Pictures of Alma, Michigan
Sept. 28, 2009
Alma is a town of 10,000 people in the very center of lower Michigan (see Wikipedia article). Its main attraction is Alma College, a small liberal arts institution of over 1000 students. There is not a lot to do in town; it is semi-rural and does not have much cultural or intellectual life outside of the college. But there is a Walmart, a K-mart, and other stores of the strip-mall genre. I spent 8 months living there with my girlfriend and struggled at times to make the best of my time. This photo collection comes from a jaunt around town on a perfect autumn day. As you can see, some places around town are quite scenic.
|
|
Oversized parking lots make parts of Alma seem deserted. Bad, too, for pedestrian travelers, of which there are few.
|
|
|
|
One of Alma's churches. There are many in town.
|
|
|
|
Large park in the center of town.
|
|
|
|
There are many old houses like this in Alma.
|
|
|
|
The town was hit hard by the recession in 2007-2009. I'd say 5-10% of houses were up for sale.
|
|
|
|
Some residents support all candidates for public office.
|
|
|
|
Alma is home to a large Masonic senior living center.
|
|
|
|
It's probably the biggest building in town.
|
|
|
|
Across the street is a sunflower field.
|
|
|
|
Frat house with Greek letters (or cyrillic!).
|
|
|
|
This college building has all the music and arts events.
|
|
|
|
The Post Office. I visited this place once a week at least.
|
|
|
|
One of quite a few churches with catchy sign boards.
|
|
|
|
A creek runs through town.
|
|
|
|
The public library. I spent a lot of time here, too.
|
|
|
|
Railroad. Several trains a day would come bellowing through town. Our first apartment was just 50 feet from the tracks.
|
|
|
|
Autumn leaves in residential area.
|
|
|
|
Lakefront. Unfortunately, swimming is not allowed because of upstream pollution.
|
|
|
|
Trees line much of the lake.
|
|
|
|
Houses line the opposite shore.
|
|
|
|
One edge of town has a substantial forested area with trails. I went there often.
|
|
|
|
Local DART buses. There are buses to Lansing and from there to other cities in Michigan.
|
|
|
|
Lake in the early morning.
|
|
|
|
Enjoying the early morning views.
|
|
|
|
A farmers market provide lots of locally grown produce at reasonable prices. Much of it is organic. We went there often until it closed for the season in late October.
|
|
|
|
Stream through farmland just outside of town.
|
|
|
|
Fall colors and cropland.
|
|
|
|
A paved bike and walking trail leads west out of town and goes all the way to Greenville. I would often go on bike rides 5, 10, or 15 miles down the trail.
|
|
|
