| Magazine puts Port on national list of top harbor communities | « Back |
Author: Bill Schanen IV
Source: Ozaukee Press
June 22, 2016
Port Washington has been named one of the top 10 harbor communities in the United States by Coastal Living magazine.
Port Washington was the only Great Lakes harbor named in the national magazine’s online Best Harbors in America feature and shares the list with some of the country’s most well-known ports, including Baltimore, Charleston, S.C., and Ketchikan, Alaska.
Tracey Minkin, travel editor for Coastal Living, said the research for the list spanned several years. Port Washington was chosen by a previous travel editor who undoubtedly visited the city, she said.
“It’s a Coastal Living imperative that we don’t write about places unless we visited them or researched them thoroughly,” Minkin said.
“It’s really a joy for us to be able to introduce our readers to your little town in Wisconsin, a state that is not always thought of as a coastal state.”
The criteria for the list wasn’t the services and comforts offered to boaters but what the harbors contribute to the lifestyles of the their communities, Minkin said.
“The point of Best Harbors in America is, whether you’re a boater or not, this is the harbor for you,” she said.
The magazine highlighted the Light Station atop St. Mary’s hill and its pierhead Art Deco-style lighthouse, as well as its lake views.
“Two lighthouses, pre-Civil War buildings and great views of Lake Michigan make Port Washington a real charmer,” according to the magazine.
“A few miles north of Milwaukee, the town boomed as a commercial fishing port in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The marina now serves mostly pleasure boats and a sizable charter fishing fleet. Visitors can climb the deactivated circa-1860 Light Station, or walk a half mile along a breakwater to the striking (and functional) Art Deco lighthouse marking the harbor entry.”
Minkin said the selection of a Lake Michigan community for its top harbors list is a reflection of the magazine’s appreciation of the Great Lakes.
“From Coastal Living’s perspective, the Great Lakes coasts are every bit as glorious and beautiful as the coasts to the east, west and south,” she said. “The Great Lakes have so much to offer but are sometimes overlooked.”
She noted that Port Washington restaurant NewPort Shores was named to the magazine’s America’s Best Seafood Dives list several years ago.
Port Washington Tourism Director Kathy Tank said that coverage in respected publications can benefit communities, as evidenced by a feature on the city in Midwest Living magazine two years ago.
“We had people walk into the Visitor’s Center with the copy of the magazine turned to the article about Port Washington in their hands,” she said. “It’s really pretty important for the city.”
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