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About Benzie Area
To some, in the booming metropolis areas of the mid-west, Benzie is "someplace up north and they ask," what do they do up there?" "Isn't it cold?" "Why would anyone leave a Starbucks on every corner, miles of shopping, and eight lane expressways? " Why indeed? Why does Benzie's population include people who have the means to live wherever they choose? People, such as a Nobel Prize winner, cardiac surgeons, a pilot who flew for Clare Chenault, a journalist who chronicled WWII events, a former aide de camp for General Dwight D. Eisenhower? Why do people grow up here and seek ways to return, find employment, and raise their children in the community in which they were raised? The answer for some is "Benzie is rural with sophistication."
Of course, the natural beauty of the area and the numerous opportunities for outdoor recreation are strong influences.
Benzie County boasts 60 miles of Lake Michigan coastline, 57 inland lakes, and the southern portion of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. There are eight challenging golf courses, numerous biking and hiking trails, 135 miles of groomed snowmobile trails, and breathtaking fall color. The 80 to 100 inches of snow fall draws people to Crystal Mountain with its cross country ski trails and its 45 downhill slopes.
Gentler outdoor activities include walking to view the masses of trillium among the trees in the spring, to spot other delicate wildflowers, birding, and to search for elusive morel mushrooms. The sprouting of new leaves in their new fresh greenery is a promise of the lush summer to come, followed by glorious fall color and sparkling snow in winter
Services and enriching cultural events
In Benzie, people enjoy the simple abundance of the area, yet benefit from needed services and enriching cultural events. There is access to creature comforts such as cable TV, fine dining, Chicago style coffee shops with lattes and cappuccinos, good schools, and cable Internet services. Other services, such as excellent medical care with a highly rated hospital, senior living centers, and a well-equipped fitness center with a range of classes and fitness programs add to the richness of life upnorth.
Cultural activities include events sponsored by the Benzie Area Historical Society, and concerts presented by the Benzie Area Symphony Orchestra and the Community Chorus. Of special note is the opportunities to attend world-class performances at the nearby, internationally-recognized Interlochen Arts Academy. Performers range from Itzhak Perlman to the Canadian Brass to Aretha Franklin. Students from Brazil to Austin, Texas give matchless senior recitals, free to the audience.
Back-to-basics in the small towns and villages.
But the closeness to nature, outdoor recreation, and cultural activities doesn't fully answer why people choose to reside in Benzie County. People are drawn to Benzie County because of the pace of life, the focus on what's really important, the feeling of having something to care for, the feeling of being grounded.-the "back to basics" in the small towns and villages. In many ways the up-north experience is akin to a time long gone by. A time when congestion and gridlock were not a part of daily life, when parking one's car is not a challenge, a time when dogs can be walked at 11:00 p.m. by the light of the moon, and stars shine brightly.
Neighbors greet each other as they make their daily stop at the post office; shop owners and bank tellers know their customers and greet them by name. The forth of July parade, fireworks and greased pole climb are right out of a Norman Rockwell painting. And perhaps most astounding of all is that numbers of people marvel at the sunsets and spontaneously burst into applause as the "performance" ends with the sun dipping beyond the horizon. For these reasons and more, the northern lifestyle is embraced by those fortunate people who choose to live in Benzie.
