Paradise, Michigan
| Paradise, Michigan | |
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| — Unincorporated community — | |
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 Paradise, Michigan
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| Coordinates: 46°37′39″N 85°2′15″W / 46.6275°N 85.0375°WCoordinates: 46°37′39″N 85°2′15″W / 46.6275°N 85.0375°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Michigan |
| County | Chippewa |
| Township | Whitefish |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 49768 |
| Area code(s) | 906 |
| FIPS code | 26-62300[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1621151[2] |
Paradise is an unincorporated community in Whitefish Township, Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan.
Paradise is on the northeastern portion of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on the western side of Whitefish Bay, Lake Superior, about 60 miles (97 km) by road from Sault Ste. Marie and about 55 miles (89 km) north of the Mackinac Bridge. Its zip code is 49768, and the area code and telephone prefix are (906) and 492 respectively. Founded in 1925, Paradise is surrounded by state and national forests and its main business is tourism. It is considered one of two gateways to the Tahquamenon Falls area and Tahquamenon Falls State Park. (The other gateway is Newberry, about 40 miles (64 km) to the southwest.) The area draws hunters, fishers, campers, backpackers, snowmobilers and birdwatchers. The region harvests blueberries and cranberries in season. Lake Superior shipping lanes are several miles off shore. The Paradise post office opened May 1, 1947.[3]
Whitefish Point with the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, beach, Whitefish Point Lighthouse and prime birding area, is 11 miles (18 km) north. Whitefish Point is a designated Important Bird Area. The Whitefish Point Bird Observatory, an affiliate of the Michigan Audubon Society, operates a research and education facility at Whitefish Point.
Whitefish Point is the nearest navigation mark to the wreckage of the ore freighter SS Edmund Fitzgerald, which sank in 1975. Every vessel entering or leaving Lake Superior must pass Whitefish Point. Whitefish Point remains one of the most dangerous shipping areas in the Great Lakes. [4] More vessels have been lost in the Whitefish Point area than any other part of Lake Superior. The Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve protects the shipwrecks in a portion of the bay for future generations of sports divers.
John Dreves, known as the "Can Man" from Michigan's Upper Peninsula, is from Paradise. Dreves collects, sorts and redeems cans to help fund local athletics. In the past six years, he has contributed more than $20,000 to Whitefish Township Community School and its 50 K-12 students. Providing new uniforms, equipment and transportation, Dreves has also been named the "Paradise Angel." John was featured on ESPN's Outside the Lines.
The Sufjan Stevens album Greetings from Michigan contains a song entitled "For The Widows In Paradise, For the Fatherless in Ypsilanti."
[edit] References
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Paradise, Michigan
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Paradise Post Office
- ^ Stonehouse, Frederick (1985, 1998). Lake Superior’s Shipwreck Coast, p. 267, Avery Color Studios, Gwinn, Michigan, U.S.A. ISBN 0-932232-43-3, pp. 13 & 267
[edit] External links
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