Michigan may not be the first state that springs to mind when the topic of the “most beautiful place in the U.S.” comes up, but according to Good Morning America, that exalted accolade does indeed belong to Michigan’s Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in the Lower Peninsula area of the state. With 64 miles of pristine Lake Michigan beaches, the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore also offers inland lakes, undulating sand dunes and a vast range outdoor activities including paddle boarding, hiking and fly fishing. Michigan, and especially Detroit, has taken its knocks recently. The decline of the auto industry has forced this scrappy state to take a hard look at economic diversification, and as a result, Michigan now ranks number one in the nation for attracting new plants and industrial expansions. Some parts of Michigan weren’t as hard hit as the Motor City. Grand Rapids remains a hub of furniture manufacturing and Battle Creek is still churning out breakfast cereal. In Dearborn, the Henry Ford Museum celebrates the spirit of innovation, and eclectic Ann Arbor welcomes foodies to a world of epicurean adventure. Also in Ann Arbor, the University of Michigan Health System was first established in 1850 and features a Women’s Hospital, the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and the University of Michigan School of Nursing.