Offshore of Alpena is the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, which protects an estimated 116 historically significant shipwrecks.

These people groups inhabit the area surrounding the Great Lakes, including Michigan.

[12] Less than one year later, on July 12, 1872, Alpena was hit by another fire, the largest in its history, which destroyed 15 acres (6.1 ha) of homes and businesses[13] for a total amount of 65 buildings.

[14] The blaze started in a barn and lasted for two hours, killing at least four people and causing at least $180,000 (equivalent to $4,580,000 in 2023) in damages.

[18] The city has a number of notable buildings, including the Art deco Alpena County Courthouse, the I.O.O.F.

[22] The city is on the shore of Lake Huron's Thunder Bay, with Alpena Township surrounding it on land.

Alpena has a humid continental climate (Dfb) with warm summers along with cool nights, moderated by nearby Lake Huron and cold, snowy winters with annual snowfall averaging 84 inches (210 cm).

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.

MidMichigan Health, a federally-designated rural regional medical referral center, is the largest employer in the city of Alpena.

[citation needed] Alpena is served by a number of institutions that enhance the artistic and cultural character of the city, reflecting its rich heritage in Great Lakes shipping and industry.

Alpena is the gateway to the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, one of Michigan's 13 underwater preserves.

Permanent attractions at the Besser Museum include a planetarium and the Katherine V., a wooden fishing tug that spent its entire life on Lake Huron.

The museum is the publisher of The Town that Wouldn't Die: A Photographic History of Alpena, Michigan from Its Beginnings Through 1940.

It is a public-use airport located in Wilson Township, Michigan six miles (10 km) west of the central business district of Alpena.

The Michigan Air National Guard's Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center co-utilizes the airfield.

ACC is a two-year associates program that has partnerships with Spring Arbor University and several other Michigan institutions.

Alpena is the third smallest (208) Nielsen Designated Market Area (DMA) in the United States.

Cable television service is provided within Alpena and many outlying communities by Charter Communications.