Lake Isabella History, Map & Information

 

Updated 3-7-2006

 

 

History

   The Village of Lake Isabella lies nestled in the rolling hills of Isabella County.  The Village began as a commercial development in the late 1960's and grew quickly.  The development was the brain child of Golden and Nephi Grigg and Leo Gatehouse.  The Grigg brothers were door to door produce salesmen in the early twentieth century.  Their business interests grew to include their own produce and dairy  farm,  restaurant, appliance store and insurance and real estate businesses.  In 1951 the brothers purchased the Oregon based Bridgeford Company which was in bankruptcy.  In doing so they expanded their business interests to include frozen food commodities.  To support the investment they also purchased a processing plant and eventually renamed their frozen food enterprises as Ore-Ida Potato Products and would later sell their corporation to the H.J. Heinz Company.  Seeking another investment opportunity they ventured into land development.  The project that they would participate in would be like none other in the state of Michigan.  Leo Gatehouse had a dream for the rolling hills of northwestern Isabella County, that dream centered around damming the Chippewa River and creating an 800 acre lake.  In 1968 it finally happened, and the community of Lake Isabella began to develop as a four-season recreational haven.

   By the mid 1990's it became clear that in order to provide the highest quality of services for the residents who make Lake Isabella home the community needed to incorporate as a municipality.  Until that time the duties that a municipal government would handle were in the hands of the County, Townships, and the Lake Isabella Property Owner's Association (LIPOA).  LIPOA still is very active in the development of the community and is governing body over nearly all of the parks in the Village and access to the lake. 

    Incorporation was by no means an easy task.  Committed and knowledgeable residents worked endlessly with the state and in 1998 Lake Isabella became the state of Michigan's newest incorporated Home Rule Village.  Lake Isabella became the first new Village in the state in nearly half a century.  Several communities from around the state that have also considered incorporation have called upon the knowledge of the leaders of Lake Isabella to help them in the effort for municipal recognition.  Since incorporation the Village has continued to grow.  Today the Village is staffed by two full-time employees and several part time employees.  Additionally, the Village also works hand-in-hand with the local excavating service for nearly all road upkeep and repair.  With the Village being built around a lake, it has many more miles of road than a typical municipality with the same size population.  The Village presently has 28 miles of streets. 

    The Village of Lake Isabella is committed to providing the highest level of service to it's residents and guests, while doing so at the lowest possible cost.  Lake Isabella is central Michigan's premier location, it provides enjoyment opportunities whether you seek fun on the land, water, or in the air.  The Village is incorporated around an 1,100 acre lake, it has a Championship Golf Course that is open to the public, and the Lake Isabella Airport which features a half mile airstrip for private and recreational airplanes.  Another defining characteristic of the Village is the property tax mill cap that is written into the Village charter.  The Village's charter restricts the total operating Millage to no more the 1 mill of the taxable value of a home. 

How to Get Here

From US 127:  Take M-20 west out of Mount Pleasant for 20 minutes, turn north on Coldwater Road and head north for 5 minutes.

The 2000 Census Data
For more Census info, please visit the figures that are part of the Master Plan Draft.

      Population:  1,243  (Males: 618, Females: 625)

      Median Age:  45.3 Years  (Under 18 years old: 228, Over 65 years old: 216)

      High School Graduates: 81%     College Bachelor's Degree: 25%

      Median Household Income: $40,833    Per Capita Income: $23,324

      Average Household Size: 2.34 Persons    Median Home Value: $114,000

 

Surrounding Municipal Operating Tax Millage.

                                  Municipality                                        Millage          What You’d Pay 

City of Saint Louis

19.52

   $976

City of Coleman

18.66

    $933

Village of Farwell

18.35

    $918

Village of Breckenridge

17.73

    $887

City of Clare

17.50

    $875

City of Mount Pleasant

17.14

    $857

City of Alma

16.58

    $829

City of Evart

14.55

    $727

City of Ithaca

14.31

    $715

Village of Shepherd

13.00

    $650

Village of Edmore

10.47

    $523

Village of Barryton

8.34

    $417

Village of Mecosta

6.00

    $300

Village of Lake Isabella

0.85

    $42.50

Millage rate is only for municipal operating, does not include townships, schools, county, DDA, Library, or other special levies.

What You’d Pay is based on a piece of property with a taxable value of $50,000.

 

Snowfall History

 

Winter Season Total Recorded Average
1984-85 75.5"  
1985-86 64.5" 70.0"
1986-87 38.5" 59.5"
1987-88 58.3" 59.2"
1988-89 49.5" 57.2"
1989-90 71.5" 59.6"
1990-91 56.0" 59.1"
1991-92 74.5" 61.0"
1992-93 66.5" 61.6"
1993-94 52.9" 60.7"
1994-95 62.5" 60.9"
1995-96 70.5" 61.7"
1996-97 82.5" 63.3"
1997-98 73.0" 64.0"
1998-99 59.0" 63.6"
1999-00 67.5" 63.9"
2000-01 62.6" 63.8"
2001-02 68.5" 64.0"
2002-03 54.1" 63.6"
2003-04 98.4" 65.3"
2004-05 106.2" 67.3"
2005-06 102.8" 68.9"
2006-07 93.9" 70.1"
2007-08 86.4"  

The Village would like to thank Ken Torgerson for supplying the information on the snowfall history at Lake Isabella.

 


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