Indian River, Michigan

thumb|right|250px|U.S. Post Office in Indian River

Indian River is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Cheboygan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,950 at the 2020 census. The CDP is located in Tuscarora Township between Burt Lake and Mullett Lake.

As an unincorporated community, Indian River has no legal autonomy of its own but does have its own post office with the 49749 ZIP Code, which also serves small portions of several surrounding townships.

History

The area of Indian River was first settled as early as 1876. The community was founded two years later by land owner Floyd Martin and surveyed and platted by Oliver Hayden by 1880. The new settlement was named after the Indian River, which flows through the community. A post office was established on September 22, 1879.

The North Central State Trail goes through the town. The National Shrine of the Cross in the Woods, an open-air sanctuary, is located in Indian River and dedicated to Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American saint.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and (36.27%) is water.

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2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Indian River had a population of 1,950. The median age was 55.8 years. 14.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 34.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.7 males age 18 and over.

0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 926 households in Indian River, of which 17.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.6% were married-couple households, 18.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.