SHEBOYGAN, Wisc — Did you know Sheboygan is known as the "Malibu of the Midwest?"
I wanted to find out if people think the nickname is too far-fetched or accurate. Locals and visitors weighed in.
"I think the whole beachy vibe, chill…it’s accurate," said mom Lilliana Guevara, who's originally from Sheboygan, but lived in California for a period of time.
She and her husband returned to the area to raise their growing family.
“I was just telling my family that I wouldn’t even know this was a lake,” said Charleston, South Carolina native Bryce Miller. "You feel like you're almost at an ocean."
He's visiting family in town, but during our interview, it was his first time exploring the marina area. Miller said he can definitely understand the Malibu comparison.
“You see a lot of the boater lifestyle and the water sport activities and these little, niche, special beaches."
Two sets of kids I talked to said although they've never been to California, they love their own slice of paradise.
When asked about their favorite thing to do in Lake Michigan, they responded, "Jump the waves, put my head under the water...and jet ski."
Local kite boarder Carl Weingaertner is a dare devil too.
After taking a lesson in Florida, he caught the kiting bug and never looked back.
Watch: Is Sheboygan really the 'Malibu of the Midwest'?
On the gusty Monday we had this week, Weingaertner spent 10 hours in the water, catching the rare high waves. He also teaches lessons to beginners.
“It’s the best spot — fresh water for sure," he noted. "The kiting and the harbor is amazing. You’ve got the slicks, you’ve got the surf, you’ve got the big air where you can send it.”
Kite boarding is a water sport catching on in Sheboygan, adding to the Malibu-like atmosphere.
But surfing is local activity already booming.
“Malibu and Sheboygan — we both have small, clean waves," explained Andrew Jakus, owner of EOS Surf shop downtown.
"The coolest thing about surfing is the community. Getting to spend time with people, doing something so simple as riding an inanimate object on a wave that you can't control."
Jakus said although the city's nickname is catchy and cool, he's not so sure it's necessary.
"Framing it [that way] is almost taking away from what Sheboygan is," he explained. "I don’t want to be Malibu. I want to be Sheboygan. I'm thankful for what we have and the waves that we get."
The others I spoke with said they notice differences too.
“You don’t feel like you’re overwhelmed with crowds and things like that. It’s just very relaxed," Miller said.
“People are nicer here, there’s more room for everybody, more space," added Guevara. "We love it."
“There’s nothing that beats it around here," remarked Weingaertner, posed against the lakeshore backdrop.
“We don’t need to be something else," Jakus concluded. "We have our own name, we have our own title. We are, in my opinion, incredibly unique in what we have, so I love that.”
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