# Tell me about Life in the UP



## weedlady (Sep 26, 2005)

DH is driving me insane. First he wanted to retire to KY, then MI, then NM, now we're back to looking at property in the UP. We are well aware of the long, snowy winters. We have spent several vacations in the area-I know about mosquitos and flies!
Can anyone tell me the best parts of the UP to be concentrating on (we can't decide!) as far as prices, taxes, daily living?? little details that only a yooper might know?

thanks
martha


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## fransean (Dec 21, 2002)

Martha

I don't live there yet (we have property in the Eastern UP) but we have relatives there. My inlaws live on the western side near Wisconsin and it is very quiet there  The biggest issue they have run into is that as they get older and they have health problems their local very small hospital can't really help them and they have to be transported to Marquette which is three hours away.
The amount of snow on the Eastern side seems to be historically less than the Western side also - a selling point for us.
Make sure also that when you get to that point work with a local real estate agent because they know so much more about the area and the property than some of the agents that are downstate listing property.
Good luck - the process was long for us too but we are happy with our choice.
Bev


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## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

I lived there in 1972/73 in Munising. I really liked it. Jerngen lives in UP so you might get answers from him.

I remember the quiet of the snow falls (then it was 200 " per year average). The one day of summer was nice. The area was lumberjacks, due to Kimberly Clark being there.

Jerngen has told me of Christmas MI having a Native American casino there now. 

the drive between Munising and Marquette is (or was) fantastic. 42 miles of wonderful shoreline drive. The fresh caught Lake Trout are out of this world. Blueberries, the people were friendly and hardy.

I hope some day to go back, at least for a long visit.

Angie


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## happyooper (Dec 8, 2002)

angie has it down pretty good. we have been here 5 years and love the climate. you get used to the snow. if you have 2 or more feet, what is a little more? the roads stay clear most of the time. the gardening situation is great and the food taste better, we get plate sized broccoli and sweet carrots. people tend to live longer in one sense, i.e. the ones that live longer are usually out cutting their own firewood well into their 80's . on the other hand there is a lot of cancer in the UP. the scenery makes up for anything you might not like. hp a good realtor i know is tracie, from UP north realty in baraga county. she is honest and can help you find something.


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## happyooper (Dec 8, 2002)

ps, we have more than one day of summer. we have 2. ha ha. actually we have a good season, just ends a little early, but you can extend the growing season with row covers. hp


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## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

Okay - 2 days of Summer.! :dance:

I do remember that I was concerned about living there havnig grown up mostly in AL, and coming from VA to live there. But a good church basement sale to get a proper winter coat, over shoes, good scarfs, etc. I was walking across town on a warm +5 degree winter day. I know we did without a car for 2 months as it was not working and in Munising I could walk across town in 30 minutes.

Also, I remember Ankorage being 2 degrees warmer many times.

Lake Superior is fascinating to watch. If you can, go give it a try. It's one of the places I'd try again, if I didn't want to stay close to my girls and grandchildren.

Angie


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## treesonggal (May 4, 2006)

We live near Kalkaska in Lower Michigan now but will be moving near Hancock later this year. I've spent about half my life in that area and George had a dairy farm near the Soo. For us the eastern end of the U.P. was too flat, though once off the main highway around Newberry we did discover lots of rolling land.

One thing about the U.P. is what we call its local economy. It is far less affected by national trends; either they arrive there three years later or never at all. We were just in Houghton/Hancock last weekend and could not believe the building going on.

We're buying 2.3 acres with a mobile home, pole barn, sauna and the best woodshed I've ever seen for $40,000. Real estate prices in the U.P. have risen in the past four years and I doubt they will come down very much, especially for land.

If you can, vacation in the areas you're interested in. Hang out at the local coffee shops, read the local newspapers, most of them are online: Daily Mining Gazette (Houghton), Mining Journal (Marquette), Daily News (Escanaba), Soo Evening News (Sault Ste. Marie).

I agree that Tracy at UP North Realty is great. Another one is Jan Banfield at Statewide in Houghton and the Statewide office in Curtis/Newberry. Also look at the listings on Craigslist or run an ad in the local papers. 

Wish you all the best!


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## whitehouse (Mar 17, 2008)

My husband and I purchased a resort in Rhinelander, Wisconsin in 2000 and stayed until 2004 when we sold due to my mothers health and were needed at home in illinois. we purchsed 5 cabins, house and small bait shop for 245,000 on a 360 acres spring fed lake. The UP was beautiful and we loved it. Though the winters were harsh, the local said those years were mild. I thought Illinois was very similar until I lived there. It seemed once it snowed it never went away. during our time there we traveled furthure up and the waterfalls were amagine. Now I would like to live in Tenn. if we retire. I love the changing of seasons but wanted a warm climate but not to warm. If you do not mind the winters the UP is the place to live, definately Gods country.


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## blufford (Nov 23, 2004)

Alright, I'll be the first idiot to ask, wheres UP and whats a Yooper?


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## treesonggal (May 4, 2006)

U.P. is the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. A Yooper is a person who was born and raised in the U.P.


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## whitehouse (Mar 17, 2008)

has anyone read porcupine press. the best UP magizine only available in the UP. I do miss that magizine.


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## weedlady (Sep 26, 2005)

it's good to know not everyone thinks we are crazy for wanting to move north!

We spent another vacation up there two weeks ago, looking at properties we had found on line (and several we just happened to drive by). We know we'd rather be closer to Superior than Lake Huron, or Lake Michigan-hey if you're going north, might as well go as far as you can. We need to narrow this down further and decide on east or west, acreage, or a cabin, or a house.

I think I like the central and wester parts of the UP better, because as mentioned, I prefer to look at some rolling terrain, rather than flat. That being said, we REALLY like the area around Grand Marais, MI, and DH REALLY likes the harbor there. I would like being close to the National Park. 

DH discovered Brockaway Mountain on this past vacation, and he fell in love with the views. I doubt we can afford even a small lot that close to the waterfront! 

Just need 3 or 4 acres, room for a garden and my chickens, a view for DH, a cute little house for me (I will be old, I will need water and electricity), an outbuilding, some forest, some meadow, and no close neighbors. !! Oh, and we don't have a whole lot of $$, don't want to have another mortgage. We don't want much, do we?? Ah well, I guess you can't make your dreams come true unless you start dreaming.
thanks for the names of the realtor's that you liked. I did talk to one gentleman and was not thrilled, so it's good to have some other names.

Any other insider tips will be appreciated. I love talking about the UP
thanks again,
martha


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## whitehouse (Mar 17, 2008)

when we bought our resort we talked to my realtor in wisconsin. i sometines takes a few to get the right one. in illinois your realtor represents you the buyer. in wisconsin they all represent the seller even if they are working with you the buyer. do not know rules in Mi. we had to find a realtor that we still felt had our best interest not he seller, we went through a few to find the right one. but it was worth the time he was really great. just throw ot the bad apples til you get the right one. do not worry about offending them it is your money and if you are on a tight budget you want a realtor that puts your needs first. i was a realtor for 9 years believe me there are good realtors and then there are those that have their best interest at heart. When we purchased the resort we looked all over wisconsin, made many trips took 2 years to find the right place. we are just starting to look in Tn for property to retire in I am sure it will be many trips in many areas before finding the right one. we also are on a tight budget and need to get a lot of bang for our buck. good luck!


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## Kazahleenah (Nov 3, 2004)

I love the UP. When I was younger, I lived in the west side, near Crystal Falls. One day, I'll move back up there. 

Kaza


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## Heidi Overbeek (Aug 8, 2006)

Just a contrarian note - I grew up in the UP (the Soo) and hated it. Now, some of this info is old (I moved away in the late 80's.) The cold winters are literally about 8 months long. Snow that sticks around that long becomes gray and dirty. The sky was gray and dirty, etc. I found it horribly depressing.
Socially (back then, and I have heard it is still the same) it was about 20 years behind the rest of the country. That is good and bad - As in extremely little divorce, lots of stay at home mom's, and all the good stuff. But at the same time it was very racist, very conformist, homophobic, dull. Now, this may not matter to you, but I found it very stifling - I enjoy diversity, and there is none there.
Iceburg lettuce is considered gourmet.
But yes, it is cheap.
Heidi


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## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

Heidi - when I went up there in 1972, crossed the Mc Bridge then drove all day thru the Haiawatha Nt'l Forrest, and evening got to Munising - went to the hotel down town with the iron bed, toliet down the hall, etc. Got up the next morning - walked around town and KNEW I'd fallen into the Twilight Zone - it was easily 20 years behind even int 1972. But for the time I was there, I really liked it.

I might have appreciated it due to not having grown up there. And my memories don't remember the dirty snow, but the snow started early Sept and was still on the ground about May. I know in March the ice on Lake Superior around Grand Island was good enough for the snowmobiles to have a race around the island. And cars could still drive off onto the ice and not fall thru. March 7th 1973 at about 8pm it was -5. (we were walking across town after having an anniversary dinner at the only real restaurant that was there then).

Angie


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## affenpinschermom (May 10, 2002)

One of the biggest mistakes I have made in my adult life was to move from the U.P. We wanted to try something different, so moved to southern Ky. Ky is beautiful, but certainly far more backward than the U.P. Yoopers are rugged individualists, nothing lazy about 98% of them. They are good, honest, hard working people. Maybe they won't rush out to find out who you are and shake your hand, but if you needed them, they'd be there. Our house burned down shortly after we moved there. We didn't know a soul. The small town we lived near, Big Bay, threw a fire shower for us and we got tons of stuff to start over and many offers to help. 
I'd move back in a heart beat. I only thought the black flies were bad until I found out what chiggers are!


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## weedlady (Sep 26, 2005)

I have yet to meet the black flies, and I am not looking forward to it. but the stable flies up there LOVE me. They pretty much leave DH alone, because they are swarming all around me. On the other hand, the mosquitos don't bother me and are all over DH!
I figure I may have to where a bee-keeper suit or something similar, lol.

I've encountered chiggers from KY also, and you're right, I'll take the flies.

what about ticks, are there ticks in the UP?


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## treesonggal (May 4, 2006)

There are ticks in the U.P. but every place has its pros and cons. As for the weather, it's six months of good sledding and six months of slapping.

The weather in the Soo are is completely different than further north around Marquette and Houghton, for example.

The best thing one can do is to spend time exploring places and making connnections when the opportunity presents itself.


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## LittleRedHen (Apr 26, 2006)

I just got home from the UP. The blackflies were annoying and the skeeters the size of elephants (We stayed up at Mouth of 2 Hearted River off Lake Superior) but I love the area. I stopped in a few stores like IGA in Newberry. You can tell everyone knows everyone in that town and here I was a tourist and felt out of place lol

I would lvoe to be up there for summers but I couldn't handle the winters. It was 90 here while we were gone and only 75 up there. I would gladly trade!


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

I lived in several UP towns (including Christmas) back in the 60's. Next summer when I have more time I'm planning on loading up the dog and making a leisurely trip through the UP. Partly to see if I want to move there and partly to rekindle old memories.

I doubt the flies and skeets are any worse than we have here in MN.


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## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

fishhead - do you remember 5 mile point as you enter Christmas from Munising? I've always thought that would be such a wonderful place to have some secure building to live in and watch Lake Superior.

Angie


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

Sorry but no I don't. What I remember is all the different kinds of turtles and the little swimming beach near the trailer park where we lived.


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## Chixarecute (Nov 19, 2004)

I live near the UP, close to Iron Mountain, Mi. southern UP has milder winters than western or northern (well, less snow generally), Dickinson County & over by Stephenson MI has the best farming land.

Economically, unless you are near an small urban center, I would have to say it appears mostly subsistence income. The mines & paper mills keep being sold/closed/reopened/sold...jobs in jeopardy, retirement pensions lost. 

the other biggest employers are probably the hospitals, schools, a college or 2, and government. Oh, and there are several casinos. I have friends who run a nice decorating business (paint, wallpaper, custom blinds, floor coverings & one of them nets $400 per month. The other's spouse is a lawyer, so that helps.

The people are great...very caring, very supportive & giving for local charities, HS sports trips to State, etc.

Taxes in MI are generally lower than in WI, my bil bought lake property in MI (he grew up in WI) because of the taxes. WI probably offers better public services in exchange for those taxes, including road maintenance. If you have kids & are thinking public schools, declining enrollment is causing major budget problems for schools, it's hard for small areas to offer what a high schooler needs to get in to college. They are adapting, but technology to support long distance cooperative learning is expensive. 

And if you do get up near Brockway Mountain, be sure to pick up a jar of thimbleberry jam! OMgosh it is great!


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## nappy (Aug 17, 2003)

> And if you do get up near Brockway Mountain, be sure to pick up a jar of thimbleberry jam! OMgosh it is great!



While my oldest sons were attending Michigan Tech. in Houghton, I was sightseeing in the Keweenaw Peninsula and went to the "Jam Pot" to buy thimbleberry jam. The jam was made by monks in a tiny store but it was closed at the time so we purchased it elsewhere. Has been so long ago that I don't recall what it tasted like.

Nappy


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## Chixarecute (Nov 19, 2004)

The monks are still there - they have expanded their monastery quite a bit, & do a bumper mail order business of all sorts of jams and (shudder) fruit cakes!

something along the lines of strawberry...it's been a few years since I've had it too. A DF of mine grew up near Houghton, HATED picking them...they are very soft, fuzzy, mush easily. And get little tiny ugly worms of some type that are deep between the berry segments. She did enjoy the thimbleberry fights with her brother, however!


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## vicki in NW OH (May 10, 2002)

Holy Transfiguration Skete & The Jam Pot 

http://www.societystjohn.com/index.html


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## roolover (Jul 16, 2007)

If it weren't for all the tourists, I think Munising would be my favorite place... The hiking and waterfalls, pictured rocks, and the clear water of Lake Superior is wonderful! It's my favorite place to go fresh-water scuba diving. 

Angie, do you know the campground just west of town (on the way to Christmas), across from Grand Island? It was the site of an old forge, and when I took my kids camping there years ago, we found huge pieces of melted glass on the beach. It was really cool!

Yep, yoopers from da UP, eh? Eatin' PASTIES... YUMMM!


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## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

That campground (or at least a place with a few cabins) was run by the Koepsells (I think that's the spelling) in 1972 and 1973. I remember it very much. I gave their daughter her first birthday party. If you know where the lake Light is, and look to the inland light - I lived beside it. from spring of 1972 thru to Sept of 1973.

I remember the pasties, and Miss Munising. At that time, then hubby was the radio station manager. Heck, I ran the station board a couple of Sunday morning so he could cut commercials.

And the rock, and the forrest and there was a restaurant/bar call "Pappy Yokems". Made the best roast beef sandwiches.

Angie


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

roolover said:


> Yep, yoopers from da UP, eh? Eatin' PASTIES... YUMMM!


Yes pasties are surprisingly good. I make them using frozen pie shells. Simple and quick. The hard part is leaving anything for leftovers.

I would think that if you lived away from the shoreline land would be cheaper. We lived in Little Lake and I still remember all the blueberries.


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## Jerngen (May 22, 2006)

Yep, the locals are saying we had the best blueberry crop that they've seen in 15 years. 

I'm late to the game here  I'm Jerngen and as Angie said, I live just outside of Marquette. We move up here 2 1/2 years ago and wish we had made the move sooner. Absolutely LOVE it up here!!! 
Everyone talks about the black flies and mosquitos being bad here..... and I'm sure they are bad in many places, but this is my third summer here and they've not been bad at all. There is a three week period in June where the mosquitos were hell (right when I was trying to plant my garden) but other then that, no problem. Haven't even seen one for weeks now and we go walking/hiking nearly every day. 
Ummmm......... locations. As others said, if you need a job and good hospital you want to stay within a fair distance of either Marquette or Houghton. 
Marquette is said to be the cultural/liberal center of the U.P. as well as being the largest city...... but don't let none of that scare you. We only have I believe 22,000 folks here and liberal just means we are fairly open minded  
If you have any specific questions about this area, feel free to ask. We've been house shopping ourselves and I'm fairly knowledgeable from (going in a circle radiating out from Marquette, clockwise) Au Train, Chatham, down to Trenary, continuing over to Republic, Champion/Michigamme, and up to Big Bay. 
Anything other then that, If you have questions about the rest of the U.P. I only know the basics as a tourist! LOL


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

I've been living in the UP for 30 years. It would be hard to recommend property to you. Some want quiet at all cost while others need to be within 45 minutes of WalMart. Any tiny town or village seems quaint, but sometimes hard to get accepted by the locals. If employment isn't a concern, that changes things, too. 
Take a drive on Neebish Island. Remote but 45 minutes from Sault Ste. Marie and I-75. 
Stay away from any realtor with the initials F.M.

Houghton/Hancock has a University but is in a low populated area with lots of natural beauty. Areas around Neganee and Champion have some cheap land, since the iron mines closed.


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Rent for a while. Easier to see how your lifestyle fits the area without being stuck too far from town. Some people want to be where they can hike and cross country ski, but soon tire of the trip in to the Sault for everything. They learn too late that they'd rather be close to town and travel to their recreation areas.
Buy a place in a forested area or by the water then complain about the bugs makes no sense. Buy a place in an open field takes care of most of the bugs, but you fight the winter winds. Since you can't have it both ways, decide what you can or can't stand.

If you do move to the UP, please don't tell your friends and relatives how nice it is up here. If you do, you'll end up with them as your neighbors and we don't need any more people.


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## happyooper (Dec 8, 2002)

about grand marias, i went to a soccer came last winter there to watch my son play. the locals warned of how windy it was and one couple had their place for sale, they couldn't hack the cold windy winters anymore. they said the wind never stopped and it was lonely to them. it was very damp. so that being said, there are surely many variances up here. we like the area we are in because the sun shines so much, we are in covington township. the locals from further up the keweenaw peninsula say that if you go past chassell you will notice a big difference in sun shine. it does snow a lot, but most of it is gone by april 2nd with a few storms here and there that are gone before you get your sled out. we needed a non humid area, and this has proven itself well. oh, by the way, our house will be for sale soon, we renovated an older home but it is on the highway, and this is not good for our daughter with down sydrome. she doesn't know why she can't take her tricycle out in the middle of the road, or wander by herself into the woods behind us. if you haven't had a child with d/s you can't relate. but we hope to find a place with more land so she can be safer. besides, our one acre doesn't compare to the 80 we had to leave behind to move her to the north. when we get more land she can have a much wanted pony and we can have a little farm again. if you want to move up here you should consider everything. the snow is a big issue is you find it depressing. i find it invigorating, we bought snow shoes andmy kids adapted to the winter sports in a short minute. my son never played soccer and now he is on the college soccer team. there is a lot of cultural things here, despite the fact that in some ways it is behind times. that is a good point in our mind. the two universities offer non stop concerts and there is a symphony orchestra for kids and one for adults. the air is squeaky clean and the northern lights make for great evening fun, if you put enough wool coats on! food prices are higher but you can grow a garden and counter that. also the local health food stores are willing to buy organic produce that is local. the county fairs are numerous, and if you use this site, you must be interested in subjects related to fairs. i find the people open to ideas on gardening and have learned a lot from the people on how to grow stuff. of course they think i am nuts, with the way i experiment on extending the season, but a lot of my ideas work, like row covers etc. you do have to allow for frost in any month, but i keep my king size sheets ready and plan to expand the garden to include some form of hoops to have sheets attached to to pull over on cool, threatening nights! to give you an idea of how much we like it, and that includes my husband, who said he would never leave the ozarks, well, guess who had to go finish moving our stuff up here because hubby said he would never live any farther south than where we are! and he could't bear to go south and breathe the humid air. come if you are tough and not complainy, otherwise, stay in your a/c! hp


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## happyooper (Dec 8, 2002)

forgot to say, the berriers are great and plentiful! went wild blackberry picking yesterday with our daughters. they love to pick and even though it had gotten into the high 80's we had a good time. frost tonight, but i will cover the garden.it is something to consider, neighbors say they have seen snow every month but august! the tourist info center in l'anse is very helpful and would send you some info. also contact the county extension agent. when we considered moving here we went to the local fair. we were surprised at the quality and variety of produce. but my husband says you can't grow okry, i might try it some time. and also, not sure if you can grow purple hull peas. hp just some info on the area!


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## weedlady (Sep 26, 2005)

thank you all for the valuable information. we are SO ready to find the right place! I have about 10 years until I can retire, so the ideally, we will find a place soon and use it for vacations until we can move up there permanently. That will give us time to get everything ready for full time living, and get a better feel for the weather year-round. We go back and forth as to whether or not to look for something that already has a house or "camp" as you call it, or just to look for raw land and build our own. I lean toward something ready made so that we can just start enjoying and fine tune to fit our needs. DH seems to want to build from scratch.

Keep the ideas and info coming. this is great. And great to hear from those of you who live or have lived up there.
thanks
martha


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## Homesteadwi5 (Mar 16, 2008)

I was born and raised in Gogebic county near Ironwood, if jobs arent a big issue for you it's a great place.I moved away 4 years ago not really because i wanted to but because of the work.


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