Why buy a vacation home in Traverse City? Traverse City is perhaps the number one tourist destination in Michigan with its unsurpassed beauty and countless activities. Listed as one of the top ten places to live by Outside magazine, Traverse City features more than 250 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, with many inland rivers and freshwater dunes that are surrounded by mountainous peaks, verdant meadows and hardwood forests.
It is also home to the finest skiing, fishing, and championship golfing in the Midwest. Located in the northwest corner of Michigan's lower peninsula, Traverse City offers a large selection of Michigan's finest vacation homes, rentals and lake vacation resorts. Referred to as the Cherry Capital of the world, Traverse City is known for all four of its beautiful, crisp seasons.
In recent years, developers in downtown Traverse City have been embracing the "new urbanism" movement, increasing the ability to live, work, and play downtown without driving. For prospective second homebuyers who are more interested in the urban experience versus lake living, the city offers a variety of single-family homes and condos.
The lifestyle of a place often evolves from its roots, and since farming was a big part of Traverse City, residents and visitors still feel that influence. People love the land, and when possible, still enjoy living out on big spaces. There is a somewhat conservative tone to the area, lightened up by the presence of the university. The place has a youthful, active feel to it.
Native American Indians settled the land around 1400. The French controlled the area in the 1600's, followed by the British in the 1700s, and the first US pioneers and missionaries arrived in the 1800s. Lumber, the largest industry, stripped the land, clearing the way for cherry trees and golf courses.