[chiroptera]

Well, it is a trade-off - many very cool areas with lots of opportunities are going to be pricier, supply & demand and all that. Since you're starting out, you can work your way up the financial ladder and move "upwards" as you go.
Visit Portland! I'm just checking airfares to California. I checked Portland for you, cheapest fare was $208 RT from Detroit.
Then you can do a used bookstore report for us.

[mariatherese]

Sure thing! $208 is nothing! The bookstore will be one of the first places I go. I'll take some pics and post them, too. Might be a little while before I go though, maybe spring? But I hope its sooner, I really hope so.

[chiroptera]

Originally Posted by mariatherese

Sure thing! $208 is nothing! The bookstore will be one of the first places I go. I'll take some pics and post them, too. Might be a little while before I go though, maybe spring? But I hope its sooner, I really hope so.

Hope you get to go sooner rather than later! Cheaper flying to Portland than San Jose, I'll go in October. Can't wait to eat decent Mexican food for a change.

[HammockDreamer]

We've lived in the Soo for the past yr.............longest yr of my life! I have lived a LOT of different places. In fact, when we moved here, it marked my 57th lifetime move..............

The Soo tends to be conservative....and small-minded. It's almost like it is caught in a time-warp. The "good-old boy netwoork is alive and well here. It has been very difficult to get past the fact that no, I'm not from here...not related to anyone here...and I hate hockey!

I like Marquette much better.....except for the snow totals!

Soo Ontario is bigger---has shopping---but the border crossing can be a pain. The Twin Soo's are economically depressed and city planning has been ineffective. And then there's the whole polution thing.......the St. Mary's River (between the Soo's) is off the charts with hazardous pollutants. Downtown Soo, MI is also going to be removing deposits of mercury and chromium from the old part of downtown----some say it dates back to an early pioneer hide tanning factory..............water quality is awful here.

I realize that choosing a place to call home is a personal matter and all dependant upon personal likes and dislikes. This has not been a good spot for me or my family----------that's why we are moving!

[jimdc58]

Thanks for the feedback "Hammock". Sorry to hear of your misery, but I'm glad I could learn from it.

[ruauper2]

I was born and raised in the lower peninsula and left there as soon as I could shed my army uniform. If you really want to know what the Upper Peninsula (including the Soo) is really like read the following two books.

"Boom Copper" by Angus Murdock. It's a hilarious account of life in the Keweenaw Peninsula in the days when copper was king. The keweenaw, by the way, is the most beautiful and friendly part of the U.P.

"The Superior Peninsula,, Seasons in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan" by Lon L. Emerick. This book is 10 years old but still is a very accurate account of the seasons, out of the way places and its wonderful, wonderful people.

[futruper]

I thought I would add my 2 cents on Oregon. I was raised in Jackson, MI and have moved around a lot. I've lived in Medford, OR for 6 1/2 years and Portland, OR for 4 years. Based on what you've said about yourself, you would like Portland. It's very "artsy." Check out the Hawthorne District, NW 23rd Ave. area, and the downtown area where your used bookstore is located.
The cost-of-living is fairly high there. Housing can be expensive because they have growth boundaries restricting how much new housing there can be. So, what is available is older houses that people continue to fix up (great for carpentry, construction jobs). There are many art galleries both in Portland and along the coast. I had a friend who painted and rented a space down in a warehouse district for his studio. He split the rent with another painter.
There is water there, but in the form of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers that meet in the Portland area. The water is not as clean as the U.P. lakes and streams, but the Columbia River Gorge is a very scenic area. Most people enjoy the get-aways to the coast for a view of the Pacific. Mt. Hood is a major recreational mountain and only 20 miles from Portland. It does rain a lot and is often cloudy, but you are used to that in the fall in Michigan. It can be a bit depressing though, which is probably why the coffee is so good there. The winters I think you'll find to be much more bearable. In February the trees start to flower and it is a very beautiful city. Washington Park has a Japanese garden and a free rose garden (Portland's nickname is the Rose City). If you are into micro-brews, they are exceptional in the NW.
There are over 10,000 Vietnamese decendants in the area, so their cuisine abounds. I personally love Pho' (pronounce 'fuh'), a beef-noodle soup which is their national dish. Be sure to have someone help you with adding the sauces if you haven't had it before. I think it's addicting!
One of the best sources of information on Portland is, "The Best Places Portland." It will reiterate everything I've written and much more.
Now, the reason I wrote is that I've put in for a job in St. Ignace, MI. You know so much about that area and all I've done is visit a few times (walked the bridge the last two years). My wife and I have dreamed of building a log home in the U.P. This could provide us that opportunity. We want about 20 - 40 acres in the woods to put it. Can you offer some suggestions on areas with 30 miles of St. Ignace that I should search for property? Any other interesting data on the area would be appreciated too. Thanks, I hope you get a chance to check out Portland. P.S. you might like Eugene also, but it isn't quite so "artsy."

[Milliano]

Originally Posted by ruauper2

"Boom Copper" by Angus Murdock. It's a hilarious account of life in the Keweenaw Peninsula in the days when copper was king. The keweenaw, by the way, is the most beautiful and friendly part of the U.P.

"The Superior Peninsula,, Seasons in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan" by Lon L. Emerick. This book is 10 years old but still is a very accurate account of the seasons, out of the way places and its wonderful, wonderful people.

Lon Emerick's "You Wouldn't Like It Here" is excellent too. A very short, new, incredibly amusing book.

[beadster]

I lived in the soo for the past 6 years, moved away a year ago. It can be pretty conserative, but has a lot of liberal influence from Canada and Lake SUperior StAte University that is in the Soo. Its pretty mixed, really. No one extreme...

[missmanda83]

Originally Posted by mariatherese

I've always said that the Soo thinks it is a big city with it's attitude, but doesn't even realize its just a small town in rural Michigan. Basically, its the biggest turd in a small bowl.

I'm a Sault native, unfortunately. I spent a semester of college in Charlotte, NC and when people asked me why I moved I would tell them what you said. It's a small town with a big city attitude, but none of the perks that make cities worthwhile. That and I hate the weather.

Don't get me wrong, it's not the most horrid place in the world. Summertime is really fun. I love to chat with the tourists! They give our economy a big boost and for that I'm grateful. Some of my fellow residents aren't so welcoming though.

In fact, alot of the people here are just plain stupid. I don't know what it is but when I'm at working [I work as an Optician at Walmart] I swear at least 90% of the population never uses their brain! Honestly. I get so frustrated. People are rude and full of themselves. Sure, we're the biggest "city" in the EUP. Our population is still only just under 17,000! Agh.

To answer the question, the Sault is a tad more conservative than liberal based on election results. That said our Democrats are much more vocal and sometimes obnoxious. We had a problem with all of the McCain yard signs disappearing this year, but none of the Obama signs. Silly things like that.

If I were to recommend a place in Michigan, I personally love the Straits area. Either Mackinaw City or St. Ignace. The Island is beautiful as well but more than a little cut off during the winter. That's just me though. The only reason I'm still here is affordable tuition and my family. Once I'm done with college I'll be heading to one of the Carolinas. I've had enough of this weather!

I realize this thread hasn't been active in awhile but I really need to vent about my town. I'm so ready to get out of here and I've got some time to go yet...!