our story
Historic Downtown Alpena is the food, arts, and regional hub of Northeast Michigan, located on the shores of the Thunder Bay River and beautiful Lake Huron. As a major port of the lumber era, Downtown Alpena is home to a significant amount of historic buildings from the turn of the 19th century that have been preserved & renovated over the years.
Now Downtown Alpena is home to a diverse and vibrant set of nearly 200 businesses, including art galleries, a year-round professional live theater, a winery, the only Marine Sanctuary located on the Great Lakes, and a variety of offices, restaurants, bars, non-profits and shops. Alpena is the second largest city in Northern Michigan, second only to Traverse City, and our downtown is proud to be the commercial and cultural heart of our community.
If you haven’t taken a stroll through Downtown Alpena in a while, you’ll find that a lot has changed. There are so many new spots of growth, with new retail businesses opening their doors, new restaurants serving delicious meals, year-round festivities and events, and your old favorite shops and spaces waiting to welcome you with a smile.
Downtown Alpena is vibrant, artsy, and growing. Come join us!
Now Downtown Alpena is home to a diverse and vibrant set of nearly 200 businesses, including art galleries, a year-round professional live theater, a winery, the only Marine Sanctuary located on the Great Lakes, and a variety of offices, restaurants, bars, non-profits and shops. Alpena is the second largest city in Northern Michigan, second only to Traverse City, and our downtown is proud to be the commercial and cultural heart of our community.
If you haven’t taken a stroll through Downtown Alpena in a while, you’ll find that a lot has changed. There are so many new spots of growth, with new retail businesses opening their doors, new restaurants serving delicious meals, year-round festivities and events, and your old favorite shops and spaces waiting to welcome you with a smile.
Downtown Alpena is vibrant, artsy, and growing. Come join us!
what's new
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HELP BEAUTIFY DOWNTOWN ALPENA
Spring is on its way! This year, a group of volunteers is leading an initiative to beautify the downtown by adding flowers near the tree bases along Chisholm Street. We will be having a volunteer clean-up and planting day on Saturday, May 28, 2022 from 9 am- 11 am! Volunteers can contribute by sponsoring flowers for $50 and signing up to help during the clean up and planting day. You can learn more at the links below! |
announcements
upcoming meetingsThe Alpena Downtown Development Authority Board of Directors has a special board meeting on Monday, May 23, 2022 at 3:00 pm. The meeting will take place at City Hall Council Chambers (208 N. First Ave). with the option for the public to join virtually. You can view the press release below. The agenda will be posted on Friday, May 20.
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The Alpena DDA is excited to announce its mural project, Fresh Waves, recently won a 2021 award for Best Placemaking Project through the Michigan Downtown Association! You can learn more about the project and award by clicking here. The 2021 Alpena DDA Annual Report is live! Learn more about projects, programs, and the growth that happened downtown in 2021 by viewing the report here. |
