Bay City, Michigan - 48708

Bay City lies at the mouth of the Saginaw River at the tip of Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron. It is the county seat for Bay County.

Historically, Bay City owes its development to the lumbering industry in the late 1800’s, as it became the central distribution point for shipping on the Great Lakes.

Huge quantities of lumber were floated down the Saginaw River to such an extent that there were estimated to be more sawmills in this area than any other during that time.(The City still retains much of it’s Turn-of-the-Century architecture made from that lumber in some of it’s downtown buildings and surrounding homes on the near east side).

Later, Bay City also played a major role in shipbuilding , especially during WW II, where submarines for the US and Australian Navies were produced there.

Today, Bay City continues to be a major shipping port for sugar, concrete, and other industrial products.

It also features a great recreational opportunity with its Riverwalk-where you can get a bird’s eye view of the town, the drawbridge and an occasional freighter passing through, a must for sightseers.
 

Photos courtesy of: Ken Huisjen