An independent weekly newsletter for people who actually live in Northern Michigan.
The why
Regional outlets cover the county. Facebook groups create noise. Local TV leads with whatever is happening in Traverse City. None of it is built for the person in Alanson who wants to know what's happening in Alanson this week.
The 231 is the newsletter that should have existed years ago. One clear weekly read, written for people who live here — not visitors, not algorithms, not advertisers chasing reach numbers.
The 231 area code covers 34 counties across Northern and Upper Michigan. This newsletter starts in one of the smallest towns in that footprint and works its way outward, one community at a time.
Who writes it
Mike Wilson has spent years working in and around Northern Michigan's food, beverage, and hospitality industry — building relationships with the businesses, people, and communities that make this region worth reading about.
He lives here. He eats here. He knows which bar poured the first craft beer in Emmet County and which diner still makes the best pasty in the region. The 231 is written with that kind of ground-level familiarity — and a bias toward the specific over the general.
What to expect
Every Monday morning, you'll get one edition covering the local story that matters, events worth showing up for, food and drink worth trying, and community intel that arrives before it goes word-of-mouth.
The 231 is free. It will always have a free tier. Sponsors are local businesses — never national brands, never political advertisers. You'll always know when something is sponsored, and sponsored content will always be relevant to where you live.
No-spam pledge: you'll never get more than one edition per week. No re-sends, no "did you miss this?" sequences. One email. Every Monday.
Free. Every Monday.
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No spam. No re-sends. One email, every Monday.