Traverse City Michigan, Top 10 Places to Live, to Vacation, and to Retire

Traverse City Michigan has long been an addictive destination for travelers over the years, which begs the question, why do travelers find Traverse City to be such a memorable experience when recalling their visits to the area?

Literally speaking there have been numerous articles with top ratings written on the area over the years, and they speak to some points of why this area is so appealing. In reality though, there are no limitations to the reasons for appeal when you look at the variety of the articles, and still these articles just lightly scratch the surface of what's really here.

The natural beauty, the water and beaches, the climate, the culture, the medical care and hospital, the many major and minor annual events and festivals, the fishing, the golf courses, the award winning wineries, the outdoor recreation, the friendly people and on and on.

A few of the many great articles on Traverse City's appeal are

But these articles simply do not give justice to the true rapid growth of culture here, and more so, what's to come.

Over the last several years the corporate dollar has been flooding into the area poising it for extended growth. One of the major advantages that Traverse City has is that it's a tourist destination for many reasons all year round, this is obvious from the moment you arrive.

Major events like the National Cherry Festival, the Traverse City Film Festival, and the Taste Of Traverse Epicurean Classic bring thousands of visitors to the area for the first time along with continual repeat visitors. The Traverse City Film Festival a landmark for instant record setting success is just in its infantsy and no doubt will always be one of the grandest of festivals in the north.

Traverse City itself is a very environmentally friendly population with strong desires for community property enhancements and accumulation. Hundreds of acres have been acquired through grants, tax assessments, and non profit organizations for the purpose of being preserved. Development rights are being purchased from farmers for the same purpose.

The City itself has grand plans in the works for the downtown waterfront, a focal point for Traverse City's beauty. A detailed study and plan for the waterfront by the states colleges visits the history and trends of Traverse City to create what can only be described as paradise waterfront plan for the city.

Real estate values currently across the country are a mixed bag of tricks with some areas like Florida due to higher taxes and insurance costs pulling at the values for homeowners and investors alike.

What you have to ask yourself is where do I really want to live and are the values wherever this may be going to stabilize and increase.

Traverse City rated as one of the happy porch swing communities best value (Cheep Places to Live Rich) by Forbes Magazine article July 16 2006 is in fact immune to a lot of the depressed financial situations most areas find themselves in these days.

Simply put the prices here were still very reasonable prior to the economic slide so the values now can be quite the steal, and with the ever increasingly up and coming culture and appeal this area has always had its just getting better. There's no doubt that when this market takes off again its going to leave a lot of people in the dust for good that just waited too long. If you know where you really want to live long term or retire, dig in now and look around or it may be you that's left behind wishing you'd picked up your bargain retirement pad.

Honestly though what can you do here in Traverse City? Is it right for you? Well from my experience in travel, culture and amenities I can tell you that its simply much easier to list what you cant do. You cant climb a mountain or walk across a desert, you cant go deep sea fishing although the great lakes fishing can compare in a lot of ways.

Michigan is in fact the Great Lakes State with the largest supply of surface fresh water in the world. It is surrounded by a staggering 84 percent of North America's surface fresh water and about 21 percent of the world's supply. In reality whether it be indoor or out, Traverse City has so much culture and outdoor activity that it rivals cities of a much grander scale and territories from around the globe.

The trails for skiing, hiking, biking, snowshoeing and sightseeing are endless and growing. Local favorites include the Grand Traverse Commons property trails that overlook the city and the VASA Pathway, Boardman Lake Trail, Leelanau Trail and TART trail system that is a continuously growing network for pedestrian travel. But don't think for a minute that that's it, actually its just the tip of the iceberg as the saying goes when it come to the enormous amount of hiking trails around.

So what about shopping and dining? Well over the last 15 years Traverse City has sealed itself as the shopping Mecca of the north. Anybody who's anybody has looked into the area and the big boxes along with the specialists and specialty shops have set up camp. In some ways there is more variety and competing business here than you see in much larger scale cities like Grand Rapids to the south. That's businesses taking their hold for what they see is the future here.

Fortunately it is a controlled growth, as mentioned earlier the public population does create an environmentally friendly atmosphere. A few years ago the public shot down a vote on a parking garage in downtown. Not because they don't need another one, it's obvious that with the growth of Traverse there will be more and more needs to condense and control the traffic. Its just that this public is not going to be forced, bullied or steered into something that isn't the best choice and value for the community. It's all part of loving where you live and making sure growth doesn't ruin it.

Downtown Traverse once a floundering shopping district when the new mall opened up, has now become the shopping and activity center of TC. Highlights are it's relation to the downtown waterfront and annual festivals, along with the grandest variety of mouth watering cuisine found anywhere in the north that will surely appeal to even the most select of appetites. Downtown itself is a hardened atmosphere with strong roots in traditional foods, flavors, wines and service that will surely bring you back.

Venture off to the sand dunes on lake Michigan, cast your rod and reel on the rivers of the great lakes state, spend the afternoon in the winery tasting rooms of the Old Mission and Leelanau peninsula's, hike, bike ski or snowshoe the trails of the north. bask on the numerous golden sandy beaches, Lay back to gaze at the stars and northern lights, Golf the lush green forests and fairways, spend the day kayaking, canoeing or tubing the rivers, bays and lakes. It's endless, You may leave, but you will want to come back!