RECREATION: WHERE AND WHY?

One way to examine the "why" questions of recreation, is to see where people recreate.  In Michigan, most people seek to vacation, or recreate, in the northern lower peninsula, and in certain parts of the UP.  This pattern is indicated by the distribution of people employed in tourism-related businesses (see below).
employment in tourism businesses 1987.JPG (32878 bytes)
Source: Unknown

The map below shows the locations of second homes in the US.   Since second homes are usually places people go to "get away from it all" and recreate, the map shows that northern Michigan is a hotbed of second homes, and a valued locus of recreation.

secondhomes.jpeg (46698 bytes)
SECOND HOME PER SQUARE MILE, IN 1990

Source: Unknown

Another way to look at recreation is to examine how important it is to the state's economy.  The graph below should do just that.
value_of_michigans_natural_resources_1991.JPG (16133 bytes)

Source: Michigan Society of Planning Officials. 1995. Jobs and the Built Environment Trends. Working Paper, Michigan�s Trend Future. Michigan Society of Planning Officials, Rochester, MI.

This material has been compiled for educational use only, and may not be reproduced without permission.  One copy may be printed for personal use.  Please contact Randall Schaetzl (soils@msu.edu) for more information or permissions.