Parks & Recreation Five Year Recreation Plan ... - City of Marquette

Parks and Recreation Master Plan Update 2011
City of Marquette
Northern Michigan (Upper Peninsula) Lifestyle
Large tracts of public land, plus the scenic beauty of the lakeshore and several major historical sites, provide the
basis for year-round activities for residents in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (the U.P.). Michigan’s Upper
Peninsula is sparsely populated, just over 310,000 in 1996 spread over 15 counties in an area larger than that of
Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Delaware combined. Thanks to a well developed and growing
tourism industry, the area abounds in restaurants, motels, resorts, campgrounds, parks, and sites honoring early
explorers and its colonial, copper and iron mining, logging, and maritime history. The U.P. is home to an emerging
cluster of high-technology firms spun off by Michigan Technological University in Houghton, one of the world’s and
nation’s leading technical and engineering schools. Sister-city Hancock is home to Suomi College, the nation’s only
Finnish-American college.
Peninsula Pleasures
The Upper Peninsula offers much for the outdoors person. There is over one million acres of land for hiking, bird
watching, and hunting in Hiawatha National Forest, while others enjoy white water rafting at Piers Gorge. The
region, lying along the rugged coastline of Lake Superior, is carpeted with lakes, rivers and virgin hardwood forest,
old mines and historical sites. Mineral-stained sandstone cliffs, shaped by wind, ice and pounding waves, rise
sharply from Lake Superior at the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, stretching along the shore for 42 miles from
Grand Marais to Munising. Visit the 100,000-acre Seney National Wildlife Preserve by canoe, pedal the 100-mile
bike trail, or ski over the nine-mile cross-country trail. Go scuba diving in the crystal-clear waters of Superior at
Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve to explore shipwrecks over a 376-square-mile area, or experience the
Superior Circle dog sled race.
North Central Upper Peninsula (U.P.)
These three counties located along the shore of the largest of the Great Lakes - Alger, Marquette, and Baraga -
comprise the northern tier of central counties. Only in a very sparsely populated region could a city the size of
Marquette, with 22,000, hold the title of largest city; but since trees and critters, which far outnumber people, aren’t
counted, that indeed is the case. Marquette County with 1.2 million acres is also the state’s largest county. The
region, lying along the rugged coastline of Lake Superior, is carpeted with lakes, rivers and virgin hardwood forest,
old mines and historical sites. Mineral-stained sandstone cliffs, shaped by wind, ice and pounding waves, rise
sharply from Lake Superior at the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, stretching along the shore for 42 miles from
Grand Marais to Munising.
Marquette County
Marquette County is home to Northern Michigan University, a regional health care industry, and
numerous manufacturers. Over 75 miles of Lake Superior shoreline and the Huron Mountains add
scenic beauty to the county. Mining and lumbering first drew settlers to Marquette. Two iron mines still
operate in the county, employing over 1,500, and a new copper/nickel mine is in development. The
wood products industry also remains a significant employer in the area. The retail and service sectors
employ thousands of additional people. The City of Marquette is the largest city in the Upper Peninsula.
Highway, rail, air, and waterborne transportation connect Marquette County to the rest of the Midwest
and to national and international markets. The conversion of K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base provides
extensive industrial capacity in Marquette, adding several hundred thousand square feet of industrial
buildings and about 1,000 acres to the county's network of industrial sites
-Source: Michigan Economic Development Corporation
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