Welcome" is another way of saying Michigan's Upper Peninsula. "Welcome" is whispered by tall pines in the deep forests, conveyed in subtle sighs with the lapping of the waves, and shouted by the wind from mountaintop to mountaintop. "Welcome" is served with the coffee at roadside diners, tucked beside your good-night chocolate at exclusive resorts, reflected in the wave of a friendly hand. The folks who live here are just that way. Glad to show off the peninsula we call home. Glad to have you here. Hoping you linger for awhile. Hoping you come again. Let us welcome you to some of the largest freshwater lakes in the world. Lakes Superior, Michigan and Huron draw a continuous 1,700-mile shoreline around the Upper Peninsula. Within these boundaries the 384-mile-long peninsula stretches from Drummond Island to Ironwood, reaching 233 miles wide from Menominee to the south to Copper Harbor at the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula. Michigan's Upper Peninsula is greater in size than the four states of Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts and Rhode Island combined, with plenty of space for visitors. We are as far west as St. Louis, Missouri, and farther north than Canada's Montreal. In our cities, villages and communities, we enjoy concerts, festivals, fairs, art shows, and invite our visitors to come along. You are invited to tour our colleges and universities, cheer for our sports teams, play in our casinos, sing along with our music. Our restaurants offer fast foods, family fare or gourmet dining. It's your choice. Spaced between our cities are scenic lakeshores, pristine woodlands and wilderness. Yet the most remote area is no more than 30 miles from travel services. The romance and lure of Michigan's Upper Peninsula is reflected in the ethnic mix of our people and historic towns, born of mining and forestry that opened the north country to settlement more than 150 years ago. Historical museums tell their stories, along with forts, 1860's lighthouses with towers you can climb, iron mines with tours. Our heritage is rich: Native American Indians who long occupied these shores; French-Canadian voyageurs who paddled freighter canoes in their quest for furs. Then came English immigrants, Finnish, Swedish, Italian, Greek, Croatian, and others. These were miners digging for iron, copper, silver and gold; lumberjacks; fishermen; sailors; farmers. The rugged land and mix of ethnic cultures helped to form a unique and friendly people that still defines the character of our peninsula. It's easy to parade our history. We are surrounded by the past. Ocean-going freighters still pass through the historic Soo Locks, the world's longest locks at Sault Ste. Marie. Abandoned mine shaft houses rise against the landscape. Costumed interpreters at historical sites act out scenes from yesteryear. We maintain a fierce loyalty to this peninsula of lakes and forests. The mystique of the north country echoes in the plaintive call of the loon, aurora borealis painting rainbows in the night sky, diamonds on the snow, lingering sunsets, road signs designating moose areas. It is heard in the cries of mushers to their teams of dogs running before the sleds at many winter festivals. It is reflected in the works of our artists and crafters and in the songs of our musicians. We tend to boast a bit! Not only do we boast of Michigan's largest lakes, but the longest bridge, largest islands, wilderness area, swamp and state park. You can climb the highest mountains in the Midwest, rappel 200-foot-high sandstone cliffs, and return in winter to rappel our frozen waterfalls. Of Michigan's 152 major waterfalls, all but two are waiting for you in the Upper Peninsula. There are miles of beaches of sand, towering dunes, 4,300 inland lakes and 12,000 miles of sparkling trout streams. We boast about our winter snow because we love it, and because we know how to maintain our roads. Roads are important to us for getting to our ski hills, summer beach picnics with views of passing Great Lakes freighters, and for providing our visitors clear passage any season of the year. We're easy to find. If you're below the Great Lakes, head north across the Mackinac Bridge to St. Ignace or through Wisconsin border gateways. If you're above the Great Lakes and Superior, head south across the International Bridge at Sault Ste. Marie and there we are. If you enjoy quiet walks along moss-covered paths, the thunder of falling water, scudding across blue lakes with winds puffing the sails, or the curl of smoke from a lakeside campfire, there is a place for you in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Or perhaps you are the type to prowl museums, book stores, antique shops, boutiques, galleries. Or perhaps you are the active type, seeking to explore, canoe, raft, kayak, sail, ski, fish, hunt, bike. This, and more, is waiting for you in the north country. We want to share Michigan's Upper Peninsula with you. We like it here. We hope you do, too.