Market file · Manistee County, Michigan

Onekama and Portage Lake home appraisals

Village of Onekama, Onekama Township

Portage Lake drives Onekama. The 2,110 acre lake opens to Lake Michigan through an 1871 channel, and more than half of Onekama Township's homes are seasonal, per the township. Zillow's typical Onekama value was $352,704 in June 2026. The census median for owner occupants, 2020 to 2024, was $282,200.

$352,704Zillow typical home value, Onekama, June 30, 2026 (Manistee County page)

$282,200Median owner occupied home value, Onekama Township, ACS 2020 to 2024 (Census Reporter)

2,110 acresSurface area of Portage Lake, maximum depth 60 feet (Wikipedia)

717Seasonal homes out of 1,357 housing units, 2019 ACS (Onekama Township)

A channel cut by homesteaders in 1871

Portage Lake sat 12 to 14 feet above Lake Michigan until May 14, 1871, when homesteaders dug a channel through the isthmus, per Wikipedia. The lake dropped to Lake Michigan's level, and a tugboat came through the next day. Today it covers 2,110 acres, runs about 3 miles long and reaches 60 feet deep. A dock here reaches Lake Michigan by boat, something most inland lakes in the county cannot offer.

About 717 of Onekama Township's 1,357 homes were seasonal in the 2019 survey.

Old resort names on the south shore

Onekama village holds the northeast end of the lake and had 399 people in 2020. The first settlement began at Portage Point in 1845, and the south and west shores still carry resort names: Portage Point, Wick-A-Te-Wah, Red Park and Crescent Beach. Pierport sits on Lake Michigan in the township's northwest. The township's median age was 56 in 2020, and about 35% of residents were 65 or older.

Areas, lakes and neighborhoods in this file

Onekama village
Portage Point
Wick-A-Te-Wah
Red Park
Crescent Beach
Williamsport
Pierport
Portage Lake
Onekama Township

Landmarks around Onekama and Portage Lake

Portage LakeInland lake
Portage Point Inn ComplexNational Register of Historic Places
Chapel of St. John-by-the-LakeChapel
Camp ToseboNational Register of Historic Places

Common questions

Can a home in Onekama village be rented short term?

Rules were being written in 2024. In an August 21, 2024 letter, the Manistee County Planning Department sent village planners a draft short term rental ordinance and zoning change, with hearings set for September 10, 2024. The draft defined a short term rental as a stay under 30 days and allowed it in the Residential district under a separate ordinance. Check the village's current rules before buying.

Can boats reach Lake Michigan from Portage Lake?

Yes, through the 1871 channel. Congress first funded a harbor of refuge here in 1879, since no safe harbor existed along about 80 miles between Ludington and South Manitou Island, per Wikipedia. The Portage Lake Light went up on the pierhead in 1891. An appraiser compares Portage Lake frontage with other Portage Lake sales first.