Michigan needs some love. The Labor Department recently announced that it was the first state in 25 years to have unemployment top 15 percent . Though I will probably have to leave the state I’ve lived in for as long as I can remember in order to find a job post-graduation–and even though the winters are too long–it’s hard for me not to miss Michigan this time of year. And of course, the best thing about the Great Lakes state is, well, all of the lakes. Fresh water (no salty residue), climbing up sand dunes and watching the sun set over Lake Michigan, nights that are cold enough to warrant a sweatshirt, lighthouses… these are the images the phrase “West Coast” evokes in my mitten-shaped state. These towns are so beautiful that I was reluctant to encourage people to visit lest they become overcrowded, but my pride in my home state prevailed.

Read the original here Seven Adorable Michigan Lake Towns