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Michigan

Michigan, The Great Lakes State

Michigan really stands out as a state when it comes to rural areas.  Surrounded by the great lakes on all but its southern border, Michigan is home to the second most diverse agricultural production in the US.

While not the number one producer of any crop, the state is the number one producer of fruit overall. With harvests mainly of blueberries, cherries, apples, grapes, and peaches. The moderate temperature created by winds off of lake Michigan makes Western Michigan a prime location for most of the fruit production.

While population declines in Detroit have made national news, many other urban areas of Michigan have also seen population stagnation, or decreases. All while rural areas, specifically in western & southern Michigan have seen a population increases, unlike the rest of the country.

A lot of the counties that have witnessed big decreases in population tend to be concentrated in the upper peninsula, or far norther part of Lower Michigan and are predominantly forest areas with a small patch work of farming and rural towns. Schoolcraft County for example sits in the center of the U.P. and most of it’s land is part of the Hiawatha National Forest.

Images from Michigan

Posts about Michigan

Lost Americana is about telling the stories of the people who live in rural America.

•Have you lived in the same rural area since the 1970/80s?

•Were you the last class to graduate from a rural school before it closed its doors forever?

•Do you know of a small town (under 2,000 people) that is a shell of it’s former self?

•Do you just what to give me some feedback on the topics we cover?

Don’t be shy, go to the “Connect” page and drop me a line.  Also don’t be afraid to reach out to me via social media, links are at the bottom of each page.