Michael Broadway

Michael Broadway is Professor of Geography and the former Dean of Arts & Sciences at Northern Michigan University. His research expertise focuses on the meatpacking industry’s community impacts. In 2006 he was a visiting Fulbright Research Chair in the Department of Rural Economy at the University of Alberta. He is a co-author with Donald Stull of Slaughterhouse Blues: The Meat and Poultry Industry in North America. (2nd edition 2011: Cengage). More recently he has published on a variety of food and drink related topics including food tourism, slow food and coffeehouses.

The Upper Peninsula’s Food Price Premium

Higher food and gas prices are part of the cost of living in a remote area, and the latest food price increases have only added to those costs. This article illustrates the added price premium that UP residents in remote areas pay for basic food items by examining the total cost of 13 commonly-purchased food items, and the impact dollar stores have had on availability of healthy food choices.

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When it Rains It Pours: Climate Change in the Upper Peninsula

In their most recent research project, Michael and John Broadway take a look at the potential impact of climate change on the Upper Peninsula.

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Population Decline is Not Inevitable: Evidence from the Northlands

Michael and John Broadway explore how some areas in northern Wisconsin and Minnesota have experienced population increases when most rural areas have continued to see population decreases for much of the last century, and what this means for the Upper Peninsula and economic leaders looking to reverse the out-migration in the UP.

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Keweenaw National Historical Park and Calumet: What You See is What You Get

Historic preservation is a major force in shaping the American landscape. Each year millions of Americans flock to historical sites to experience places that authentically represent the past. Michael Broadway and Joslin Brown examine some of the unique challenges surrounding Keweenaw National Historical Park’s development in Calumet.

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Recent Population Changes in the U.P. Amidst the Pandemic

The population dynamics of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula are well documented. Its population, like most rural…

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New Paper: Recent Population Changes in the U.P. Amidst the Pandemic

A new research paper by NMU professor and Rural Insights contributor Michael Broadway and NMU student and research assistant Joslin Brown looks at the population changes in the Upper Peninsula amidst the Covid pandemic.

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Boom and Bust: Calumet and Keweenaw National Historical Park 30 Years On

A new research publication by Rural Insights contributor Michael Broadway and NMU student researcher Joslin Brown takes a look at the Keweenaw National Historical Park in Calumet, MI in the Upper Peninsula, and the park’s impact on the Calumet area’s economic development.

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Boom and Bust: Calumet and Keweenaw National Historical Park 30 Years On

Many communities throughout the Upper Peninsula have developed their sense of place from the mining…

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Main Streets Across the Upper Peninsula: An Assessment

How do four different Upper Peninsula main streets compare as markers of economic vitality? We take a look at the main streets of Marquette, Houghton, Sault Ste. Marie, and Ironwood and see how they size up against each other.

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The UP at a Crossroads: Beyond the 2020 Census Results

Earlier this year, the US Census Bureau announced its 2020 Census results, showing worrisome population decline throughout the Upper Peninsula. We take a look at what this means for the counties in the UP and what will be needed in order to reverse this trend.

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