Palmer, MI

Palmer is an unincorporated community in Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The 2020 census counted 378 residents. Palmer is a census-designated place for statistical purposes and has no legal status as an incorporated municipality. Palmer is located within Richmond Township along M-35. Palmer was flanked by the Empire Mine, owned by Cleveland-Cliffs, but the mine's operations have stopped since August 2016. Fran's gas station, the only remaining gas station, closed around late 2018. Taken together, these details give a newcomer a usable picture of Palmer, where its history, geography, and current gathering places meet.

For Palmer, the memorable detail is the way older history and current gathering places share one local map. Palmer is in central Marquette County, 10 miles by road south of Negaunee and 15 miles southwest of Marquette, the county seat. The community is served by M-35, a highway that leads north to US Highway 41 / M-28 between Negaunee and Marquette and south 16 miles to Gwinn.