We spent some time this summer in the Saginaw and Midland area. The "mark" that the Dow family made is very visible, insofar as charities, buildings, etc. I would imagine that's the tip of a very scary industrial contamination iceberg.
Yep. Midland is basically Dow, the City. My dad went to Dow High School. One of the main tourist attractions is Dow Gardens (worth visiting if you didn't, by the way). Or you can go watch a baseball game at Dow Diamond. It's pretty, too - one of the best collections of Prairie architecture in the world... much of it designed by Alden B. Dow, son of the company's namesake, and student of Frank Lloyd Wright. Just don't go in the Tittabawassee river.
We were only in that area for a couple of days. It seems to be a nice area. Midland has a bit of a theme park / artificial feel to it, though. Saginaw seems a little more "authentic".
We were impressed by Dow Gardens. I'm also particularly interested Alden B. Dow's architecture. I'm hoping to attend one of the various tours the studio offers next year.
I happened to see an article[0] about a Dow house coming up for sale last year. That ignited my interest in that area of the state. (I'm not a credible enough potential buyer to actually see this property in the flesh, sadly.)
Some of my family lived in the Traverse City area and we still have property there. We spend time there every summer and, coming from western Ohio, we always take a westerly route to get up there. I'd never spent any time on the eastern side of the peninsula before. We're definitely going back for another couple days sometime.
Hah, I can see that perception for sure. Downtown Midland is very prim and proper, and doesn't really match the culture of the rest of the Tri Cities. Bay City has an adorable little downtown if you're ever in the area again. It's a must-visit if you like antique shops, and much more authentic.
