Are you thinking about buying land in the country? Then can I recommend a small little town called South Boardman.
South Boardman is a tiny town located in Kalkaska County off of US 131 between the Villages of Kalkaska and Fife Lake. The town was established in 1874 when a railroad depot and hotel were built there. The next year, in 1875, a post office was established. In the last 135 years not much has changed, except the depot is now gone. The major metropolitan area of the town is the intersection of US 131/Supply Road/& Boardman Road. There you will find a Motel, a restaurant, a gas station and a furniture store. Down the street a bit is the post office. While traveling down US 131, don’t blink or you will miss the town.
Despite its rural nature, South Boardman has a lot to offer to people who want to get away from it all, but are a close commute to shops & Restaurants. South Boardman is approximately 9 miles from both Kalkaska and Fife Lake. Both villages have all the basics one would need. Kalkaska has a half dozen fast food restaurants, two large grocery stores, a HUGE community recreation center with two indoor pools, weight room and hockey rink. There is over 80 miles of groomed snowmobile trails in Kalkaska County and it has the Kalkaska Area Recreation Trail (KART), which is a paved running/biking/skating trail that is planned to hook up with the Traverse Area Recreation Trail (TART) (if it has not already).
As you travel away from Kalkaska toward South Boardman, you will pass the Country Lanes Bowling alley which hosts a number of bowling leagues and various programs for children and adults alike.
As you come to the blinking light that is the main commercial area of the town, if you turn left you will come to the South Boardman Elementary School with grades Preschool through second grade. Third to fifth graders attend the Fife Lake Elementary school about 9 miles down the road.
The village of Fife Lake is built along the lake it was named for. Fife Lake is a 600+ acre all sports lake with a beautiful, sandy public beach and boat launch. The village has a wonderful grocery store where I do most of my shopping. Usually when you find little grocery stores in small towns you can expect high prices, but I have been extremely happy with the Fife Lake Grocery Store. The Fife Lake Library is located in a beautiful building and they offer so many wonderful programs for the kids. It is a great library. But if you ask my children, they will tell you the ice cream shop in Fife Lake is the best place in town. The soft serve is wonderful there. On the 4th of July, Fife Lake is the place to be. The fireworks show is spectacular! But I digress... I meant to sing the praise of South Boardman.
What is nice about South Boardman is the Boardman River flows through the area and there are a couple beautiful lakes. If you want river front,lake front or lake view property at a reasonable price... then you need to go to South Boardman.
One of the prettiest bodies of water in the town is Perch Lake. Perch Lake is a 23 acre, no-wake lake (electric motors only) with plenty of fish. The lake is incredibly beautiful especially in the Fall.
I have two lots for sale in the Perch Lake subdivision. These lots do not have lake frontage, but they are located across the street from the lake. The township runs a beautiful park on the lake that is walking distance from these lots. The park has a sandy beach, picnic area and toilet facilities. Farther down the road there is a public boat launch.
I live on Perch lake, and I can tell you the area is extremely quiet. The only thing that can be usually heard are the crickets, the screeches of the pair of bald eagles that hang around the lake and an occasional loon.
The lots I have available are only $12,000 each and are over 0.6 acres each. They are high and dry and heavily wooded. South Boardman is an area where you can get the most for your money. If you like living in a rural area, then this is the place for you. For more information on the properties click here.
