Excitement came to Michigan, at least in some parts, in late 2012 when the Census Bureau proclaimed that Michigan’s population had increased over the previous year for the first time in seven years. Our total population was up to 9,883,360, but we knew little of its characteristics. We could surmise that we were getting older, […]
Business Watch
Covering the intersection of business and policy, and informing Michigan employers and workers on the long road back from coronavirus. Our Michigan Economic Dashboard shows key metrics that show how the state is performing.
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Capsized by economy, Houghton Lake clings to hopeful signs on vacationers
UP, DOWN: Randy Krause invested in Houghton Lake’s vacation economy by buying a small hotel. He eventually lost his investment. “Weekends were busy, but that was all,” he said. (Bridge photo/Nancy Derringer) PRUDENVILLE – Whether Randy Krause’s business was the victim of hard times, changing tastes or just plain bad luck hardly matters now. The […]
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Once a gem, African-American resort community seeks new identity
TOP ATTRACTIONS: The resort community of Idlewild once attracted some of the nation’s top entertainment acts when it served as a mecca for African-American families in a segregated America. (Bridge photo/Nancy Derringer) IDLEWILD – Emma Jean Clark’s view from the front room of her family’s summer cottage is similar to that enjoyed by thousands […]
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Shifting middle-class fortunes transform Michigan’s ‘cottage on the lake’ lifestyle
NEW POINTS OF CALL: Michigan’s manufacturing shift has helped spawn a change in the vacation business in the state, too. (Bridge illustration/A.J. Jones) Richard and Patricia Dolland spent countless warm summer days and cold winter nights in their rustic cottage in Northern Michigan. Every few weeks, they’d drive three hours north from their Macomb County […]
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As Michigan families redefine vacations, tourism industry turns to out-of-staters
FILLING UP: Michigan’s swimming pool industry says business is picking up in the wake of the Great Recession, as families choose more backyard vacations over journeys Up North and elsewhere. (Bridge illustration/A.J. Jones) Earlier this year, John and Katy Wustman talked about buying a little place Up North to spend their vacations. “It was a […]
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With Michigan costs rising, rail group proposes surge in seats for high-speed Amtrak line
SUCCESS NOW, CHALLENGES AHEAD: More people are choosing to ride Amtrak lines in Michigan these days, but the state’s subsidy for passenger rail will increase significantly starting in October. A group of rail advocates is offering a plan to boost the number of seats available on Michigan rails to help the state defray those costs. […]
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New reports ID five housing ‘hot spots’ in Michigan
Michigan’s housing stock is thinning, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, which pegged the state as one of only two with fewer housing units in 2012 than in 2010. Neighboring Illinois is the other. But the state of housing is far from equal across Michigan. In fact, there are growing hot spots for housing – […]
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Wave of craft beer washes over Michigan
SAMPLING THE LOCAL FARE: Patrons of Founders Brewing Company in Grand Rapids enjoy some of the product of Michigan’s craft brewing industry, which continues to grow rapidly. (Bridge photo/Lance Wynn) Michigan’s craft beer industry is growing so fast that leaders of the trade association representing it can’t keep track of all the activity. “I […]
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Craft brewers’ recent success runs into old way of doing things in Lansing
Laura Houser, a brewer, tends to the huge tanks at Founders Brewing Company in Grand Rapids. Founders is one of Michigan’s largest craft brewers. (Bridge photo/Lance Wynn) Beer — the brewing of it, shipping, selling and quaffing of suds — is, by one measure, a nearly $6.1 billion industry in Michigan. And it’s an industry […]
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State government ‘spends’ $30 billion more this year than you think
(courtesy image/used under Creative Commons license) Officially, Michigan’s state government is spending $48.2 billion this year on education, health care, prisons, transportation and all other spending programs. But the state actually is shelling out $78.9 billion — 64 percent more than the spending allocated through the state budget. It’s happening through something called “tax expenditures”—tax […]