U.P. town not what us "trolls" would expect
At Connor Sports flooring we met true blue Yoopers working hard to make a product that is used in well known venues all over the country. You'd think after watching basketball courts being made in the wilderness nothing here could exceed our expectations more, then we arrived in Marquette.
"It's a little European town tucked away and surrounded by northing," said Joe Heck, the bakery owner at the historic Landmark Inn. Well, it's not exactly nothing. Hundreds of miles of wilderness with state land, inland lakes and campgrounds await visitors, there is Lake Superior of course, and you are just miles from winter fun. "The winter sports scene here is phenomenal," says Heck, "Marquette Mountain up here is beautiful.
We didn't have to take his word for it, we could see it. The 5th floor of the historic Landmark Inn offers an incredible view of Marquette, Lake Superior and the surrounding area. Marquette Mountain rose up over the horizon. It makes sense for the 5th snowiest city in the world of comparable size to have an booming winter sports scene. "Winter is like a badge people from Marquette wear," said Heck. There is year round evidence everywhere of the city's biggest event, the U.P. 200, a sled dog race that finishes downtown complete with trucked in snow. This years race just concluded and was hampered because of the warm weather, but most years there is no shortage of snow and bitter cold, and both are embraced.
A new downtown slogan for Marquette is "Experience the Warmth". When you're walking down the street and it's 20 below zero that may seem odd, but we actually found it to be a very warm place. "The people are what make Marquette," brags Heck, "they are open minded and accepting. The artist community up here is phenominal, you will find some of the best sculptors and painters. The food scene is great. For a town this size it's amazing."
We are still talking about the Upper Peninsula, right? If this is sounding very unlike your impressions of Marquette, there's more. It's a city on the cutting edge of technology. Northern Michigan University boasts the only 4G network of any University in the nation, and it was the subject of President Obama's recent visit. Medical technology is no different, as Marquette General Hospital is one of the premiere medical facilities in the state. In our 4th Made in MIchigan, U.P. stop we'll show you a company right here in Marquette who's surgical implants have even made better lives for their own employees.
