Small Towns Ahead of the Rest

It’s interesting to hear people say things like, “No one will notice, it’s a small town,” or “No one will figure it out, it’s a small town.” What they don’t realize is this isn’t your typical small town.

In Michigan, the twin cities on either side of the Portage Canal are referred to as Houghton/Hancock. Even in combination, the two cities are not the largest “city” in the Upper Peninsula. It’s a small place, but that’s the allure.

What is truly unique about this “small town” are the people who live here. Consider this, Houghton/Hancock
• have two universities: Michigan Technological University in Houghton, and Finlandia University in Hancock
• one hospital – Portage Hospital
• four bike shops

Four bike shops!? Yes. We are world class. We have four bike shops. We have Cross Country Sports (Trek), Downwind Sports (Giant), Hancock Bike Shop (Specialized), and the not-even-opened-yet The Bike Shop (Jamis, Marin). One might attribute this to being a “tourist town,” but that is inaccurate. True, we are tourist towns in the tourist peninsula, but Houghton and Hancock are two towns tailored to their unique demographic. We aren’t the typical small town. The residents consist of a high percentage of healthcare workers and university PhDs in comparison to other small towns. Combine these professionals with the high percentage of college students, and you find a severe demand for bike shops.

The number of bike shops is a good representation of how strong the cycling community is here. However, there is further evidence in the cycling clubs that have popped up over the years.

The Trekkers stemmed from a group of people who got together to play golf. This group has greatly evolved to a group that gets together to ride and dine together.

The Copper Country Cycling Club (C4) is the Michigan Tech cycling club that participates in intercollegiate racing and hosts the annual Copper Country Color Tour.

The Red Jacket Cycling Team is a new race team that arose from an impromptu cyclocross team from last fall.

The Keweenaw Cycling Club is in development.

As you can see, Houghton and Hancock are not your typical small towns. When it comes to cycling, one could say they are on the cutting edge.