Newberry, Michigan's Moose Capital

Newberry is the only real town in Luce County, and it wears a fun title: the Official Moose Capital of Michigan, named by the state legislature back in 2002. The honor comes from the fact that Luce County records more moose sightings than any other county in the state. Don’t expect a moose on every corner — they’re big, shy animals — but they do roam the surrounding forests and wetlands, and your best chance of spotting one is north of town, near the beaver ponds and swamps along M-123.

The town sits in the heart of the Lake Superior State Forest and is the southern gateway to Tahquamenon Falls, one of the largest waterfalls east of the Mississippi, about a half hour’s drive to the north. Eight miles up the road is Oswald’s Bear Ranch, the largest bear-only ranch in the country, where rescued black bears live in big wooded habitats. Newberry grew up as a lumber town in the late 1800s, and you can still get a feel for those days at the Tahquamenon Logging Museum just north of the village.

For buyers, Newberry offers something rare: a small, friendly town with a hospital, schools, shops, and a golf course, set in the middle of some of the wildest country in Michigan. If you want to live where moose, bears, and waterfalls are practically neighbors, this is the spot. You can find more at tahquamenoncountry.com.