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The City of Hancock, platted in
1859, is a progressive community, located on the north shore of the
Portage Lake Canal in northern Houghton County, Michigan. Hancock is
the northern most city in Michigan. With a population of
approximately 4,900, Hancock provides a superior location to live,
work and play. The City's proximity to majestic Lake Superior gives
it beautiful mild summers and wonderful snowy winters.
The City's various governmental entities, community
organizations, business people, and involved citizens work together to provide leadership
in the improvement of infrastructure, housing and recreational facilities in support of
tourism, service, and retail industries. The City continues to build upon its unique
heritage and its human, educational, and natural resource assets in order to provide a
sound economic future, and maintain a superior quality of life.
The City of Hancock has a strong Finnish
heritage. From Finlandia University to the saunas scattered throughout many homes, you will find
the Finnish heritage embedded in our community. With such a strong heritage, it is
only natural that we have a sister city in Finland. It is our pleasure to have a sister
city relationship with Porvoo, Finland.
 Porvoo is the second oldest town in Finland and well over
600 years old. Porvoo was given its charter in 1346 by the Swedish King Magnus Eriksson,
but even before that the town had developed into a flourishing trading place, protected by
a mighty fortress, near the sea, by the river flowing down from Hame. The ancient
fortress, which gave the town its name (Borga "Fortress by the river"), does not
exist anymore, but the deep moats that used to surround it, still remain. Porvoo has,
however, inherited from former generations the old part of the town with its medieval town
plan and also the empire-style part planned by Carl Ludvig Engel in the 1830's. |
