Is Saugatuck the Best Coastal Small Town in America? Help the Michigan City Win Another Award
Stairs to Saugatuck Dunes
The city of Saugatuck isn’t new to winning awards from popular travel magazines. One of Lake Michigan’s smallest beach towns, Saugatuck is in the running for a pretty nice award from USA Today’s readers. Saugatuck is one of 20 finalists to be crowned the “Best Coastal Small Town in America”. If you agree with this description, it’s time to do your part and help this great Michigan town fend off the recent flurry of competition to claim the top honors.
Historic Saugatuck Village Hall
Saugatuck is described as “a popular summer getaway for Chicago and Detroit residents. Saugatuck has a lovely Victorian downtown, abundant art galleries and cool cafes, more than 35 bed and breakfasts, and easy access to dunes and beaches in the Gold Coast’s nearby state parks” on the USA Today polling site.
View of the dunes at the state park
To be considered for the award, cities have to be beach towns with less than 20,000 residents. In the case of Saugatuck, around 1,000 people call the place home year round, while summer time brings many tourists and vacationers that see the number sharply rise. The cool fact here is Saugatuck is not only the only Michigan town among the finalists, it is also the only one that is a beach town on a lake. The other 19 finalists share borders with the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, or the Gulf of Mexico. Saugatuck gets its beach from one of the five Great Lakes, Lake Michigan.
Lighthouse in Saugatuck
Here are the other finalists in the poll:
- Avila Beach, California
- Boca Grande, Florida
- Cannon Beach, Oregon
- Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
- Chincoteague, Virginia
- Duck, North Carolina
- Friday Harbor, Washington
- Gig Harbor, Washington
- Gulf Shores, Alaska
- Haleiwa, Hawaii
- Homer, Alaska
- Mystic, Connecticut
- Ocean Springs, Mississippi
- Ogunquit, Maine
- Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
- Rockport, Texas
- Santa Rosa Beach, Florida
- Michaels, Maryland
- Tybee Island, Georgia
At last check, Saugatuck was in first place ahead of Ogunquit, Gulf Shores, Rockport, and Mystic respectively, who round out the top five. Voting runs through March 16th and visitors can vote once a day. The city of Saugatuck would love your vote (Vote Here) and this would be a big win for the state of Michigan.
Saugatuck is a hot bed for retirees and vacationers from the Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Chicago areas. Chicago has close ties to the city, as the Art Institute of Chicago once had its summer school program take place in Saugatuck. Back in 2010, Saugatuck had a median age of 53.3 years old for its population. A small 16.2% of resident were 24 years old or younger and 34.2% of residents were 44 years old or younger.
Michigan historical marker sharing the history of the sand-buried ghost town of Singapore
Saugatuck sees millions of visitors annually thanks to its gorgeous beaches and dunes. The city is a peaceful home away from home for many people in the summer. If you haven’t been to the city, we invite you to check it out and see the wonder for yourself. Let’s show the nation that Great Lake towns are just as good as the east coast and west coast towns. Check out our recent review of Saugatuck Brewing Company here: Saugatuck Brewing Company.
