FOR BETTER OR worse, the outside world continues to discover us.
North Outdoors recently published “10 Great Active Outdoor Towns in the North Country.” Marquette was one of them.
Effusive praise for our single track trails, dining, nightlife, lodging and our “diverse, outdoorsy and active vibe.”
Quote: “In this part of the world, most outdoor activities focus on either the water (kayaking, sailing) or next to it (hiking), but don’t underestimate some of the interior hikes which have impressive vertical given the rugged topography of the Upper Peninsula.”
Also listed among the top ten towns: Bar Harbor, Maine…Bayfield, Wisconsin…Lake Placid, New York….and Whitefish, Montana.
THEN THERE’S THIS from US News and World Report in collaboration with the Aetna Foundation:
“Urban Up-and-Coming Communities” The top one hundred increasingly urban counties in the US based on health and wellness.
Marquette County comes in at #5.
Various factors are considered in the ratings including health, education, the economy, safety, housing, and infrastructure.
Interesting–our neighbors to the south, Dickinson County, came in at #10.
AND FINALLY, THIS tantalizing article from Only In Your State:
“8 Reasons to Drop Everything and Move to this One Michigan City”
Go ahead, take a guess who they’re talking about. Germfask? Wrong. Engadine? Nope. Felch? Not quite.
It’s Marquette again. The writer concedes that the weather here will keep some away but then goes on to praise the housing costs (lower than the national average), the university, the biking, the trails, the rugged beauty.
Quote: “At the same time, you’re still close enough to the bustling of a thriving little city so you’re not totally lost in the woods.”
That’s good to know–we’re not totally lost in the woods. There’s even a hint of civilization in Marquette.
But if you can get past the condescension, the hype, and the arbitrariness of so many of these “Best of” surveys, you realize that more and more people every day are hearing and reading about this intriguing little town on the southern shore of Lake Superior.
Like we said, for better or worse.