Michigan Beach Ranked One of the Best in the World

Michigan is known for having some of the best beaches in the U.S., thanks to the Great Lakes and all of our incredible inland lakes. As it turns out, one Michigan beach has also been ranked one of the best beaches in the entire world.

I know that seems like a stretch, even for Michigan, but if you think about it, Michigan truly has some of the best freshwater beaches in the world. The state is a rich source of freshwater for the world, so it makes sense that one of the state's beaches would make the cut.

That beach is Oval Beach in Saugatuck, Michigan. According to Saugatuck.com, Oval Beach is "recognized as one of Condé Nast Traveler’s Top 25 Beaches in the World, National Geographic Traveler’s Top Freshwater Beaches in the USA, and MTV’s Top 5 Beaches in the USA." That's a lot of great recognition for just one beach. City-Data.com goes on to discuss some of the beach's highlights, stating, "Oval beach can best be reached via North America's only hand-pulled chain ferry boat, which crosses the Kalamazoo River from nearby Saugatuck. A climb of 282 steps then takes visitors to Mount Baldhead, where they are rewarded with a splendid view of the harbor and Lake Michigan. From there, visitors descend onto the grassy coastal sands and the stunning shoreline. Along with the customary beach activities of swimming and sunbathing, visitors can also take a freewheeling ride on the "dune schooner" - a converted pickup truck that traverses some of the towering nearby sand hills."

The site adds, "The area is vintage, small-town Americas at its best - a combination of scenic, beautiful beaches, 19th-century architecture, and 21st-century shops and activities." The latest pricing data for Oval Beach says parking is $10/day and $50/season. To ride the chain ferry or Interurban bus, it will cost you $1. Admission is free from Labor Day to Memorial Day.

Read on for a list of the top 50 Michigan areas to buy a house!

It's a wild time to buy a house. The prices seem to just keep going up and up, with no end to this housing bubble in sight. I would love to buy my first hour, but like many, I'm being forced to wait until the housing market drops a bit, and it's anybody's guess when that will happen.

If you are buying a house right now, you should make sure it's in a good place to live, since you're likely paying a pretty penny for it. Thankfully, the folks at Niche.com have done the homework to determine the best places to buy a house in Michigan. They recently released a list of the best places to live in the state, factoring in both cities, suburbs, towns and city neighborhoods.

"The Best Places to Buy a House ranking provides a comprehensive assessment of the housing and community of an area," they explain the in the study. "This grade takes into account key factors of a location’s housing market, including home values, taxes, crime rates, and quality of local schools, in an attempt to measure the quality and stability of an area’s real estate market." They also look at aspects such as home value to income ratio, public schools grades, monthly housing costs, the cost of living, the higher education rate, the median home value and much more. Statistics are mainly obtained from the U.S. Census and represent the most recent data available, they state.

So, what places are the best to reside in Michigan? Read on for the top 50 list via Niche.com, and best of luck with your home buying experience.

https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/oneida-eaton-mi/

http://new.williamston-mi.us/

https://www.blendontownship-mi.gov/

http://www.tecumsehtownship.org/

https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/sheridan-charter-township-newaygo-mi/

http://twp.jamestown.mi.us/

http://www.ferrysburg.org/

https://www.twp-lima.org/

https://www.frankenmuth.org/

https://www.courtlandtwpmi.gov/

https://www.bloomfieldtwp.org/Home.aspx

https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/ingersoll-township-midland-mi/

https://www.baldwintownship.org/

https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/haslett-ingham-mi/

https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/jenison-ottawa-mi/

https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/dewitt-clinton-mi/

https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/quinnesec-dickinson-mi/

https://www.michigan.org/city/freeland

https://www.resorttownship.org/township-resources/news/

https://www.cityofmidlandmi.gov/

https://www.gpwmi.us/

https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/oakland-charter-township-oakland-mi/

https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/webster-township-washtenaw-mi/

https://troymi.gov/

http://fultonheights.org/

https://www.brightontwp.com/

https://www.texastownship.org/

https://www.portagetownship.info/

https://crockery-township.org/

https://norwaytwpmi.com/

https://www.zeelandtwp.org/

https://www.ci.northville.mi.us/

https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/cannon-township-kent-mi/

https://www.zillow.com/beverly-hills-mi/

https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/forest-hills-kent-mi/

https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/west-ishpeming-marquette-mi/

https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/tilden-township-marquette-mi/

https://www.ci.huntington-woods.mi.us/

https://www.hudsonville.org/

https://www.ottawahillsgr.org/

https://www.grossepointefarms.org/

https://www.michigan.org/city/okemos

https://loditownshipmi.org/

https://royaltontownship.org/

https://www.eastgr.org/

https://www.michigan.org/city/berkley

https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/n/eastgate-grand-rapids-mi/

http://www.larkintownship.org/

This study looked at cities, townships, suburbs and towns, but what about just the best city in Michigan to buy a house?

When it comes to cities, Lansing is actually No. 1 on the list, followed by Grand Rapids. Ann Arbor is next, followed by Warren and Detroit.

For Lansing, which was ranked the No. 1 city to buy a house in Michigan, Niche says, "Lansing is a city in Michigan with a population of 117,159. Lansing is in Ingham County. Living in Lansing offers residents a dense suburban feel and most residents own their homes. In Lansing there are a lot of coffee shops and parks. Many families and young professionals live in Lansing and residents tend to lean liberal. The public schools in Lansing are above average."

This list is via Niche.com.