County note shelf
Bay County Porch Notes
Stories, practical details, outdoor places, tax quirks, and local history connected to Bay County. This shelf has 5 practical notes and 15 local stories.
20 notes
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- History and cultureBay City's sugar factory is actually in Monitor TownshipMichigan Sugar's 1901 Bay City factory sits in Monitor Township and still processes local sugar beets after a century of company changes.
- History and culture"Franconian joy" — a sister colony to FrankenmuthFrankenlust Township's name and history come from a Franconian Lutheran farming colony tied to Frankenmuth's founding story.
- History and cultureA city of drawbridgesBay City's Saginaw River crossings still lift for freighters and sailboats, with a mix of free and tolled bridges.
- History and cultureBay City: sawmills, ships, and lumber-baron mansionsBay City's riverfront history runs from Saginaw Valley sawmills to shipyards, the USS Edson, and Center Avenue mansions.
- History and cultureWhy Pinconning calls itself Michigan's Cheese CapitalPinconning's shift from lumber to dairy set up Dan Horn's 1915 cheese formula and the roadside shops that made it a local identity.
- History and culturePinconning cheese and the shops that carried it forwardDan Horn's 1915 Colby-style formula gave Pinconning its namesake cheese; two roadside stores with Horn-family roots carried the tradition forward.
- History and cultureStyrofoam Was Invented in Midland (and What You Call 'Styrofoam' Probably Isn't)Dow invented Styrofoam in Midland in 1941 — and here's the twist: the foam cups and coolers you call 'styrofoam' aren't actually Styrofoam at all.
- History and cultureHow Essexville launched Michigan's modern beet-sugar industryMichigan's first successful beet-sugar campaign opened in Essexville in 1898. The plant later closed, but its Pioneer company became part of Michigan Sugar's lineage.
- History and cultureThere's a US Navy destroyer parked on the Saginaw RiverThe USS Edson, a 418-foot Navy destroyer, is moored on the Saginaw River in Bangor Township as the Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum.
- OutdoorsTobico Marsh: a Great Lakes wetland behind the beachBay City State Park pairs more than 1,000 feet of Saginaw Bay beach with Tobico Marsh, a National Natural Landmark and a major Great Lakes coastal wetland.
- History and cultureMadonna was born in Bay City before growing up near DetroitMadonna was born in Bay City, raised in Pontiac and Rochester Hills, and studied dance in Ann Arbor before leaving Michigan for New York.
- History and cultureThe Eastern White PineMichigan named the eastern white pine its state tree in 1955 — honoring the timber that built the state, and that the state nearly cut down to the last trunk.
- Home and propertyLow, flat country where the river meets the bayBay County's low Saginaw River and Saginaw Bay setting makes flood maps and shoreline risk important for buyers.
- Home and propertyThe Saginaw River cleanup, and the fish advisories downstreamDownstream Saginaw River and Saginaw Bay buyers should know about dioxin cleanup history, fish advisories, and floodplain sediment.
- Home and propertyOut past the suburbs, you're on a well and septicRural Bay County township homes often use private wells and septic systems, so buyers should ask for records and inspections.
- OutdoorsDow Gardens and the treetop walkDow Gardens and Whiting Forest give Midland a public garden, historic home, and nationally noted treetop canopy walk.
- History and cultureThe TridgeMidland's three-legged Tridge crosses the Chippewa and Tittabawassee confluence and anchors downtown trails, parks, and markets.
- OutdoorsSaginaw Bay's walleye: a comeback for the record booksSaginaw Bay's once-collapsed walleye fishery recovered so completely that it's now ranked among the best in the country, with millions of fish and a busy charter fleet.
- 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.