In some ways, little has changed since families packed the car and made the day-long trip to the picturesque county, the little finger on Michigan's mitten where rivers, lakes and beaches reign. In winter and early spring, the quaint village of Leland, between Lake Leelanau and Lake Michigan, sleeps. Most shops and restaurants are closed. But come May, it's alive with anticipation and refurbishing for the arrival of the summer guests, called ''fudgies'' by the full-timers. In Leland, population less than 1,000, a social strata prevails.
Natives are families who have lived there for generations and have no desire to leave.
Most make their living in retail or service-oriented businesses. Others are mostly retirees who vacationed in Leland through their lives and, with a lifetime of memories, decided to retire ''up north'' after living in cities such as Cincinnati, Toledo, Dayton, Indianapolis and St. Louis. They are the country club members, the ones who complain the most about summer crowds and traffic jams on Main Street, particularly at the Mercantile, the village's only food market. Shopping in Leland and nearby villages means an assortment of antiques, collectibles and the usual T-shirts. Leland's ''Fishtown'' offers fresh fish pulled each day from icy Lake Michigan.