Descriptive Essay On Harrisville

Harrisville is a tiny town that is almost completely dependent on tourism. Harrisville has beautiful, sprawling beaches, a faultless state park, and an up-to-date harbor. However what it seems to be lacking is people. When the recession hit this small, tourist town, its profitable production nearly stopped. Now the harbor is barely utilized by local fishermen. A state park established in 1921, now struggles to fill just half of its 229 campsites. Along with the vast expanse of beaches, the harbor and state park used to bring in enough tourism for Harrisville to be a successful small village. However, businesses that had before been well established, can barely stay buoyant. The only thing that has kept Harrisville from completely collapsing is the amount of summer homes and the elderly population. With 59% of Harrisville’s population over 45 Harrisville is thankful for its retirees ("American FactFinder."). This large number is able to keep some kind of population and fixed business within the town. With the fading traffic light in my rear-view mirror, I continued along my drive. Stretching out in front of me was a predictable variation of …show more content…
Alpena originally relied heavily on tourism. A huge attraction in Alpena is the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. With the loss of a majority of tourism, parts of Alpena demonstrate the economic struggles it faces. To the south Alpena begins with a series of closed buildings and businesses. In the south, many of the residential homes are foreclosed or for sale. Closed factories can be found within the city as well. Fletcher Paper Mill once stood proudly along the Thunder Bay River, but now sits empty with broken windows and spray paint as a reminder of the difficult times. Alpena is not without its struggles but it has remained the most important center and the staple holding Northeastern Michigan’s economy