Fairview and Oscoda's Amish country

Fairview, in the northeast corner of the county, is Oscoda County’s second community. It’s also the center of a long-standing Amish settlement. Amish families first came to the Mio area from Ohio more than a century ago. Today’s community — one of the oldest in Michigan — farms the rolling open land around Fairview. You’ll share the road with horse-drawn buggies here. You’ll also find Amish farm stands, a bulk-foods store, and small family workshops.

Fairview is also known, of all things, as the “wild turkey capital of Michigan.” It’s a fitting title in a county this full of woods and game. A couple of homegrown attractions sit right in town. The Michigan AuSable Valley Railroad is a quarter-scale ridable miniature railway. It carries passengers on a loop through the jack pine, and Kirtland’s warblers are often visible along the way. Steiner’s Museum holds a collection of pioneer artifacts.

This corner is quieter farm country, unlike the forested rest of the county. Rolling farmland is edged by the Huron National Forest, with small lakes scattered around. If you’re looking at property here, the same rural basics apply: wells, septic, and a lot of open sky.