Fennville, MI

Fennville began at a crossing of two wood roads, with the first road built by Harrison Hutchins and James McCormick in 1837. The settlement sat at the edge of a swamp and was badly hit by fire in 1871, but its later character grew from orchards, fruit farms, and the wetlands where Canada geese stop on migration. The Fennville Goose Festival began in 1985 as a way to bring attention back to the town and the returning birds; it now takes over several October days. Add the local wine country and the old library story—Women’s Club members moved every book by hand in 1990—and Fennville feels very specifically like itself.