Northern Michigan - or more properly Northern Lower Michigan - is a region of the U.S. state of Michigan, popular as a tourist destination, resort area, and vacation area. It is home to several small- to medium-sized cities, extensive state and national forests, lakes and rivers, and Great Lakes shoreline. The region has a significant seasonal population in much the same sense that the Outer Banks of North Carolina depend on tourism as their main industry.

Geographic Definition

The region is not precisely defined, with residents in the far southern part of the state tending to include areas just north of Flint and Grand Rapids, but more northern residents restricting it to the area north of Mount Pleasant: the "fingers" of the mitten-like shape of the state. People from Northern Michigan generally use the term "down state" to refer to people and places south of the region. Despite its geographic location in the north of Michigan, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is not usually included, and is instead regarded by Michigan residents as a distinct region of the state.

Summer Destinations

Many city dwellers from "down state" and as far away as Chicago have summer vacation homes in Northern Michigan. The largest resort cities in Northern Michigan are in the west, on Lake Michigan. Popular tourist cities in Northern Michigan are Traverse City, Charlevoix, Petoskey, Bay Shore, Harbor Springs, Mackinaw City, and Mackinac Island, which lies between the mainland and the Upper Peninsula.

Winter Destinations

A number of ski resorts (that also serve as summer golf resorts) include Boyne Mountain, Boyne Highlands , and Nubs Nob .

History and Local Culture

Northern Michigan was inhabited by Native American tribes well before English settlers founded a fort on Mackinac Island. Later, industry depended on natural resources such as lumber and fur trading which contributed to the rise of Traverse City. When the railroads connected Northern Michigan to the large cities through Kalamazoo, some wealthy urbanites established summer home associations in Charlevoix and Bay Shore. As the railroads declined in the 1960's and 1970s with the advent of automobile travel, aggressive promotion of Northern Michigan by local chambers of commerce led to many of the festivals and attractions that bring visitors north even today.

Festivals

A number of annual festivals occur in Northern Michigan including:

• Venetian Festival (Charlevoix)
• National Cherry Festival (Traverse City)
• Bliss Fest
• Alpine Festival (Gaylord)

See also:

• Beaver Island, Michigan
• Mackinac Bridge
• Ludington, Michigan

External Links

Northern Michigan travel article from the Petoskey News Review