Life in a Northern Town - The Area’s Accolades
Emmet County and its quaint, charming towns and communities have long been recognized nationally in “top lists” of places to visit and vacation, raise a family and to retire.
Among the accolades:
Midwest Living magazine ranked Petoskey #2 among the Best Small-Town Getaways in 2008.
Petoskey has been noted by national travel writers, including authors of “The 100 Best Small Towns in America,” “The Great Towns of America” and “America’s 100 Best Places to Retire.”
Emmet County was ranked sixth for access to healthcare in the “Best Places to Live in Rural America” by Progressive Farmer in 2007. The listing was based on a health density ratio of resources to number of people.
Bay Harbor garners considerable attention, including Top 50 “Best Resort Courses,” by Condé Nast Traveler, the Urban Land Institute’s International Award for Excellence, and #20 ranking in America’s “Top 75 Golf Resorts” by GOLF magazine.
Wall Street Journal named Bay Harbor among the top five places to retire in the United States at age 50.
Emmet County Details of Note
Petoskey is the county seat, with a population of 6,000; Harbor Springs, the county’s second incorporated city, is home to 1,600.
County population totals about 34,000, which grows by tens of thousands in the summer when resorters and seasonal residents return.
Emmet County encompasses over 460 square miles, of which roughly half is land and half is water.
Emmet County was named after Irish patriot Robert Emmet.
Average snowfall: 90-110 inches per year.
Tourism is the main economic engine, driven by winter and summer sports. Three major ski resorts—two of which are in Emmet County, and the third in next-door Charlevoix County—are the premiere resorts in the Midwest.
A comprehensive regional referral center, Northern Michigan Regional Hospital in Petoskey is the area’s largest employer, with nearly 2,000 employees. As a regional referral center, dozens of medical specialists also practice in the region. Impressively, patient satisfaction rates are at 90%.
Petoskey is home to North Central Michigan College, founded in the late 1950s.