Grand Haven, Michigan

The downtown edge of this small town is a bay on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. The town has done a grand job of restoration and revitalization, and has been rewarded with frequent visits by outsiders. The downtown area is one of the cleanest I have witnessed. The city boasts over 100 miles of bike trails, a state beach, boardwalk, two lighthouses, a pier, wharf, charter fishing fleet and a Great Lakes port. Grand Haven is home to a United States Coast Guard facility that coordinates all Lake Michigan Coast Guard activities. The city hosts the annual Coast Guard Festival, which draws hundreds of thousands of people to Grand Haven each summer, and was officially designated as 'Coast Guard City, USA' by an act of Congress.
Grand Haven State Park was nationally recognized for having one of the top five beaches in the United States.