The community was settled as early as 1877 and was named after William Henry Harrison.

Wilson State Park and Budd Lake are located within the city.

The Flint and Pere Marquette Railroad platted the village in 1879 and set aside property for a new county government after the previous courthouse in Farwell burned down.

Budd Lake is mostly located within the city limits, while the northern coastline extends into Hayes Township.

As of the census[7] of 2010, there were 2,114 people, 913 households, and 524 families residing in the city.

37.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

35.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

The city of Harrison is served entirely by Harrison Community Schools, which is centrally located within the city and serves a large part of the northern portion of the county.

[8] Mid Michigan Community College has a Harrison campus located just to the southeast in Hatton Township.