[5] The area was first settled as early as 1875 when a railway belonging to the Michigan Central Railroad was planned to extend north from Gaylord.

The settlement was named after Cornelius Vanderbilt, who owned land within Corwith Township.

[1] According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.09 square miles (2.82 km2), all of it land.

[7] On February 9, 1934, the temperature in Vanderbilt fell to −51 °F (−46 °C), the coldest ever recorded in Michigan.

On July 13, 1936, the highest temperature recorded in Michigan was in Mio, one county southeast, which reached 112 °F (44 °C).

[5] The village of Vanderbilt contains its own school district, Vanderbilt Area Schools, which also serves a much larger area that includes all of Corwith Township, as well as small portions of several adjacent townships.

182 of all households were made up of individuals, of which 23 of them had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

33.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

33.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

None of the families and 6.8% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 8.9% of those over 64.