Bay City has three historic districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places, exhibiting some of the finest examples of architecture in the state, including such styles as Second Empire, Italianate, Queen Anne and Romanesque.

The Center Avenue Historic District alone has more than 250 structures on the National Historic Register, many of which are the mansions of former lumber barons.

City Hall on Washington Avenue is rated as one of the top 10 buildings in the state for historic restoration and is listed in the Smithsonian Institution Archives.