Traverse City Info

Traverse City: Smart Money recently recommended four Michigan cities for retirement in the article "Retire Here, Not There: Michigan, Four less expensive places to retire in the Great Lakes state." With it's relatively inexpensive cost of living and rich cultural and outdoor lifestyle, Traverse City was a top contender.

Smart Money's Catey Hill writes why:

Traverse City is a hub for hiking, cross-country skiing, cycling and boating. "In the winter, almost all the cars have ski racks; in the summer, they have kayaks on them," says Mike Norton, a spokesman for the area Convention & Visitors Bureau. This means that the area tends to attract active retirees, the kind of people who "want to be out, who don't want to just sit around and watch the world go by," he adds.

They'll find plenty to do here: The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, which features long stretches of beach and bluffs that jut up 450 feet above Lake Michigan, was voted "America's most beautiful place" by "Good Morning America" and is a favorite spot for canoeing and kayaking. Hikers and bikers also enjoy the TART Trails system, a collection of eight multiuse trails and a cross-town bike route; fishermen know this area as one of the leading fly-fishing destination in America, with 4 blue ribbon trout streams within a half-hour of town.