As a University of Wisconsin-Madison alumnus, I'm obligated to say Traverse City's lack of a blue and yellow football team should be seen as a positive. A bit more seriously, I do think lacking a major sports team can be seen as a positive for people who aren't sports enthusiasts. I went to school in Madison and still live here. I've realized there are two Madisons: campus and the rest of the city. Many out of towners, including alumni, only know campus and can only picture a sea of red when they think of Madison. It's much more than that. Not having a major team can be a good thing for TC. Your comparison to Grand Rapids was interesting. I was there one night a few years ago for a concert and was impressed with downtown. There were young people out, there were nice restaurants and pubs, and it looked like people were actually living there. This was spring 2012 when Michigan was still struggling out of the recession and GM/Chrysler bail outs. Grand Rapids seemed to be doing well then, and if TC is even nicer it probably merits a look.
I'm a longtime Michigan resident, and I went 22 years without going to Traverse City. I vacationed in the Upper Peninsula and around Mackinac, and all along the coast of Lake Michigan as a kid. Except TC. Then I went for the first time last summer and fell in love with it. It's pretty much everything that I want from a Lake Michigan vacation spot, plus all of the benefits of a good sized city. I'm a huge foodie, and every single restaurant in town is in direct culinary competition with every other restaurant and the result is that you can walk into or up to every single place that serves food and have your mind blown. Also, I've been in town for the film festival, but never felt like I was in a tourist trap, the way I sometimes do at Mackinac.and if TC is even nicer it probably merits a look.
Thank you WanderingEng. LOL - as a Purdue grad, I have had very little to cheer about ever since Drew Brees graduated, but two sons have attended/graduated from U of M and one from MSU. I think you make a very valid point. Grand Rapids has been doing quite well and weathered the downturn much better than most larger Michigan cities. I think you will really like TC.