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 northernmost 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 Suomi College 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.