User:PIrish/sandboxes/sandbox1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ludington is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 8,357. It is the county seat of Mason County6.
Ludington is a harbor located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Pere Marquette River. Many people come to Ludington in the summer for recreation, including boating and swimming on Lake Michigan, Hamlin Lake, and other smaller inland lakes, as well as hunting, fishing, and camping. Nearby are Ludington State Park, Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area, and Manistee National Forest. It's also the home port of the SS Badger, with daily service in the summer across Lake Michigan to Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Watching the Badger come in to port in the evening from the end of the north breakwall is a favorite local pastime. In summer, the city hosts quite a few large events. Examples are one of the largest Gus Macker basketball tournaments (with 25,000 spectators), the Lakestride Half Marathon in June, and the Art Fair on the Fourth of July. As a result of its many attractions (based on AAA's 2005 TripTikĀ® requests), Ludington is the fifth-most-popular tourist city in Michigan, behind Mackinaw City, Traverse City, Muskegon, and Sault Ste. Marie.