Best Web Design in Saugatuck, MI (2026)

Web Design for Saugatuck, Michigan

Saugatuck is a Lake Michigan resort town in Allegan County where the Kalamazoo River meets the big lake, famous as the 'Art Coast of Michigan' and one of the Midwest's most welcoming LGBTQ+ destinations. A former lumber port turned art colony, its year-round population of roughly 1,000 swells toward 3,000 in summer as visitors flock to Oval Beach, its galleries and its ferry-crossed harbor. Just up the shore lies its most haunting neighbor: the sand-buried ghost town of Singapore.

AppWT serves Saugatuck and the surrounding Michigan area from Livonia, Michigan.

About Saugatuck

Also known as. Art Coast of Michigan. The Fire Island of the Midwest. The Provincetown of the Midwest.

History. William C. Butler became the first European-American settler in 1830, and a village plat was laid out in 1833; the settlement was first called Kalamazoo village. The name Saugatuck comes from a Native American term meaning 'a stream outlet' and was adopted when the community incorporated as a village in 1868. Originally a lumber town and port, it became a noted art colony during the Arts and Crafts movement of the late 19th century. The Ox-Bow School of Art was founded nearby in 1910. The Big Pavilion, a large 1909 dance hall that drew regional bands, burned down on May 6, 1960. Reincorporated as a city in 1984.

Local economy. Tourism drives the economy, with more than a dozen art galleries, independent shops and numerous restaurants. Year-round population is about 1,000 (865 at the 2020 census) but summer visitors push the town toward 3,000. In 2010, Saugatuck ranked fourth on Budget Travel magazine's 'ten coolest towns in America.' Longstanding creative economy tied to the Saugatuck Center for the Arts and the Ox-Bow School of Art.

Culture and community. The Saugatuck Venetian Festival each July features live music, a lighted boat parade, dinghy poker runs, food and fireworks. An annual Pride Festival in June includes a parade, live performances and a street party, reflecting the town's identity as a leading LGBTQ+ destination. The Saugatuck Center for the Arts hosts theater, concerts, exhibits and educational programming. Dining and lakeside nightlife anchor summer culture, at spots such as Wicks Park Bar & Grill.

What makes Saugatuck distinct. Just north lies Singapore, 'Michigan's Pompeii,' a lumber boomtown founded in 1836 that was buried by shifting sand dunes within a few years after the surrounding forest was cut for post-1871 fire rebuilding. Legend holds that a stubborn Singapore resident kept moving his belongings up floor by floor as the dune swallowed his three-story house, leaving only when sand reached the roof. Four buildings were saved from Singapore by sliding them down the frozen Kalamazoo River on logs; the bank and two houses reportedly still exist in Saugatuck. Puppeteer Burr Tillstrom, creator of the pioneering TV show 'Kukla, Fran and Ollie,' came from Saugatuck. Other notables include U.S. Senator Francis B. Stockbridge, seven-term U.S. Representative Howard Wolpe, and fantasy author Jacqueline Carey.

Saugatuck Landmarks and Local Life

• Oval Beach - named among the world's top 25 beaches by Conde Nast Traveler
• Mount Baldhead - a towering dune with a stairway climb and panoramic overlook
• The Saugatuck Chain Ferry - a hand-cranked boat that crosses the Kalamazoo River from Wick's Park
• The Star of Saugatuck - a paddle-wheel boat offering river and lake tours
• Ox-Bow School of Art - an artists' colony and summer school dating to 1910
• Saugatuck Dunes State Park and the nearby Allegan State Game Area.

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