[4] It is included in the Saginaw, Midland, and Bay City metropolitan area.

The name, "Pinconning," comes from the Ojibwe Opinikaaning (syncope as Pinkaaning; recorded as "o-pin-nic-con-ing"), which translates into English as, "potato place.".

The town was first settled in 1872 by George VanEtten and Henry Kaiser as a lumber settlement along the Pinconning River.

A gravel road between Pinconning and neighboring Standish was built in 1918, the same year the prohibition had taken effect.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.85 square miles (2.20 km2), all land.

[9] The city is located roughly 1.5 miles west of Saginaw Bay.

38.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

36.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.