Editing Houghton, Michigan (section)

==People and culture==
[[File:SheldenAve-HoughtonMich-1906.jpg|thumb|Looking west down Shelden Avenue around 1906. The Douglass House is on the left side of the picture.]]
[[File:2009-0617-DouglassHouse-Houghton.jpg|thumb|The landmark [[Douglass House (Houghton, Michigan)|Douglass House]] in downtown Houghton was originally a hotel but was converted into a mixed use building in the 1980s; it is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Houghton County, Michigan|National Register of Historic Places]].]]
Every summer, the city of Houghton hosts a festival known as "Bridgefest", to commemorate the building of the [[Portage Lake Lift Bridge]]; this is often held in conjunction with "Seafoodfest".<ref>[http://www.flatbrokebluesband.com/photos.php Flat Broke Blues Band<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090625083454/http://www.flatbrokebluesband.com/photos.php |date=June 25, 2009 }}</ref> Every fall, the Parade of Nations takes place in downtown Houghton to commemorate the ethnic diversity of Michigan Technological University. "Strawberry Fest" is held in neighboring Chassell every summer, which not only celebrates the [[strawberry|fruit]], but also includes an art market with paintings, photos, sculptures, and crafts.

The city houses two museums. The [[Carnegie Museum of Houghton|Carnegie Museum]], located in the former Portage Lake District Library building, contains photographs from the Raffaelli Historical Photo Collection,<ref>{{cite web |title=Regular Meeting - Houghton City Council |url=http://www.cityofhoughton.com/documents/09-27-2006.pdf |date=September 27, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061024114545/http://www.cityofhoughton.com/documents/09-27-2006.pdf |archive-date=October 24, 2006}}</ref> other artifacts on the history of the local area, a mural depicting the history of [[Houghton County, Michigan|Houghton]], [[Ontonagon County, Michigan|Ontonagon]], [[Baraga County, Michigan|Baraga]] and [[Keweenaw County, Michigan|Keweenaw]] Counties<ref>{{cite news |last=Gahagan |first=Kayla |title=Mural in Motion |work=The Daily Mining Gazette |page=1}}</ref> and exhibits of [[Visual arts|artwork]]. The [[AE Seaman Mineral Museum]], state mineral museum of Michigan, is located on the campus of Michigan Technological University.<ref>{{cite news |last=Creager |first=Ellen |title=You haven't lived here until ... you've visited the A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum at Michigan Tech |url=http://news.morningstar.com/all/acquire-news/ff8080813489486e0134bccbd58a7a1d/you-havent-lived-here-until-youve-visited-the-ae-seaman-mineral-museum-at-michigan-tech-detroit-free-press.aspx |access-date=January 30, 2012 |newspaper=[[Detroit Free Press]] |date=January 8, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140723151749/http://news.morningstar.com/all/acquire-news/ff8080813489486e0134bccbd58a7a1d/you-havent-lived-here-until-youve-visited-the-ae-seaman-mineral-museum-at-michigan-tech-detroit-free-press.aspx |archive-date=July 23, 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Houghton is often the host of winter sporting events, due to its long winters and many ski hills. The 2006 [[cross-country skiing (sport)|cross-country skiing]] Junior Olympics took place in Houghton.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.2006juniorolympics.org/ |title=2006 Junior Olympics site |access-date=December 3, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061206035117/http://www.2006juniorolympics.org/ |archive-date=December 6, 2006 |url-status=usurped}}</ref> The US National Championships for [[Nordic skiing]] took place in Houghton in January 2007.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.seniornationals.org/ |title=Senior Nationals site |access-date=December 2, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928092741/http://www.seniornationals.org/ |archive-date=September 28, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In addition, the International [[Frisbee]] Tournament (IFT) takes place every year in Houghton and the roll-out of the distance events of the Keweenaw Chain Drive bike races of Houghton and Hancock takes place in downtown Houghton.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chaindrive.org/2007/events.htm |title=2007 Portage Health Keweenaw Chain Drive Festival |website=Keweenaw Chain Drive Festival |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070703065252/http://www.chaindrive.org/2007/events.htm |archive-date=July 3, 2007}}</ref>

Other winter events focus around [[Michigan Technological University]]. Michigan Tech hosts a yearly Winter Carnival in which thousands of visitors come to see snow sculptures built by members of fraternities, sororities,<ref>{{cite book |first1=Pam |last1=Reed |last2=Sisskind |first2=Mitch |name-list-style=amp |title=The Extra Mile: One Woman's Personal Journey to Ultra-Running Greatness |place=New York |publisher=Rodale, Inc. |year=2006 |url=https://archive.org/details/extramileonewoma0000reed |isbn=978-1-59486-415-5 |url-access=registration}}
</ref> other student organizations,<ref>{{cite book |first=Ander |last=Monson |title=Neck Deep and Other Predicaments: Essays |place=New York |publisher=[[Graywolf Press]] |year=2006 |page=13 |isbn=978-1-55597-459-6}}</ref> as well as a few community groups, and participate in the week-long celebration. Students at the university also receive several days of vacation for Carnival. As part of Winter Carnival 2006, the city of Houghton and the university broke three world records: the largest [[snowball]], the largest [[snowball fight]], and the largest number of people making [[snow angel]]s in one place. They currently still hold two of these records: largest snowball and largest snowball fight.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/weather/news/2007-03-28-snow-angel-record_N.htm |title=North Dakota Snow Angel Record Confirmed |work=USA Today |access-date=October 27, 2017 |archive-date=December 23, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111223060457/http://www.usatoday.com/weather/news/2007-03-28-snow-angel-record_N.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref>

''[[The Daily Mining Gazette]]'' (formerly ''The Mining Gazette'')<ref>{{cite web |title=Mining Gazette |url=http://history.cityofhoughton.com/history/Displays/Indust/industpop_gazette1.html |access-date=October 3, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071030162331/http://history.cityofhoughton.com/history/Displays/Indust/industpop_gazette1.html |archive-date=October 30, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> is a daily newspaper published in Houghton.

The town is sometimes referred to by locals as "Hoton" or "Ho-town." "Hoton" is even stenciled on city property. Since Houghton and [[Hancock, MI|Hancock]] are very near each other, their combined area is often referred to as "Houghton-Hancock," though the towns are often fierce<ref>{{harvp|Taylor|2006|p= 54|ps=.}}</ref> rivals, something particularly manifested by the sports rivalry between [[Houghton High School]] and [[Hancock Central High School (Hancock, Michigan)|Hancock Central High School]].

Tourism is a major industry in Houghton. Summer tourism is very popular, especially among those wishing to tour old mines, visit various historical sites, and camp. Winter tourism is also very active from November through April, for snowmobiling, skiing and other winter sports.{{cn|date=May 2024}}