Nestled between majestic Lake Michigan and beautiful Round Lake, Downtown Charlevoix offers a truly unique waterfront shopping experience. But don't be fooled by its quaintness and charm - this hub of music, art, food and fun welcomes tens of thousands of visitors annually.
In July 2006, Downtown Charlevoix was named a "Cool City" by Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm. This designation resulted in the production of the Charlevoix Downtown Blueprint 2007 - an aggressive five-year economic development plan to make Downtown Charlevoix an even better place to live, work and visit.
 This cutout of the northwest portion of Michigan's Lower Peninsula outlines Downtown Charlevoix's Primary Trade Area. This area stretches from Beaver Island in the northwest to affluent Bay Harbor in the east and captures the summer retreat destinations of Eastport and Torch Lake in the south. Lake Charlevoix neighbors Boyne City and East Jordan are also included. The table below lists past and projected future demographic and economic characteristics of Downtown Charlevoix's Primary Trade Area.
| Primary Trade Area |
2000 |
2006 |
2011 |
| Population |
27,885 |
29,676 |
31,057 |
| Households |
11,155 |
12,136 |
12,820 |
| Families |
7,911 |
8,442 |
8,752 |
| |
|
|
|
Median Household
Income |
$40,766 |
$47,219 |
$53,276 |
Average Household
Income |
$51,499 |
$61,386 |
$71,526 |
|
Recent Downtown Capital Projects
Charlevoix Public Library
One of Michigan's premier public libraries
opened in 2005. The Charlevoix Public Library now welcomes an average of over 10,000 visitors per month. In addition to 34,000 square feet of collection shelving and meeting rooms featuring advanced audio/visual systems, the library offers exciting weekly programs and numerous continuing education opportunities for residents and visitors of all ages.
Charlevoix Marina Expansion and East Park Renovation
The expansion of the second most popular public marina in Michigan was completed in summer 2007 with all 75 upgraded slips made available to boaters. The second phase of the project - including a new harbor master building, a state-of-the-art outdoor performance pavilion, and the Charlevoix Fountain of Youth, an interactive  water feature for children - was finished in summer 2008. The final component of the more than $13 million renovation project was an artificial trout stream and habitat completed in spring 2009.
The entire East Park Renovation Project was recognized in fall 2009 by the American Planning Association as one of only ten "Great Public Places in America." |
