Leland, MI

Leland sits on an isthmus between Lake Leelanau and Lake Michigan, where the Leland River drops from one lake into the other. That water made the place a natural landing for the Ottawa village called Mishi-me-go-bing, then drew European settlers, sawmills, docks, and steamers in the 1850s and 1860s. Leland became Leelanau County’s seat in 1900 and held that role until 2004. The town’s best-known working piece is Fishtown, a riverfront cluster of fishing shanties, smokehouses, docks, fish tugs, and ferry service to the Manitou Islands. If you want the local shorthand, it’s two lakes, one river, and a fishery that still operates as a fishery.