West Branch and West Branch Township

Nestled in Michigan’s northern region are West Branch and West Branch Township, two communities that share a name and offer a combination of natural beauty, small town warmth and outdoor recreation along Peach Lake and the West Branch of the Rifle River.

And with a passion for smart community planning – recently certified as Redevelopment Ready Communities (RRC) – West Branch and West Branch Township make up a region that embraces growth without losing its charm.

Placemaking and Small Business Support in West Branch and West Branch Township

With help from MEDC resources and placemaking programs, West Branch and West Branch Township are working to create stronger, more vibrant communities.

West Branch and West Branch Township both received their Certification from the MEDC’s RRC program in 2024, joining dozens of other Michigan communities that have qualified as “thoroughly prepared” when it comes to planning and zoning to remove traditional barriers and promote opportunities for prospective investors. As RRC participants, West Branch and West Branch Township received a comprehensive assessment that measured current community and economic development practices compared to RRC best practice standards.

In July 2025, West Branch Township was among 63 recipients of a grant from the MEDC’s Match on Main program, which awards grants to small local businesses to help create resiliency and strengthen downtowns in Main Street communities and RRCs throughout the state. West Branch Township received a $25,000 grant on behalf of local meat processor Klemmer’s Processing, which will use the award for interior renovations to facilitate further growth.

In May 2025, West Branch was among the communities awarded a total of $25 million in grant funding from the Revitalization and Placemaking program (RAP), to add an all-inclusive playground to Irons Park. RAP supports community revitalization needs in Michigan communities by investing in projects that promote population and tax revenue growth. The Northeast Michigan Council of Governments (NEMCOG) received a $889,605 RAP grant; as a subrecipient to the NEMCOG RAP subgrant program, West Branch was awarded $92,597 of RAP Public Place-Based Infrastructure funding. This followed a $15,000 Public Spaces, Community Places matching grant to an Irons Park improvement project that completed fundraising in 2017.

“Since becoming RRC certified, the City of West Branch has received amazing support from the MEDC through helpful training programs, technical assistance and new grant opportunities,” said West Branch City Manager John Danzter. “We were extremely excited to be awarded a Revitalization and Placemaking grant that allowed us to build an all-inclusive addition to our Irons Park playground. The idea of adding the all-inclusive section to our park was something we have been working on for several years. The new playground section is phase 1 in our plan and includes wide bridges and ramps that allow children in wheelchairs the ability to maneuver throughout the playscape. This new area will allow children of all abilities the chance to interact and engage in cooperative play. We are grateful for the MEDC and look forward to our continued partnership with them.”

The RAP program also supported the West Branch Commons project with a $1 million incentive in October 2023 for the creation and construction of a large-scale community use space complete with open-air pavilion, market, fire pit gathering space and a new parking area. Located on the former West Branch Steel site in West Branch Township, the project was approved in 2021 and completed in October 2025. The Market will be in full swing in Spring 2026, with West Branch Township accepting applications for vendors.

One of the key drivers of the project was Jeremy Hickmott.

Meet West Branch Township’s Jeremy Hickmott, the Man of Many Hats

In West Branch Township, just off I-75 in Ogemaw County, you can meet the township clerk, the administrator for the Downtown Development Authority, the zoning administrator, the fireworks organizer and the creator of the West Branch Commons public space all at once. Jeremy Hickmott rose from an ambitious 16-year-old running for office to lead his township into a future that unites preservation and growth.

Read Jeremy’s Voices story here

Things to See and Do in the West Branch Area

Like many other historical downtowns across Michigan, West Branch offers the charm of older architecture combined with unique local businesses. A visit to West Branch wouldn’t be complete without time spent downtown for local boutiques like The Dirty Mitten, featuring Michigan-themed gifts, and restaurants like G’s Pizzeria, the Tipsy Bear Bistro and Highway Brewing Company. Visitors and residents alike also agree that the West Branch Outlet Shops right off I-75 are a popular destination.

For a little local history, the Ogemaw County Historical Museum provides a peek into logging, rail and early settlement life in the area; admission is free! And if golf is your thing, the area’s well-known Dream and Nightmare courses aren’t far from downtown West Branch but still feel like a world away in the natural beauty of Northern Michigan.

The great outdoors can also be experienced in the Rifle River Recreation Area just outside town, featuring campgrounds, paddling and fishing on the Rifle River, swimming lakes and miles of trails that are great in summer and turn into cross-country ski routes in winter. For a quieter hike closer to town, the Ogemaw Hills Pathway winds through hardwood forest and rolling hills, and Irons Park is popular for family walks and annual celebrations like the Victorian Art Fair.

Whatever the activity or the season, West Branch offers something for everyone.