The Poorest Town in Michigan. Harrietta is one of the seclusionist villages in Wexford County. It has two townships, Boon and Slagle.
The town was first platted in 1889 and incorporated in 1891 as “Gaston”. The town was later re-named ‘Harriette” after a local railroad official named Harry and his wife, Henrietta. By 1900 the village had grown to a population of 419. In 1923 the last ‘e’ in “Harriette” was dropped, an ‘a’ was added, and the town has since been called “Harrietta”, even though it was still listed as “Harriette” on atlases.
While this former lumber town was booming, the inhabitants ran a brick factory, dentist, three doctors, two general stores, and a sawmill. Once all the trees/timber were depleted, the townspeople scattered to greener pastures, leaving Harrietta to a mere few who chose to stay.
Today, the village has no main businesses, although there is a string of old storefronts along the main road. There is a fish hatchery, a couple of churches, and post office. The closest store & gas station is “The Mitt Shop” a/k/a “Market 37” just 3 and a half miles west of town.
Some people call Harrietta a ‘ghost town’, but it just doesn’t feel right to me to be calling it one, even though it fits some websites’ descriptions of a ‘ghost town’.
Harrietta has also been known by its nickname “The Poorest Town in Michigan” due to it’s average yearly income: $2,264. The 125+ townspeople don’t appreciate the name because they are perfectly content and content with the town and what it offers. They hunt their own food, grow their own produce and heat their homes with wood stoves.
This little secluded village would make a cool place to stop during a roadtrip and meet some of the people, who will greet you with a smile. Harrietta is approximately 17 miles northwest of Cadillac, 40 miles south of Traverse City, and deserves more historical recognition than it currently receives. Go see for yourself.
