page_title: Traverse City, Michigan
section_title: Culture
hierarchical_section_title: Traverse City, Michigan / Culture
caption_attribution_description: The sign for Traverse City State Park in w:Traverse City, Michigan. This file was uploaded with Commonist.
context_page_description: Traverse City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan region. The population was 14,674 at the 2010 census, with 143,372 in the Traverse City micropolitan area.
  The Traverse City area is the largest producer of tart cherries in the United States, as of 2010. Near the time of cherry harvest, the city hosts the annual week-long National Cherry Festival in the first full week of July, attracting approximately 500,000 visitors annually. The surrounding countryside also produces grapes, and is one of the centers of wine production in the Midwest. Tourism, both summer and winter, is another key industry. The Traverse City area features varied natural attractions, including freshwater beaches, vineyards, a National Lakeshore, downhill skiing areas, and numerous forests. In 2009, TripAdvisor named Traverse City the number two small town travel destination in the United States.
  In 2012, the city was listed among the 10 best places to retire in the country by U.S. News & World Report.
context_section_description: Most of Traverse City's economy is based on tourism. As part of the 2011 tourism advertising campaign the Traverse City Visitors Bureau, Traverse City Cherry Capital Airport and local businesses sponsored a video to be played on all Delta flights in the month of June 2011. The National Cherry Festival, usually in the first week of July, tends to host hundreds of thousands of tourists and locals to the area, as does the Traverse City Film Festival (established in 2005) at the end of July. It has become a focal point within the craft brewing trend. In November Beer Week is celebrated, with tours of breweries including samplings of craft brews, dinners and workshops.
  The National Cherry Festival, held during the first full week of July every year, is a draw for tourists to Traverse City. The festival features parades, fireworks, an air show, election of festival royalty, live music, a pie-eating contest and cherries. It is estimated that the Grand Traverse region produces up to 360,000,000 pounds (163,000,000 kg) of cherries annually. The largest variety of cherry produced locally is the Montmorency cherry, or the "pie cherry". Other cherries grown in the region include the Ulster, or sweet cherry, and the Balaton (from Lake Balaton in Hungary), a cherry situated between the Montmorency and Ulster in terms of color and taste.
  The Traverse City Film Festival, held at the end of July and beginning of August every year since 2005, is another draw for tourists and film buffs to Traverse City. It was started by Michael Moore, Doug Stanton and John Robert Williams as a way to bring more culture into the area via cinema.
  The locale and topography is conducive for road bicycling, aided by the TART trail system. A map with routes, different trips, advice and local knowledge is available. Lake Michigan presents a location for sailing, fishing, and kayaking.
  The Traverse City State Park, with about 250 campsites, is located three miles (4.8 km) east of downtown on 47 acres (19 ha) including a quarter mile beach on the East Bay arm of Grand Traverse Bay.
  The Boardman River Nature Center is the interpretive center and management headquarters for the Grand Traverse Natural Education Reserve, a 505-acre local park and natural area.
  
  The sandy soil is conducive to viticulture, and there are over 50 wineries in the Traverse City area. Most offer free wine tasting. Traverse city is located at the base of the Old Mission Peninsula wine region.
caption: Traverse City State Park
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