Here Are 13 Undeniable Reasons Why Everyone Should Love Michigan
There are plenty of reasons we love Michigan. Picturesque beaches, apple orchards, Motown and beloved sports teams are just a few reasons to put Michigan on your radar. Here are 6 reasons to get you started with your own Michigan love affair.
13) Ten cents can really add up, especially if you're counting up your can for recycling. In Michigan, 10 cents is what you get back, making it the highest payback rate in the United States. If you're from neighboring states like Ohio, Indiana or Wisconsin, better watch out if you're trying to return can over state lines. Michigan is keeping tabs on this type of fraud, which cost the state more than $10 million a year.
12) Michigan cherries – more specifically, Traverse City is known as the “Cherry Capital of the World.” The annual National Cherry Festival was once named one of the Top 10 festivals in the country by USA Today and easily attracts half a million visitors each year.
11) Great Lakes – Michigan is the only state in union that’s almost completely surrounded by water. And what impressive bodies of water the Great Lakes of Michigan, Huron, Superior and Eerie are. The largest concentration of fresh water in the world, these lakes are great for drinking right out of the tap, boating and fishing.
10) Beaches – Speaking of lakes, who knew the beaches in Michigan were some of the most beautiful in the world? Cited by the likes of National Geographic Traveler as some of the best travel destinations in the world, Michigan beaches are ideal for kayaking, hiking up sand dunes and beach town shopping.
9) Michigan apples – Apples are another Michigan staple. The state’s 850 family farms harvest some 30 million bushels of apples a year, and every fall, orchards and cider mills across the state open to the public for apple picking, hay rides and freshly pressed cider and donuts – a true Michigan tradition.
8) Pizza – New York and Chicago are typically on the top of everyone’s list for best pizza, but Michigan certainly plays a huge role in U.S. pizza chain history. Little Caesar’s, Jet’s and Hungry Howie’s all originated in Michigan. In fact, Ann Arbor-based Domino’s founded the concept of the 30-minute delivery. Talk about a pizza revolution.
7) There are more lighthouses in Michigan than in any other state - 129 in all. Some are still used to guide ships, while others have been transformed into quaint, lakeside bed breakfasts.
6) If you ever visit the Michigan city of Battle Creek, it will quickly become apparent what this city is known for and that's cereal. Kellogg Company cereal to be exact. Images of that famous red and white logo and Tony the Tiger can be seen all over town and stop in at a diner and you're sure to see enough Kellogg's treats on the menu to harken back childhood memories.
5) Michigan and, more specifically, Detroit is probably best known as the birthplace of Motown, but Michigan's musical greatness does not stop there. We've got Madonna, born in Bay City, punk rock legend Iggy Pop from Muskegon and an electronic dance music genre you may know as techno - all products of the Mitten State.
4) Step aside Valley girls, the shopping mall as we all know it would cease to exist without Michigan. The Kalamazoo Mall was home to the first outdoor pedestrian mall in the United States and the recently shuttered Northland Mall in Southfield was the first fully-enclosed shopping center in the country when it opened in 1954.
3)We might not have the best major league teams around, but the Detroit Lions, Tigers, Pistons and Red Wings are still NO. 1 in our books. In fact, Opening Day at the Tiger's Comerica Park is widely considered a holiday, with revelers taking the day off in celebration.
2) You might not put much thought into it, but most of the appliances in your home probably have roots in Michigan. Companies like the Whirlpool Corportation, Frigidaire and Electrolux have or have had a strong presence in western Michigan. In fact, long before Detroit was churning out cars in the early 20th century, it was known at the "stove capital of the world," according to The Detroit News.
1) Detroit – Yes, Detroit has its problems. It’s suffered decades of abandonment, resulting in an almost cult-like fascination with ruin porn. But that’s not the only story for which the Motor City is known. The birthplace of the U.S. automotive industry, techno music and Motown, Detroit is no doubt an American gem.
This is obviously just a primer and we know you all have a million other reasons to love the Mitten State. Please feel free to share why you’re wild about Michigan in the comments below.
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Serena Maria Daniels is an award-winning freelance journalist in Detroit, by way of Chicago, by way of the West Coast. She writes about Michigan for OIYS. Serena enjoys learning about language and culture and taking road trips with her beagle Ralph.
