# Living in Upper Peninsula of Michigan????



## jukebox (Jun 20, 2004)

Good?
Bad?

Do not need employment.

Talked to UPS and they function every day. (summer-winter)

Live in the middle of Georgia.


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

Two things....

One, you better like to shovel snow. It can get as high as your roof eaves!

Two, your taste in music will change. You'll be listening to the Yoopers before you know it.


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## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

I lived in the UP for 18 months several years ago. Munising Michigan...
Lumberjack country. average snowfall 200 inches a year, started mid Sept and went thru May. July 4th was about 70

Lived 2 blocks off lake Superior. Drove 44 miles to Marquette during the summer that I worked away from home, M28 along Lake Superior - incredible.

Car broke for 2 months in the winter - we walked across town, took 30 minutes. A warm winter day was anything above 5 above 0. March 7, at nigth was -7. But when walking back from resturant on other side of town, we did stop at a friends 1/2 way and have some hot tea.

Taverns, children drinking beer, people living until 90 and in good shape. 

One school, one library for whole town. 2 crimes the 18 months I was there.
a bike stolen during tourist season and the hardware store window broken same tourist season.

Breathtaking winter days of snow hip deep, and sunshine and it snowing ice flakes looking like glitter. Snowmobiles all over the place.

Ice so thick that they had snowmobile races in March from Munising around Grand Isle and back.

Just some of my rememberances. I was from Alabama and went up there. it was like going back 20 to 30 years in time or more. I got good used proper winter clothes and loved it up there. I hope to go back for a visit some day.

Take a road trip and go scope it out.

Angie


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## Barb (May 14, 2002)

That's- da Yoopers -cabin.  

The UP is a different world from Georgia. Some areas are good for short season farming and fairly well populated ( Sault Ste Marie or Houghton for instance) and a lot of it is swamp. Other than the snow you will also need lots of Deet. The mosquitoes and black flies are fierce. It can be a great place to live but you have to like the cold. I would love to go back and live on lake Superior but then I love the storms. In the old Countryside Mags there were a lot of articles written by people who live there. DD lived in Houghton for 7 years. She loved it there. 

Angie - always bought our pasties at Munising. Did you know the rocks fell several years ago at Munising Falls. Changed the falls.


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## HUBERT (Sep 22, 2004)

LIVING IN UP OF MICHIGAN CRYSTAL FALLS 

NO JOBS OR LOW PAYING JOBS

TOO MUCH GOOD OLE BOY SYSTEM IN POLITICS

WINTER NEVER ENDING

NOWHERE TO EAT OR SHOP LOCAL BUSINESSES CHARGE DOUBLE YOU CAN PURCHASE THINGS ELSEWHERE.

LOCAL BUSINESSES RAISE PRICES DURING HUNTING/TOURIST SEASON.RIPPING TOURIST/HUNTERS AND LOCALS OFF.

OTHER THAN THAT I LIKE IT

ONE MORE THING TOO MANY LIBERAL DEMOCRATS

The UP is solid GOP except for Marquette, Iron River and Iron Mountain. These are small cities where the socialist/anarchist elements settled in the early 20th century. They engaged in bombings, arson, murder and other leftist actions to de-stabilize the mining industry in that period. 

Their idiot spawn still infest these areas. These people sit on their fat butts looking for welfare handouts from the government. Expect these Marxists to be out in full red goosestepping colors protesting the president. They will be overwhelmed, though, by real Americans.


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## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

No I didn't know the falls changed.

I remember living right next to the inland light house. and could look out the 2nd floor window and see the Lake.

Also, laying in bed watching the snow drift down thru the red beam of the lighthouse light.

And Lake Superior Lake trout caught on Miss Munising (the boat) and over to the restaraunt for dinner - outstanding.

As you can tell - I have great memories of that place. (even running out of fuel oil during the winter, in a house built in 1903 and not insulated worth a hoot. Just wrap up very well.)

I keep meaning to go take a summer vacation up there. And if anyone goes, check out 5 mile point in Christmas Mi, next little spot in the road west of Munising.

And the pasties were very good in Munising..

Angie


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## Barb (May 14, 2002)

There's a casino at Christmas now Angie.


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## Maggie (May 12, 2002)

We moved to the UP 6 1/2 years ago from SE Wisconsin. I absolutely LOVE it up here. The past month our temps. have been in the 80-90 degree range. Our garden is doing wonderful, as long as it gets watered every couple days. Rain has been a little scarce this past month. DH works 7 miles from home, has been there 5 1/2 years. Our UPS deliveries get here on time also, except during the Christmas rush, of course. We are located about 30 minutes from Lake Michigan, so our winter snows aren't as heavy as nearer to Lake Superior. There were only 2 days last winter when we did not receive mail because of the snow. Every place has bugs, spiders, black flies, snakes, etc. You decide what you would rather put up with.  . Firewood is cheap, taxes are reasonable, maple syruping is a great time of the year (March-April), and of course, DH loves fishing and hunting. Any other ?'s. Maggie


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## jukebox (Jun 20, 2004)

Thank "you-all" for the positive information.

What I found that was so interesting is that no one put the 
area as off limits. If you were to ask me about where I live, I
could give you more negatives than positives.

This "yooper" thingey would not create a problem because there
are only two types of music "Georgia mountain and bluegrass". Reckon
the "yoopers" could be converted?

What is this black fly thing? Are they like a regular fly and do they
bother you all summer? (We have chiggers, bad boy snakes, ticks,
all the nasty spiders you want and gnats and------.)

Is a 4WD vehicle a must or can you live without it?
Does Michigan use salt on the roads in the winter?
Can snowmobile areas be identified so you don't buy into or near one?
We heat the house with wood for our couple of months of winter. $140 a chord.
How much a chord in the UP?

How is the medical treatment in that area? Are the hospitals - doctors good or does one have to travel far to get to one? 

GA taxes are not equal to NY State, but how far up the scale is it in MI?


To C/F How is the boat?

Thanx again


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## Orville (Jan 25, 2005)

Grew up in the U.P. (Keweenaw Peninsula), raised my family there. Have no regrets. Made a decent wage...better than in the South. Not as much illegal drug use as in urban areas, but lots of alcohol abuse. There are groomed snomobile trails available for snomobilers, and the trails are mapped. Get a map to see where the trail runs. Snomobilers cannot trespass on private property (although on occasion I saw them going thru my 80 acres which I hadn't posted). I don't remember what wood costs....buy a 40 of woods...land is relatively inexpensive... and cut your own year after year. Or cut tops for free in areas that are being logged. (Get permission first). Black flies are small biting insects which make a bloody wound when they bite. Usually they get you behind the ears and back of the neck. I learned to just put up with them when I gardened, or I wouldn't get anything done. Mosquitoes are bad, too. I didn't use much repellent except when stream fishing. Great hunting and fishing...deer, partridge, goose, rabbit, bear....you can always put a deer or two in the freezer each year. Yes, they use salt, but only in early and late winter, because salt is ineffective below something like 20 degrees. It will rust your vehicle. I would have a 4wd vehicle....storms can come up in a hurry and dump a couple feet of snow. I had a older Dodge Ram 4wd pickup with a snowplow mounted. It did a great job keeping the driveway clean. You'll also want a 4wd to get the firewood out of the woods...most of the logging is done in the winter, because the sap is low and the ground is frozen solid, allowing logging equipment to drive on it. Summers can be quite hot, but short. Winters can be quite cold, and long. You should like winter recreation...snomobiling, skiing, ice fishing, hunting, trapping, snow shoeing, etc, or the winters will seem interminably long. Short growing season, but can usually ripen some tomatoes and peppers. Good for apples...make lots of cider, put it in 2 litre bottles and stack them in the freezer like cordwood. Used to be lots of small farms up there...they've gone the way of most other small farms. Good technical college there...Michigan Tech. Some other community and private colleges there also. Land is real reasonable in the more rural counties. Lake Superior is a marvel....picked lots of agates on the shores. Plan everything around the cold and snow...driveways, distance to barns, outbuildings, etc. You'll be moving lots of snow. Taxes are about the same as in SC. No annual car tax. Many good medical facilities.


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## HappyYooper (Jan 26, 2005)

I'm a born and raised Yooper and I love it. I love the snow, rain, color change of leaves in the fall and the songs of spring. No matter where you live you will have negative factors but we learn to live with them. For me I find that community support and friendliness outweighs the negatives.
Snowmobile trails are designated by markers and maps. Logging is done 9 months out of the year. Only time the hauling isn't done is during February-April when weight restrictions are on certain class roads. DH drives log truck. 
Can't answer your question on the price of firewood. We cut tops that are left over from logging areas with permission from the land owner. Where we are 4-wheel drive is a must. I know many that don't have it.
Plenty of wonderful places to eat and shop. We have all the major chains of stores, Kmart, ShopKo, Walmart, Target and fast food restaraunts. 
What can I say...I love the U.P.


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## mikell (Nov 8, 2002)

The North shore of lake Michigan is called the Garden Pennsula because the SW winds across the lake moderate the temps quite a bit.If you feel the need to avoid snowmobiles stay where you are.


mikell


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## jukebox (Jun 20, 2004)

Thanx again for all the helpful information.

Contacted a real estate agent yesterday, in Houghton, 
so we will see what happens.


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## mikell (Nov 8, 2002)

Houghton = snowmobiles and college students

mikell


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## Bret (Oct 3, 2003)

HUBERT said:


> LIVING IN UP OF MICHIGAN CRYSTAL FALLS
> 
> NO JOBS OR LOW PAYING JOBS
> 
> ...


Come on now....You know that the waitresses at Fob's Restaurant are the best, the food is terrific. And then what can I say about their cocanut cream pie? Oh man...I'm getting light headed. Somebody help me....


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

jukebox said:


> To C/F How is the boat?


What boat?


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## jukebox (Jun 20, 2004)

Mikell
I am open to any suggestions - tell me where you would look
if you were me? Wish to be close to Lake Superior. Quiet area- no structured community. Want most bang for the $$$$$


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## jukebox (Jun 20, 2004)

Cabin Fever said:


> What boat?



The boat that you received in the 
mail from Georgia.


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## Kris in MI (May 30, 2002)

Lived in the Houghton area for two years while dh was attending Michigan Tech. Culture shock for me, who was raised near the 'big city' of Lansing. However, once we moved back downstate after dh graduated (not too many auto engineer jobs up there), we really really missed the UP.

We are planning to retire up there in 15-20 years when the last kid is grown and married off. We will purchase a couple hundred acres, build a cabin/home before then, and when retirement day comes, sell off our (by then paid off and worth a mint) 40 acres with home and barns near Lansing. 

We will still be fairly young then (we are in our early & mid-30's now, had all four of our kids by my 26th birthday), so could freelance at hunting guide, snowmobile guide, B&B, etc. Dh really would like to start a brewpub up there somewhere that there is a big enough town but enough wilderness close by for us to live away from other people!


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## Mutti (Sep 7, 2002)

My folks had a cottage up at Christmas....I'd love to retire by Lake Superior....love beachcombing. Of course, you can't swim in that lake unless you are half polar bear...even wading turns your feet blue in August! They also had 40 acres out in the boonies...black bears helped them harvest the blueberries!!! Decided it was too far North for them so moved to a place near Greenbush(north of Alpena). I sure do miss Northern MI...spent all our summers there. Luckily DH goes along with plan to get some property up there for a summer place. DEE


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## Kazahleenah (Nov 3, 2004)

Mutti said:


> Decided it was too far North for them so moved to a place near Greenbush(north of Alpena). DEE



Dee...
Greenbush is "south" (23 miles) of Alpena.  about 4 miles south of Harrisville. That's my neck of the woods.  

Kaza


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## jukebox (Jun 20, 2004)

Wind in her hair --- I undestand and there is no problem here. Get "Cabin Fever" to clean out his message box. I tried to P/M and the message came back as a no go. ----Your going to have to keep a better eye on him.----

The group has been very helpfull with the UP question and it is in my hands as to what to do. Once the kids get back in school, Sept, we are going head north to do some serious looking. (Do mean serious.)


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## Barb (May 14, 2002)

Try Big Bay


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## jukebox (Jun 20, 2004)

Barb said:


> Try Big Bay


It is now on my list.

Thank you so much


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## willow_girl (Dec 7, 2002)

TOO FREAKING COLD! :grit: 

That's my take on the U.P.!

And I'm a troll! :nana: (I live below the Bridge, i.e, in the Lower Peninsula.) 

It is nice to visit but I don't think I could handle the winters (they're bad enough where we're at). And LONG enough ... cripe ... 6 months of winter is bad enough! :grump: 

But if you don't mind the cold and snow, it probably would be all right. Certainly some pretty scenery, and you can get away from it all ...

Land in the U.P. used to be cheap, but now prices are creeping up. Don't wait too long if you decide to do it.


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## affenpinschermom (May 10, 2002)

Wow, someone knows about Big Bay. I lived there for 15 years and loved it. We moved just to try something different and I've been homesick ever since.


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## diane (May 4, 2002)

Another troll here  

I dearly love the UP. We had intended to retire there but the older we get the happier we are to have only 6 months of winter as opposed to 8 or 9 that you can get in the UP. With energy costs rising all the time, I think we had better stay put.


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## Orville (Jan 25, 2005)

Check out Ontonagon and Keweenaw counties for inexpensive land near Lake Superior. Low population, lots of wilderness. (Sometimes people go into the woods and are never seen again). Houghton county borders Superior, too, but land is a bit more pricey, with larger population (still not urban, or anything like that). Keweenaw county probably gets more snow. For non-structured, rural living, I'd go with Ontonagon County. 

BTW, we yoopers never minded trolls who came to enjoy the UP. Only those who came up to tell us how to live, or who made it seem like we should be thankful they came up to spend their money, were likely to receive a cool reception. And why do city folk, who rent snowmobiles and have absolutely no experience operating them, have to get drunk and find out that the snowmobiles of today go real fast, but don't turn very well? I can't count how many busted up and dead crash victims I hauled out of the woods. Those operations were the extent of my snowmobile riding. I hate the gassy exhaust smell. It sticks to everything.


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## Orville (Jan 25, 2005)

JB...I just saw the great boat-shelf you built. If you move to the UP, you may want to try your hand at crafting with birds-eye maple....quite a bit of it up there.


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## Barb (May 14, 2002)

Maybe I'll be sorry for giving away Big Bay, Dandrea  I camped there when I was a kid and visited when I was an adult. There is a regular writer from Countryside who lives there off grid. 

Former troll here also. Born raised and aged in different areas around the state. Lived 30+ years in the Reed City area. Been gone four years.  Got too crowded for us. Daughter graduated Michigan Tech. Was there seven years getting degrees. Misses it.

Orville - Daughter found one of those dead guys - still warm. Really freaked her out. She was going ice fishing on some remote lake with Bf. Was a local - buddies cruising with him didn't even miss him when he rocketed into the tree. 

Before you buy a place in the UP visit. Visit in the WINTER. It 's the only way to know if you can stand the cold ( and all the snowmobiles).


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## Sumer (May 24, 2003)

The 4 seasons of the U.P....
Winter, Winter, Winter, & Thaw.


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## doc623 (Jun 7, 2004)

Little off the subject of the up but you mentioned that birdseye maple is not difficult to find up there right?
I would like to find a piece to use for a flintlock stock.
Any ideas/leads/info would be appreciated.
This will be a winter time project.
Thanks in advance.


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## FrankTheTank (Aug 27, 2003)

Heres how it goes.

late March (still winter)









late April (almost gone!)









mid July (its Green!)









We had a beautiful warm late March through late April...then it got cold! (i'm in S. Wi)


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## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

What neat pictures. I can see Grand Isle in the ice pack in the first one and off the shore on the last one.

so neat. 

Angie


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## Cosmic (Jan 19, 2005)

Why would anybody want to live in UP when you could live in Maine???? :grump: 

Never have to understand a word the locals say.

Summer is only the 4th of July when you have that one day of bad sledding.

Might be cheaper.

Get to eat taters.

Never have to drive a pretty car, rust is a nice color.

Always stay in place because the folks around you must be worse. If really bored go down to Buston Town where you are sure to get screwed.

Where you get to go the right way by going the wrong way. (Goin' Down East)

Saving money is inborn. 

Get to see trees, trees in the cold, cold, shovel snow, snow and more snow.

Get to drive your winter Cah over bad Ruh to your Yud and never once touch the actual pavement.

Ayuh :grump:

In the UP a fellow probably can get lost in any direction they go. Mainers are never lost because they know you can't get ther-ur from heer and never try.


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## HUBERT (Sep 22, 2004)

Come on now....You know that the waitresses at Fob's Restaurant are the best, the food is terrific. And then what can I say about their cocanut cream pie? Oh man...I'm getting light headed. Somebody help me....

INSTITUTIONAL FOOD AT IT'S BEST BRET


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## Bret (Oct 3, 2003)

HUBERT said:


> Come on now....You know that the waitresses at Fob's Restaurant are the best, the food is terrific. And then what can I say about their cocanut cream pie? Oh man...I'm getting light headed. Somebody help me....
> 
> INSTITUTIONAL FOOD AT IT'S BEST BRET


It's a small world.


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## Theboenfamily (10 mo ago)

I realize this post is 17 years old, but I was wondering if you are still living in the UP and loving it? My family is considering a move from SE South Dakota in a year or two, to the chassel area (they have a small Christian school, similar to what my kids attend now). Do you know anything about that area? How are food prices? Any info is super helpful— we also love to hunt and fish and garden, but where we live, we get very little snow now. We would love to be able to snowmobile daily and it isn’t possible here. The kids rarely even get to go sledding or build a snowman! Anyway- thanks for reading! 


Maggie said:


> We moved to the UP 6 1/2 years ago from SE Wisconsin. I absolutely LOVE it up here. The past month our temps. have been in the 80-90 degree range. Our garden is doing wonderful, as long as it gets watered every couple days. Rain has been a little scarce this past month. DH works 7 miles from home, has been there 5 1/2 years. Our UPS deliveries get here on time also, except during the Christmas rush, of course. We are located about 30 minutes from Lake Michigan, so our winter snows aren't as heavy as nearer to Lake Superior. There were only 2 days last winter when we did not receive mail because of the snow. Every place has bugs, spiders, black flies, snakes, etc. You decide what you would rather put up with.  . Firewood is cheap, taxes are reasonable, maple syruping is a great time of the year (March-April), and of course, DH loves fishing and hunting. Any other ?'s. Maggie


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Chassell is between an engineering university, MTU and an Indian Casino, on a peninsula that sticks out into frigid Lake Superior. No matter which direction the endless winter winds blow, brings snow. Lots of fishing opportunity, both in a boat and on the ice. By winter's end the ice will be over 2 feet thick. Everything gets shipped in, so expect higher prices for everything. Gardening is tough. Beets and Rutabaga grow good. Forget corn. You'll be moving to a low population area, populated by people with an established set of friends and relatives. They have seen countless families move in and in a couple years leave, so locals might seem aloof since they expect you'll soon be gone. For most, they are there for the quiet, untouched wilderness. Anyone that builds there is seen as chipping away at their paradise. Try not to change anything.


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