Fairview, Michigan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Fairview, Michigan
Unincorporated community
Intersection of M-33 and M-72
Fairview, Michigan Location in Michigan Show map of Michigan Fairview, Michigan Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Oscoda
Township	Comins
Elevation	784 ft (239 m)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code(s)	48621
Area code(s)	989
FIPS code	26-27240
GNIS feature ID	1619884

U.S. Post Office in Fairview

Fairview is an unincorporated community in Oscoda County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located within Comins Township at the intersection of highways M-33 and M-72 at 44°43′30″N 84°03′04″W / 44.72500°N 84.05111°W / 44.72500; -84.05111.

Fairview is considered the wild turkey capital of Michigan. The Fairview 48621 ZIP Code serves most of Comins Township, as well as small portions of Clinton Township to the north and Mentor Township to the south.

Geography

Geographic features

• Fairview is situated near the Au Sable River Valley.
• It is surrounded by the Huron National Forest and near the Rifle River State Recreation Area.
• The area is part of the Au Sable State Forest, specifically the
  • Grayling FMU (Alcona, Crawford, Oscoda, and northern Iosco counties).
• The Oscoda County Park is minutes away.
• Fairview is part of Northern Michigan.
• Fairview sits on the "Grayling outwash plain", a unique habitat. Glaciers shaped the area, creating a unique regional ecosystem. A large portion of the area is the so-called Grayling outwash plain, which consists of broad outwash plain including sandy ice-disintegration ridges; jack pine barrens, some white pine-red pine forest, and northern hardwood forest. Large lakes were created by glacial action.

Major highways

• M-33 runs from Alger in Arenac County north to Cheboygan at the tip of the "mitten".
• M-72 passes through Mio. It is the 133 mile (214 kilometers) road that runs across the lower peninsula from Empire to Harrisville. It is one of three true cross peninsular highways.

Local attractions and activities

Attractions

The community is centered in the Huron National Forest along the Au Sable River. Wildlife are nearby, including bear, deer, eagles, Kirtland's warblers, and turkeys. Local attractions and activities include:

• Amish Community
• Mennonite Relief Expo & Fair
• Michigan Shore to Shore Riding & Hiking Trail passes nearby. It runs from Empire to Oscoda, and points north and south. It is a 500-mile interconnected system of trails.
• Steiner's Museum of pioneer artifacts is in Fairview.
• The Michigan AuSable Valley Railroad is located in Fairview. It is a ¼ scale, 16 in (406 mm) gauge ridable miniature railway, which offers rides on a passenger train through the scenic Northern Michigan landscape. The railroad runs on weekends from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It operates in jack pine country between Memorial Day and Labor Day. It is also open the first two weekends in October for fall colors. This is optimal for viewing of Kirtland's warblers, as they are usually in the area between May and October. Riders travel through parts of the Huron National Forest and overlook the beautiful Comins Creek Valley. It takes riders on the "route of the Kirtland’s Warbler." The roadbed includes two trestles and a tunnel, as well as many natural attractions. It was built by Diane and Howard Schrader, and took almost ten years to build. Though they still run the train today, youngsters now help run the train as conductors. Popcorn and beverages are available for refreshment. There is also a gift shop to obtain train trinkets and keepsakes from the train catalog also run by the Schraders. Train rides are free for those under the age of two; all others cost six dollars for a ticket.

Activities

• Birding - Kirtland Warbler Habitat and Festival. The Kirtland's warbler has its habitat in the area. There is a Kirtland's Warbler Festival, which is sponsored in part by Kirtland Community College.
• Boating, paddling (canoe and kayak)
• Fishing, particularly trout fishing
• Hiking
• Hunting
• Cross-country skiing
• ORV, motorcycle and groomed snowmobile trails, including the renowned Bull Gap.
• Every year, Fairview Area Schools puts on Eagle Festival. This festival is in the second week of October, and is a fundraiser for Fairview School's athletic department. The festival includes a parade, soccer games, a silent auction, car shows, kiddie games and more.
• Camp Barakel https://www.campbarakel.org/

Howard and Joann Schrader Dunn, Jon, and Garrett, Kimball. Warblers. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1997. Print. USDA, Forest Service Huron-Manistee National Forests. Biological Opinion Monitoring2006.