Trout Creek is a tiny town in Michigan’s western Upper Peninsula that is home to less than 300 people; it’s about 8 hours north of Lansing or Detroit.

A Town Full of the “U.P. Feeling”

I first crossed the Mackinac Bridge into the U.P. back in 2011, and I fell completely in love with the place after experiencing a couple of road trips, a few camping adventures and a frigid snowstorm in a rustic cabin.

This series of events led me to finding a little home on Craigslist in what has become a modern-day “living ghost town.” Formerly a bustling mill town with nearly 1000 residents, today Trout Creek represents a blend of traditional U.P. culture and the modernized entrepreneurship that has resulted from the introduction of the M28-like transportation routes and high-speed internet access. It’s the perfect place to call home while I continue to explore the world around me.

A Good Place for Business

Due to strong anti-union sentiment, the old mill owners closed shop in the 1960s, despite workers’ wishes, and more than half of the population disappeared over the next couple of decades.

Today, there isn’t much around Trout Creek other than a few small businesses, a couple of churches and a post office. Nonetheless, it’s still in the heart of one of the U.P.’s national forests and home to some of the most beautiful wildlife. It’s also near some of the coolest waterfalls, hiking trails and campgrounds.

Given Trout Creek’s history, I think it’s an excellent place for a humble millennial entrepreneur to slow down and capture some of life’s most beautiful moments while also investing in the local community.