The City of Norton Shores is nestled in between Muskegon and Grand Haven on the west coastline of Lake Michigan. Those of us who call Norton Shores home know that life on Lake Michigan is special because Lake Michigan is like nowhere else in the world.
Here are some fun facts that make life on the Lake Michigan coast special.
“Michigan” means “great water.”
The state of Michigan gets its name from the Ojibwa word “mishigami,” which means “great water.” Lake Michigan, then, literally means “Lake Great Water.”
Lake Michigan is the only Great Lake entirely within the U.S.
While the U.S. has five Great Lakes (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior), Lake Michigan is the only one to be bordered entirely in the U.S. The other lakes are shared with Canada.
Michigan has the most freshwater coastline in the U.S.
Michigan has more than 3,000 miles of freshwater coastline, the most of any of the Great Lakes states. Michigan is commonly referred to as “the Third Coast” of the U.S., after the East and West Coasts.
Michigan’s residents and visitors have plenty of opportunities for outdoor and water recreation – swimming, boating, tubing, surfing, hang gliding, parasailing, fishing, and of course, sand castle building, in addition to camping and hiking up and down the dunes along the lakeshore.
Michigan has the largest freshwater sand dunes in the world.
A short drive from Norton Shores is Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, home to Sleeping Bear Dunes. The bluffs tower 450 feet above the lakeshore and offer some of the best views of Lake Michigan. It is no wonder that Sleeping Bear is one of the most popular spots in the state for residents and visitors alike.
Twelve million people live along Lake Michigan’s shoreline.
Twelve million people, or about 4% of the U.S. population, call land along Lake Michigan home. Clearly, Norton Shores residents aren’t the only ones who know how great lake life can be.
There’s lots of reasons that people choose to build their homes and their lives along Lake Michigan, and those of us who live, work, and play in Norton Shores are well familiar with the benefits of life along the Michigan Lakeshore. After all, the beauty of our parks and beaches are among the many things residents and visitors love about Norton Shores.
To find your next Lake Michigan adventure, visit Norton Shores Living.
