.6% of U.S. neighborhoods. This neighborhood is really made up of people who know each other, don't move often, and have lived here in this very neighborhood for quite a while.
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 Otter Lake are middle-income, making it a moderate income neighborhood. NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis reveals that this neighborhood has a higher income than 40.2% of the neighborhoods in America. In addition, 5.9% 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 61.9% 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, 36.0% of the working population is employed in manufacturing and laborer occupations. The second most important occupational group in this neighborhood is executive, management, and professional occupations, with 28.4% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants (24.7%), and 9.9% in clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations.
The most common language spoken in the neighborhood is English, spoken by 98.7% of households. Some people also speak Polish (5.8%).
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 Otter Lake, MI, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as Irish (25.5%). There are also a number of people of German ancestry (21.7%), and residents who report English roots (18.5%), and some of the residents are also of Polish ancestry (6.4%), along with some French ancestry residents (4.7%), among others.
Even if your neighborhood is walkable, you may still have to drive to your place of work. Some neighborhoods are located where many can get to work in just a few minutes, while others are located such that most residents have a long and arduous commute. The greatest number of commuters in neighborhood spend between 45 minutes and one hour commuting one-way to work (33.6% of working residents), longer and tougher than most commutes in America.
Here most residents (73.9%) drive alone in a private automobile to get to work. In addition, quite a number also carpool with coworkers, friends, or neighbors to get to work (15.5%) . In a neighborhood like this, as in most of the nation, many residents find owning a car useful for getting to work.