The counties that make up Southwest Michigan are all within an easy drive from Chicago’s Loop, as well as northern Indiana and Ohio. Our communities are home to both full-time residents and second home owners. Major employers like Pfizer, Stryker, Kellogg’s, Whirlpool, and others, are great supporters of the area. Our population values education, and we’re home to Lake Michigan College, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo College, as well as other colleges, and the Kalamazoo Promise.
The list of recreational activities and amenities in our area seems endless. Boating and fishing are always a major draw to the region, to some of the nicest lakes in the Upper Midwest, including Gull Lake, the site of sailboat races on weekends, as well as Gun Lake, Pine Lake, Diamond Lake, Paw Paw Lake, Corey Lake, Magician Lake, Saddle Lake, Hutchins Lake, Austin Lake, Crooked Lake, Eagle Lake, Corey Lake, Wall Lake, and many others.
Notable species of fish waiting to be reeled in by skilled anglers include largemouth and smallmouth bass, rainbow and lake trout, salmon, northern pike, bluegill and yellow perch. No one in the area is more than a few minutes away from water — all sports lakes, no wake lakes, rivers and ponds, oh, and we’re about an hour from the ‘Gold Coast’ of Lake Michigan, which is home to many ‘out of the way’ places — art galleries, restaurants, organic farms, antique shops, wineries, and more. It’s no wonder our area is so popular for visitors who travel to it from hundreds of miles away.
Hiking trails, mountain biking, birding and other outdoor recreational activities are also abundant. We’re home to the the Fort Custer and Yankee Springs Recreational Areas, Gull Lake’s W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, the Kellogg Bird Sanctuary, and the Kal-Haven Trail, a 34-mile trail for hikers, bikers, runners, and others, that connects South Haven to the Kalamazoo Valley River Trail, in Kalamazoo. Ours is also a golf enthusiast’s dream country, regularly drawing golfers from all over Michigan, as well as neighboring states. And if art galleries and antiquing are of interest, travel along the Blue Star Highway to the many stops along the way. Or designate a driver, and venture along the Lake Michigan Shore Wine Trail, to visit one of the many Southwest Michigan wineries.
And of course there's even more beyond what we've listed here. Contact us today for further information about our wonderful area. We’d love to introduce you, and for you consider it your home.