Editing Alpena, Michigan (section)

==Economy==
While tourism is an important component of the area's economy, both Alpena and [[Rogers City]] have an industrial base. In particular, Alpena is home to Lafarge-Holcim cement plant and to Besser Company (maker of a concrete block making machinery), as well as a drywall board manufacturing facility owned by Decorative Panels International. Rogers City is the location of the world's largest [[limestone]] quarry (see [[Michigan Limestone and Chemical Company]]), which is used in [[steel]] making in the Great Lakes and [[Rust Belt]] regions.

[[MidMichigan Health]], a federally-designated rural regional medical referral center, is the largest employer in the city of Alpena.<ref>{{cite web |title=Alpena Regional Medical Center - Main |url=http://www.alpenaregionalmedicalcenter.org/index.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514111549/http://www.alpenaregionalmedicalcenter.org/index.php |archive-date=2013-05-14 |access-date=2006-02-16 |work=alpenaregionalmedicalcenter.org}}</ref>

Until it largely closed in 2022, Alpena's primary shopping center was the [[Alpena Mall]], the only enclosed [[shopping mall]] in the northeastern [[Lower Peninsula]].  In full operation, the former mall featured approximately 20 stores, with [[JCPenney]] and [[Gordon Food Service]] as the [[anchor store]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.michigan.org/property/alpena-mall/ |title=Alpena Mall |publisher=[[Pure Michigan]] |access-date=November 1, 2013 |archive-date=November 3, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103111133/http://www.michigan.org/property/alpena-mall/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Other retailers operate in this part of town and on [[M-32 (Michigan highway)|M-32]] west of town and south on [[US-23]].

Alpena was also home to the [[Alpena Thunder]] hockey team, which was disbanded in 2011.{{citation needed|date= February 2024}}