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All the United States Michigan Mackinac Island Mackinac Island

Mackinac Island

Island where motor vehicles are banned -- home to the only carless highway in the United States.

Mackinac Island, Michigan

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Leslie McIntyre
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Downtown Mackinac   Pat (Cletch) Wilson/Flickr
M-185 -the country’s only carless highway   Todd Van Hoosear/Flickr
Mile marker on M-185   Gsgeorge
The Grand Hotel   David Ball
Horse-drawn carriage is a popular mode of transportation on Mackinac Island   Eli Duke/Flickr
Arch Rock   Libbye Tellor, www.illusionsofgrandeurphotography.com
  Libbye Tellor, www.illusionsofgrandeurphotography.com
  Libbye Tellor, www.illusionsofgrandeurphotography.com
The Grand Hotel April 2022   ccesare / Atlas Obscura User
Hotel Grand from the Ferry April 2022   ccesare / Atlas Obscura User
They love their old fashioned and animal cruel mode of transportation here: horse and buggy! Memorialized every where.   ccesare / Atlas Obscura User
April 2022   ccesare / Atlas Obscura User
April 2022   ccesare / Atlas Obscura User
April 2022   ccesare / Atlas Obscura User
April 2022   ccesare / Atlas Obscura User
April 2022   ccesare / Atlas Obscura User
April 2022   ccesare / Atlas Obscura User
April 2022   ccesare / Atlas Obscura User
  Libbye Tellor, www.illusionsofgrandeurphotography.com
From the Ferry April 2022   ccesare / Atlas Obscura User
  paigeelizabeth3660 / Atlas Obscura User
  paigeelizabeth3660 / Atlas Obscura User
The Arch   eljojoe / Atlas Obscura User
Main Street on Mackinac Island, Michigan (United States).   Michael Barera / Atlas Obscura User
A view of M-185 from Arch Rock on Mackinac Island, Michigan (United States).   Michael Barera / Atlas Obscura User
Downtown and the harbor of Mackinac Island, Michigan (United States).   Michael Barera / Atlas Obscura User
Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island, Michigan (United States).   Michael Barera / Atlas Obscura User
Visitors have made tons of rock towers along the beach.   Libbye Tellor, www.illusionsofgrandeurphotography.com
Mackinac hearse.   arteek001
UPS delivery   arteek001
April 2022   ccesare / Atlas Obscura User
  Libbye Tellor, www.illusionsofgrandeurphotography.com
The Victorian Grand Hotel from the ferry.   Libbye Tellor, www.illusionsofgrandeurphotography.com
  Libbye Tellor, www.illusionsofgrandeurphotography.com
  Libbye Tellor, www.illusionsofgrandeurphotography.com
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"Resolved: That the running of horseless carriages be prohibited within the limits of the village of Mackinac." — Mackinac Island Village Council, July 6, 1898

When Lake Huron's Mackinac Island (pronounced MAK-in-aw) first outlawed motor vehicles in 1898, it wasn't the only municipality to resist the growing popularity of the newfangled automobile. As time passed, however, and cars became commonplace, the island stood its ground, eventually becoming the United States' only remaining city with such a ban in effect.

Today the island's population of about 500 permanent residents and an additional 14,500 or so seasonal visitors gets around almost exclusively by foot, bicycle, or horse. In addition to cars, the automobile ban applies to vehicles such as scooters, ATVs, and golf carts, though exceptions are made for motorized wheelchairs, emergency vehicles, and, during the winter, snowmobiles. The island is home to Lake Shore Boulevard (M-185), which traverses eight miles of Mackinac's picturesque shoreline and is the only state highway in the United States where cars are banned.

The continued enforcement of Mackinac's automobile ban seems fitting when one considers this resort island's quaint charm and extensive preservation efforts. The entire 3.8 square-mile island is a designated National Historic Landmark and over 80 percent is preserved as Mackinac Island State Park, where visitors can enjoy Mackinac's natural scenic beauty through over 70 miles of hiking and biking trails.  Attractions such as Fort Mackinac, Colonial Michilmackinac, and Historic Downtown showcase the island's historical significance and original architecture. Another notable landmark is the Grand Hotel, which has hosted five U.S. presidents, several visiting dignitaries, and cultural icons such as Mark Twain and Thomas Edison, who conducted the first public demonstration of the phonograph on the hotel's famous 660-foot porch .

 

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Added By

Leslie McIntyre

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Rachel, ltellor42, arteek001, eljojoe...

  • Rachel
  • ltellor42
  • arteek001
  • eljojoe
  • paigeelizabeth3660
  • ccesare
  • Michael Barera
  • deannatrusty

Published

July 23, 2012

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Sources
  • http://www.treehugger.com/culture/one-city-in-america-where-cars-have-been-banned-1898.html
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mackinac_Island
  • http://www.hal.state.mi.us/mhc/autoshow/vehicles/mackauto.html
Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island, Michigan, 49757
United States
45.868138, -84.628916
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