Crystal, Michigan
{{Use American English|date=July 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name = Crystal, Michigan
|settlement_type = Census-designated place
|image_skyline =
|imagesize =
|image_caption =
|pushpin_map = Michigan#USA
|pushpin_label = Crystal
|pushpin_label_position =
|pushpin_map_caption =
|coordinates = {{coord|43|15|51|N|84|56|39|W|region:US-MI|display=inline,title}}
|subdivision_type = Country
|subdivision_name = United States
|subdivision_type1 = State
|subdivision_name1 = Michigan
|subdivision_type2 = County
|subdivision_name2 = Montcalm
|subdivision_type3 = Township
|subdivision_name3 = Crystal
|established_title =
|established_date =
| unit_pref = Imperial
| area_total_sq_mi = 4.04
| area_land_sq_mi = 2.76
| area_water_sq_mi = 1.28
| area_total_km2 = 10.46
| area_land_km2 = 7.15
| area_water_km2 = 3.30
| area_water_percent =
| population_as_of = 2020
|population_total = 888
|pop_est_as_of =
|pop_est_footnotes =
|population_est =
| population_density_km2 = 124.17
|population_density_sq_mi = 321.62
|timezone = Eastern (EST)
|utc_offset = -5
|timezone_DST = EDT
|utc_offset_DST = -4
|elevation_ft = 801
|postal_code_type = ZIP Code
|postal_code = 48818
|area_code = 989
|blank_name = FIPS code
|blank_info = 26-19060
|blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
|blank1_info = 2804351{{GNIS|2804351}}
|website =
|footnotes =
}}
Crystal is a census-designated place (CDP) comprising the main community in Crystal Township, Montcalm County, Michigan, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 888. The CDP includes the village proper of Crystal, at the east end of Crystal Lake, as well as all of the land surrounding the lake.
History
The first settlers in the area were lumbermen, brothers John W. and Humphrey Smith in 1853. The present community began in 1857 when Enos P. Drake built a sawmill on land he co-owned with Samuel Burtch. Asa Ward recorded a plat for the settlement, and Alfred A. Proctor became the first postmaster on March 2, 1857. It is named for the nearby Crystal Lake.{{cite book | last = Romig | first = Walter | year = 1986 | title = Michigan Place Names | orig-year= 1973 | publisher = Wayne State University Press | location = Detroit, Michigan | isbn = 0-8143-1838-X}}
The community was first listed as a census-designated place prior to the 2020 census.
Geography
Crystal is in eastern Montcalm County, in the northeast part of Crystal Township. It is {{convert|10|mi|0}} by road east-southeast of Stanton, the county seat, {{convert|9|mi|0}} northwest of Carson City, and {{convert|20|mi}} southwest of Alma.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Crystal CDP has a total area of {{convert|4.04|sqmi|2}}, of which {{convert|2.76|sqmi|2}} are land and {{convert|1.28|sqmi|2}}, or 31.6%, are water. Crystal Lake occupies the center of the CDP limits, while Mud Lake is in the northeast. The settlement of Crystal is centered on the east shore of Crystal Lake. Water drains from Crystal Lake, at {{convert|799|ft}} above sea level, into Mud Lake, at {{convert|797|ft}}, then east and south toward Fish Creek, a tributary of the Maple River and part of the Grand River watershed leading west to Lake Michigan.
Demographics
{{US Census population
|align=left
|2020= 888
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|accessdate=June 4, 2016}}
}}{{clear left}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Montcalm County, Michigan}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Census-designated places in Montcalm County, Michigan
Category:Census-designated places in Michigan
Category:Unincorporated communities in Michigan
Category:Unincorporated communities in Montcalm County, Michigan
{{MontcalmCountyMI-geo-stub}}