What Is the Biggest Little City in Michigan?

If you've ever vacationed in Reno, Nevada, you've likely heard the phase that Reno calls itself the Biggest Little City in the World. The idea behind the name in Reno dates back to the late 1800s and was officially adopted by the city in 1929.

Beyond having a nice ring to it, the phrase evokes ideas of largest city amenities with a small town feel.

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So if the idea were to apply to Michigan, just what would the Biggest Little City in Michigan be?

Inspired by a recent discussion on Reddit's Geography Subreddit, commenters there looked at physical size of a city vs its population or very close to Reno's definition of the somewhat nebulous idea of 'punching above its weight class.'

Battle Creek: The Biggest Little City in Michigan?

The first city that comes to mind for Michigan may be Battle Creek. It's relatively small in population when compared to other cities around the state. However, it does bear two large skyscrapers on its skyline, the world headquarters to Kellogg's - earning it the title of Cereal City USA.

Perhaps a clinching a win for Battle Creek is the fact that it's the 3rd largest city in the state by area. Detroit is the dominant largest sized city in the state with 139 square miles. Grand Rapids is second in both population and size at 44.4 square miles. Battle Creek is just two square miles smaller than GR at 42.6 sq mi. However, Grand Rapids packs roughly 190,000 people into its city limits, the similarly sized Battle Creek accounts for us 52,000 residents.

The reason behind Battle Creek's larger size and relatively smaller population is the fact that in 1983 the city and township of Battle Creek merged creating a single political entity.

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Mount Pleasant: The Biggest Little City in Michigan?

Perhaps Mount Pleasant should be given consideration as the Biggest Little City in Michigan. The town is situated in a largely unpopulated region of mid-Michigan. However due to the presence of Central Michigan University. While other colleges like U of M, MSU, Western Michigan, Oakland and even Grand Valley have largest student populations, all of those schools are located in larger metropolitan areas while Mount Pleasant is not.

One of the original justifications for Reno giving itself the Biggest Little City in the World moniker is the fact the University of Nevada is located there. Big colleges in small towns can make a Biggest Little City contender.

Marquette: The Biggest Little City in Michigan?

Perhaps Marquette is the best candidate for the Biggest Little City in Michigan. After all, it already calls itself the Queen City, or historically the Queen City of the North. That name, as with several other cities that take on the Queen City name, reflects the fact they are putting themselves in second place to a 'King' city in the region. Gender role stereotypes aside, if Detroit is the largest, most important city in the state, Marquette is calling itself the most important city in the Upper Peninsula.

And it wouldn't be wrong. Marquette is the largest city in the UP, the cultural and economic hub and home to Northern Michigan University.

Yet it's small compared to all of the metropolitan areas of the Lower Peninsula.

Marquette may be perfectly suited to be the Biggest Little City in Michigan.