Charlevoix suffered economically during the decades after World War II, due to industrial restructuring and changes in fashion, as people used automobiles and airplanes to travel to new tourist destinations.
The manufacturing base was displaced with jobs moved elsewhere, the train lines to the city ceased operating, and the larger tourist hotels closed due to competition from other locations.
Many empty buildings were left downtown.
Several large corporations, such as the nuclear power plant and the cement plant, set up operations in the early 1960s and spurred economic development in the area.

In the 1960s, the lifesaving station was relocated from along the channel to the east part of Round Lake.

November 18, 1958, Charlevoix City Hall served as a makeshift morgue for the bodies of crewmen of the SS Carl D. Bradley after the lake freighter foundered in Lake Michigan during a severe storm.
The USCGC Sundew, stationed at Charlevoix, was one of the first vessels to arrive at the search area and played a pivotal role in that night's rescue of the two surviving crewmen.

Charlevoix was home to Michigan's first nuclear power plant, Big Rock Point, which operated from 1962 to 1997.

On January 7, 1971 an unarmed USAF B-52C-45-BO, 54-2666, of the 9th BW, Westover AFB, Massachusetts, crashed into Lake Michigan near Charlevoix during a practice bomb run, exploding on impact.
Only a small amount of wreckage, two life vests, and some spilled fuel were found in Little Traverse Bay.
The bomber went down six nautical miles from the Bay Shore Air Force Radar Site and close to the Big Rock Point Nuclear Plant.
Nine crew KWF.

In the 1960s, the Medusa corporation decided to build their first greenfield cement plant.
they build a cement plant in Charlevoix that came on line in 1967.
  The plant is located south of town off of US 31 near Fisherman's Island State Park.
In the late 1970s, Crane Company took over Medusa and began consolidating operations.
This not only resulted in modernization and investment in the Charlevoix plant, but personnel (and their families) from other Crane cement holdings were transferred into the Charlevoix area in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
In the late 1990s the cement plant was bought out by Cemex, a transnational company from Mexico.
In 2000 Cemex sold the plant to St Marys Cement Group.
Until 2013 the cement plant was a frequent port of call for the oldest freighter on the great lakes, SS St. Marys Challenger.

In 1965 the Loeb Farms complex that had been fallow since 1927, was turned into a medieval castle tourist attraction by John Van Haver .
This venture quickly folded and was bought by the Reibel family in 1969.
For the next ~25 years, the Castle Farms complex hosted large rock concerts.

In 1974, Terry and Judy Edger  opened WVOY-AM in Charlevoix.
WVOY was a 5,000-watt daytime-only station at 1270 kHz on the AM dial.
WVOY was one of the first all-contemporary-hit-music radio stations in northern Michigan and featured Bill Vogel ("The Captain," formerly of Detroit's WDRQ), John Yaroch, Rick Durkin, and other major-market-quality talent.
Despite WVOY's limited signal, the station became extremely popular and gave northern Michigan listeners a taste of the "big city" radio sound.
Charlevoix suffered economically during the decades after World War II, due to industrial restructuring and changes in fashion, as people used automobiles and airplanes to travel to new tourist destinations. The manufacturing base was displaced with jobs moved elsewhere, the train lines to the city ceased operating, and the larger tourist hotels closed due to competition from other locations. Many empty buildings were left downtown. Several large corporations, such as the nuclear power plant and the cement plant, set up operations in the early 1960s and spurred economic development in the area.
In the 1960s, the lifesaving station was relocated from along the channel to the east part of Round Lake.
November 18, 1958, Charlevoix City Hall served as a makeshift morgue for the bodies of crewmen of the SS Carl D. Bradley after the lake freighter foundered in Lake Michigan during a severe storm. The USCGC Sundew, stationed at Charlevoix, was one of the first vessels to arrive at the search area and played a pivotal role in that night's rescue of the two surviving crewmen.
Charlevoix was home to Michigan's first nuclear power plant, Big Rock Point, which operated from 1962 to 1997.
On January 7, 1971 an unarmed USAF B-52C-45-BO, 54-2666, of the 9th BW, Westover AFB, Massachusetts, crashed into Lake Michigan near Charlevoix during a practice bomb run, exploding on impact. Only a small amount of wreckage, two life vests, and some spilled fuel were found in Little Traverse Bay. The bomber went down six nautical miles from the Bay Shore Air Force Radar Site and close to the Big Rock Point Nuclear Plant. Nine crew KWF.
In the 1960s, the Medusa corporation decided to build their first greenfield cement plant. they build a cement plant in Charlevoix that came on line in 1967.   The plant is located south of town off of US 31 near Fisherman's Island State Park. In the late 1970s, Crane Company took over Medusa and began consolidating operations. This not only resulted in modernization and investment in the Charlevoix plant, but personnel (and their families) from other Crane cement holdings were transferred into the Charlevoix area in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In the late 1990s the cement plant was bought out by Cemex, a transnational company from Mexico. In 2000 Cemex sold the plant to St Marys Cement Group. Until 2013 the cement plant was a frequent port of call for the oldest freighter on the great lakes, SS St. Marys Challenger.
In 1965 the Loeb Farms complex that had been fallow since 1927, was turned into a medieval castle tourist attraction by John Van Haver . This venture quickly folded and was bought by the Reibel family in 1969. For the next ~25 years, the Castle Farms complex hosted large rock concerts.
In 1974, Terry and Judy Edger  opened WVOY-AM in Charlevoix. WVOY was a 5,000-watt daytime-only station at 1270 kHz on the AM dial. WVOY was one of the first all-contemporary-hit-music radio stations in northern Michigan and featured Bill Vogel ("The Captain," formerly of Detroit's WDRQ), John Yaroch, Rick Durkin, and other major-market-quality talent. Despite WVOY's limited signal, the station became extremely popular and gave northern Michigan listeners a taste of the "big city" radio sound.
Charlevoix, Michigan