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.

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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A Tale of Two Counties: Houghton Sees Younger Population, Stronger Economy Than Marquette

Houghton and Marquette Counties are two major economic and population centers in the Upper Peninsula. Michael and John Broadway take a look at how the two have compared in recent years, and why proactive initiatives by Michigan Tech University and the MTEC Smartzone have contributed to Houghton County having a younger population and arguably stronger economy than that of Marquette.

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Pictured Rocks Tourism Levels Likely Unsustainable Unless Action Is Taken

Michael and John Broadway write about the potentially-bleak fate of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore’s future if the increasing strains from tourism are not adequately addressed.

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The Trouble with Tourism: Munising’s Economic and Demographic Challenges as a Seasonal Destination

In July 2018, The Detroit News characterized Munising as “a tourist boomtown.” But the economic and demographic benefits of the town’s tourism boom are not so clear–in fact, as Michael and John Broadway write–it’s quite complicated.

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Locally-Produced Beer a Growing Industry in the UP

Locally-produced beer is a growing industry in the Upper Peninsula, and despite an overall decline in the consumption of beer, microbreweries and brewpubs in the UP have found success in part by tying regional identity and community to their product.

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