Thoughts From a True Blue Local
Harbor Springs is one of the few places left that is so naturally beautiful, so surrounded by abundant natural resources, so, dare we say inherently charming, people are not only drawn to it, they want to make it their own.
So people make a choice to live here, vacation here, buy a cottage here, or bring their families here every Christmas or Fourth of July because of the way the town makes them feel. It’s a feeling they might remember from coming as kids, or from the first time they drove down Main Street and wondered if they had somehow slipped back in time.
And sometimes making a town their own means people want to make it look like the place they just left. Tweak it. Make some changes. Update this and that. Bring it into conformity with all the other towns and cities they see.
But families choose to live in and around Harbor not because it’s a distressed town needing an influx of money and attention. Not because it looks like every other small town in Michigan. They come because of how it is now! They come to take a walk on the lake and stroll through the marina. To breathe the fresh air. To pop into a store for a pastry or a warm mittens. To say hi and grab a coffee with your neighbors.
Harbor Springs has a long history of natural and organic evolution but it didn’t come without a price. We’ve been guided and protected by decades of conscientious local stewardship. It’s a big risk to start messing with something that has served us well for decades without destroying it.
We are in the right place and this is the right time to be here. The best thing we can do is continue the traditions of our founders and protect this historical gem for future generations.
Harbor Springs is one of the most affluent, highly lauded, and beautiful small towns in the country. Its’ superpower has always been its’ true authenticity, and the fact that it’s completely real. The water, trees, homes, and iconic downtown are a refuge that could be a set in a Disney movie, Technicolor perfect.
Some people don’t understand our authenticity evolved naturally. It’s not going to get better by simply doing more and adding development for development’s sake. It’s going to stay beautiful by keeping it real, not by bringing in identical cookie-cutter, planned junk projects so we end up looking like every other city and town in America.
This natural beauty is, of course, the cornerstone to what we all love and fight to defend. We’ve always had the resources, people, and dedication right here to protect our town – which is why it has remained authentic. No hired firms are needed. We’ve got the people and resources to get this right. Please pay attention to what We Love Harbor Springs is saying, and writing. We need consensus.
Thank you, From a True Blue Local