County note shelf
Alpena County Porch Notes
Stories, practical details, outdoor places, tax quirks, and local history connected to Alpena County. This shelf has 4 practical notes and 7 local stories.
11 notes
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- History and cultureDinosaur Gardens in OssinekeDinosaur Gardens is a classic Ossineke roadside attraction, with concrete dinosaurs sculpted by Paul Domke beginning in the 1930s.
- History and cultureHow Alpena became Cement City and home to Besser machinesA Michigan report once called Alpena's Huron plant the world's largest single cement mill. Today, Amrize calls it one of North America's largest, while Besser still builds concrete-product machinery from its Alpena headquarters.
- Money and taxesIs there a city income tax in Alpena County?Alpena County has no local income tax: Alpena is the county's only city, and it does not levy one.
- OutdoorsThe Brown Trout FestivalAlpena's Michigan Brown Trout Festival brings a long-running Thunder Bay fishing tournament and summer waterfront events to the city each July.
- History and cultureThunder Bay and the shipwreck sanctuaryThunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary protects Lake Huron shipwrecks off Alpena, with museum and glass-bottom-boat access from downtown.
- History and cultureShipwreck Alley, where you can see wrecks without divingNOAA counts 100 discovered shipwrecks in Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and estimates 100 more await discovery off northeast Michigan.
- OutdoorsThe Presque Isle Pair: The Oldest and the Tallest You Can ClimbTwo Lake Huron lighthouses a mile apart north of Alpena — the oldest you can still climb and the tallest open to the public on the Great Lakes — with a friendly ghost story to match.
- OutdoorsRockport: sinkholes, fossils, and a dark-sky shoreRockport pairs a former limestone quarry and sinkholes with fossil hunting, Lake Huron access, and a designated dark-sky preserve. Download the DNR maps before exploring.
- Home and propertyWells, septic, and what to check before you buyAlpena County township buyers should check private wells and septic systems themselves because there is no automatic point-of-sale inspection rule.
- Money and taxesBuying in a township? Watch for special assessments on top of your taxesMichigan township buyers should check for special assessments that can add separate road, sewer, water, lighting, sidewalk, or drain charges.
- Money and taxesIn Michigan, you get two property-tax bills a year — not oneMost Michigan property owners get separate summer and winter tax bills, with local rules deciding what lands on each bill.