Houghton-Hancock

Understand

Houghton and Hancock are in the heart of the Upper Peninsula known as Copper County (comprising of Baraga, Houghton, Keweenaw, and Ontonagon counties) and are the largest population center in the area. Copper Mining began in the area around the 1860s and peaked in the 1920s. While Hancock has lost roughly 50% of its historical population from the mine closures, Houghton on the other hand is growing and the area has since mostly shifted away from copper mining as its primary economic driver, with Michigan Technological University on Houghton's east side, and several areas of scenic beauty in the western Upper Peninsula drawing tourists into the Keweenaw every year.

Get in

The main highways in the area include:

• US 41 - US 41 comes into Houghton from the south and connects Houghton with Marquette. Though ending at US 41 in nearby L'Anse, US 141 directs Green Bay and Iron Mountain travelers to US 41.
• M-26 - M-26 enters Houghton from the southwest and ends short of Ontonagon, specifically near Rockland. Final connections to Ironwood is serviced by nearby M-28 while US 45 directs travelers towards Wausau.

There is also a nearby airport:

Get around

On foot

Houghton and Hancock are very small cities and are easily accessed by foot, although some streets can be very steep.

By taxi

Neil's Cab (+1 906-482-5515) operates a few taxis in the area and the City of Houghton operates a shuttle service.

Another taxi service is Copper Country Limo, featuring airport and local transportation. This is a smoke free service. They do local and long distance with a stretch limo also available. Serving the University and Airport. (+1 906-370-4761 or www.coppercountrylimo.com)

By car

For exploring the area, a personal car would be best. Car rentals area available at the airport.

The road names can be confusing as the same road can have different names in different areas. Coming into Houghton, US-41 is called College Ave after Michigan Tech, and then changes to one-way Shelden Ave in downtown Houghton, crosses the bridge, and splits into two different directions of M-26 and US-41. The Yooper Loop is a rather challenging piece of road on the south side of the lift bridge, where Memorial (US-41), Montezuma, and Shelden meet. Go slow, but don't stop, and remember to check your blind spot if you need to go onto M-26.

Go next

• Isle Royale has beautiful hiking on a pristine island in Lake Superior. The Ranger III ferry departs from Houghton for around $100 roundtrip.
• Laurium and Calumet are another pair of copper-mining based cities in Houghton County, located further north on US 41 and M-26.
• Marquette; the largest city in the Upper Peninsula and another college town with some iron mining activity, is located southeast on US 41
• Porcupine Mountains are located southwest along M-26; near Greenland, keep going straight on M-38 into Ontonagon, where it then becomes M-64. M-64 turns off to the south in Mass City, though the mountains are mainly accessible via 107th Engineers Memorial Highway (Old M-107).
• While not immediately nearby and not with the entirely same historical background, Sturgeon Bay has a similar geographical position and just as much scenic sightseeing opportunities to the south.