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Wow, I couldn't have said it any better. How did you make it 24 years?
In addition to what you said, I wanted to add the perspective from someone with a family. Let's start with the school system.
Having children in various grades, I've seen more teachers who act like it's a chore to teach, than those who really care about education. The superintendent shares his brain with the high school principal, kids are always guilty, and parents are NEVER right. Physical education and sports are a thing of the past.
Our poor children have experienced the loss of 3 friends in 4 years to suicide alone. Other losses are due to discriminatory reasons, lack of entertainment, and improper discipline. If you have a family, you better be able to take a lot of vacations. This town does next to nothing for our youth, except harass them for skateboarding on the sidewalks.
Why would our children want to invest in this town, there is no future here.
Want to buy a house?
Quote:
Originally Posted by jasonw33
I know this is an old post, but I read and just HAVE to reply and give a little truth.
I have lived in the Hurley-Ironwood area for about 24 years now. Mostly in Hurley(WI), but ive spent a couple years in Ironwood as well. For those not in the know, Hurley and Ironwood are seperated by the Montreal river.
Ive read all positive comments regarding Ironwood MI, but heres a little reality for anyone interested...
Traffic, period, is horrible. If you have to drive anywhere around here, it sucks. I have never seen worse roads. Potholes are everywhere. The city's solution to potholes is filling them in with tar, and then covering the tar with little white rocks - which in turn stick to your car and or chip your paint when you drive over them. There was a hole by family video this spring that you would actually bottom out in. Stopsigns are EVERYWHERE, and traffic lights that you often sit at only to have NO opposing traffic. No reason to be stopped. Most locals avoid these lights by taking a route thru sidestreets(either the cemetary way, or by the fountains and family video, or the memorial building way...).
You cannot drink the water. One taste or smell will do it for you. Its not safe.
There are no jobs. Local youth move away as soon as they can. The thought of spending their life at Bessemer Plywood, or Ironwood plastics must not appeal to them. Those that do not move away are likely to become alcoholics and work at Bessemer Plywood or Ironwood Plastics.
Everyone here is drunk. Ironwood is a small rivers width away from infamous "Silver Street" and its tempting lower block where prostitutes can be purchased in the Club Carnival, even today. This street is a tourist scurge. In the winter its a cesspool of drunken tourist snowmobilers, and drunken locals who think its fun to beat up tourists. Well, it IS fun.
Its a hard place to be comfortable. The summers are ok, and yes, the area IS VERY beautiful. But the bugs totally consume you. Lake Superior has Biting Fly infestation, and inland the gnats and mosquitos will drain you of your blood. The winters, however, will test you. Bitter cold and huge amounts of snow. Expect a 350.00 monthly heat bill. The weather is nice June thru sept. The other 8 months you have to run your furnace. Winter here, in a word, is madness.
Those are a few real observations on the area of Ironwood MI. Dont get me wrong, I actually dont hate it here. I could pack up and leave anytime. For me the good outweighs the bad. But this town is not the rosegarden its made out to be. Living here changes you. And there are deer downtown.
I know this is an old post, but I read and just HAVE to reply and give a little truth.
I have lived in the Hurley-Ironwood area for about 24 years now. Mostly in Hurley(WI), but ive spent a couple years in Ironwood as well. For those not in the know, Hurley and Ironwood are seperated by the Montreal river.
Ive read all positive comments regarding Ironwood MI, but heres a little reality for anyone interested...
Traffic, period, is horrible. If you have to drive anywhere around here, it sucks. I have never seen worse roads. Potholes are everywhere. The city's solution to potholes is filling them in with tar, and then covering the tar with little white rocks - which in turn stick to your car and or chip your paint when you drive over them. There was a hole by family video this spring that you would actually bottom out in. Stopsigns are EVERYWHERE, and traffic lights that you often sit at only to have NO opposing traffic. No reason to be stopped. Most locals avoid these lights by taking a route thru sidestreets(either the cemetary way, or by the fountains and family video, or the memorial building way...).
You cannot drink the water. One taste or smell will do it for you. Its not safe.
There are no jobs. Local youth move away as soon as they can. The thought of spending their life at Bessemer Plywood, or Ironwood plastics must not appeal to them. Those that do not move away are likely to become alcoholics and work at Bessemer Plywood or Ironwood Plastics.
Everyone here is drunk. Ironwood is a small rivers width away from infamous "Silver Street" and its tempting lower block where prostitutes can be purchased in the Club Carnival, even today. This street is a tourist scurge. In the winter its a cesspool of drunken tourist snowmobilers, and drunken locals who think its fun to beat up tourists. Well, it IS fun.
Its a hard place to be comfortable. The summers are ok, and yes, the area IS VERY beautiful. But the bugs totally consume you. Lake Superior has Biting Fly infestation, and inland the gnats and mosquitos will drain you of your blood. The winters, however, will test you. Bitter cold and huge amounts of snow. Expect a 350.00 monthly heat bill. The weather is nice June thru sept. The other 8 months you have to run your furnace. Winter here, in a word, is madness.
Those are a few real observations on the area of Ironwood MI. Dont get me wrong, I actually dont hate it here. I could pack up and leave anytime. For me the good outweighs the bad. But this town is not the rosegarden its made out to be. Living here changes you. And there are deer downtown.
Jason is being honest. I lived in Ironwood but moved away. Not because I hated it there, I liked a lot about it.
Just rent first and find out for yourself if it's a place you can be happy with...
The day we moved into our new home in Ironwood, a neighbor came over and asked us what was the reason for us moving to the a**hole of the world.
He meant it. It was the one and only time he showed his face around us !
I have only been to Ironwood a couple of times. It would seem to me , that the area being so far west in the UP , would have a quite different economy , trade area, and , social inter action , than the more populated areas east in upper Michigan.
I would think Ironwood , being so close to Wi. would more connected to cheese land, than Michigan as a whole. Not bad or good , just different. Much closer to MPLS for shopping
areas, and , Duluth ? , Rhinelander, Wi ?, Wausau ?........just curious.
Status:
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(set 14 days ago)
Location: Madison, Wisconsin
13,608 posts, read 15,446,526 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by darstar
I have only been to Ironwood a couple of times. It would seem to me , that the area being so far west in the UP , would have a quite different economy , trade area, and , social inter action , than the more populated areas east in upper Michigan.
I would think Ironwood , being so close to Wi. would more connected to cheese land, than Michigan as a whole. Not bad or good , just different. Much closer to MPLS for shopping
areas, and , Duluth ? , Rhinelander, Wi ?, Wausau ?........just curious.
One of the HUGE differences that separates Ironwood from northern Wisconsin is the difference in the influx of retirees. Northern Wisconsin, particularly in Vilas and Oneida counties have a larger retiree population along with individuals that have second homes that are from larger cities.
The nearest "larger" city that serves the general area is the Duluth/Superior metro.
In terms of sports influences, the western UP has more Packer fans.
In terms of overall culture northern WI and the western UP have quite a bit in common. Snowmobiling, ice fishing, taverns, supper clubs, log cabins, hunting, fishing, etc....
One of the HUGE differences that separates Ironwood from northern Wisconsin is the difference in the influx of retirees. Northern Wisconsin, particularly in Vilas and Oneida counties have a larger retiree population along with individuals that have second homes that are from larger cities.
The nearest "larger" city that serves the general area is the Duluth/Superior metro.
In terms of sports influences, the western UP has more Packer fans.
In terms of overall culture northern WI and the western UP have quite a bit in common. Snowmobiling, ice fishing, taverns, supper clubs, log cabins, hunting, fishing, etc....
I only remember a Ski Lodge , quite large , that our old car group stayed in , one summer. The local fuel stop had poorly marked pumps , and , one of our fold filled up his Packard , with 30 gal. of diesel , boy , was that a mess of black smoke !
I know this is an old post, but I read and just HAVE to reply and give a little truth.
I have lived in the Hurley-Ironwood area for about 24 years now. Mostly in Hurley(WI), but ive spent a couple years in Ironwood as well. For those not in the know, Hurley and Ironwood are seperated by the Montreal river.
Ive read all positive comments regarding Ironwood MI, but heres a little reality for anyone interested...
Traffic, period, is horrible. If you have to drive anywhere around here, it sucks. I have never seen worse roads. Potholes are everywhere. The city's solution to potholes is filling them in with tar, and then covering the tar with little white rocks - which in turn stick to your car and or chip your paint when you drive over them. There was a hole by family video this spring that you would actually bottom out in. Stopsigns are EVERYWHERE, and traffic lights that you often sit at only to have NO opposing traffic. No reason to be stopped. Most locals avoid these lights by taking a route thru sidestreets(either the cemetary way, or by the fountains and family video, or the memorial building way...).
You cannot drink the water. One taste or smell will do it for you. Its not safe.
There are no jobs. Local youth move away as soon as they can. The thought of spending their life at Bessemer Plywood, or Ironwood plastics must not appeal to them. Those that do not move away are likely to become alcoholics and work at Bessemer Plywood or Ironwood Plastics.
Everyone here is drunk. Ironwood is a small rivers width away from infamous "Silver Street" and its tempting lower block where prostitutes can be purchased in the Club Carnival, even today. This street is a tourist scurge. In the winter its a cesspool of drunken tourist snowmobilers, and drunken locals who think its fun to beat up tourists. Well, it IS fun.
Its a hard place to be comfortable. The summers are ok, and yes, the area IS VERY beautiful. But the bugs totally consume you. Lake Superior has Biting Fly infestation, and inland the gnats and mosquitos will drain you of your blood. The winters, however, will test you. Bitter cold and huge amounts of snow. Expect a 350.00 monthly heat bill. The weather is nice June thru sept. The other 8 months you have to run your furnace. Winter here, in a word, is madness.
Those are a few real observations on the area of Ironwood MI. Dont get me wrong, I actually dont hate it here. I could pack up and leave anytime. For me the good outweighs the bad. But this town is not the rosegarden its made out to be. Living here changes you. And there are deer downtown.
Yep, its not a pretty place...sometimes I think my husband refuses to admit he graduated from there. I could think of a million other places in the UP I would live first. If we did live there, I would homeschool my boys.
Isn't that Faith newberry lol ? I am in Ironwood as well,, and I may rent my house out next yrs,, 5 bdrm with fireplace on 40 acres with garage, barn and jecuzzi. Nimrod is right about the heat,, its best if you can suppliment it with wood,, and they do sell cords of wood here,, its about 50$ a cord and really helps on the heat bill., which dosn;t look like its coming down much. Most homes for rent here are around 450-500 a mth but these are usually smaller town homes,, watch the heating in these. Other than that its a great place to live if you love the outdoors and don't mind the snow. Lat 2 yrs have been pretty mild compaired to other yrs.I think there has been a bit of a jump in homes for sale and increase in value of them due to the new super walmart and walgreens just put in. Also Duluth is booming and more are heading this way to get out of city for week end or whatever,, so I am sure it will continue to increase.
i think some of what has been said can also apply to many small towns somewhat isolated from large cities. im in iowa now, and believe me in these small rural towns, there is nothing to do, pple generally drink alot, the kids all want to leave as soon as they can, and those that stayed look so miserable they cant give back a smile or hello. and if they dont know you, they are generally down right rude. we dont get the snow you do there, but some of the small town generalizations remain the same. and unless you love cornfields, you wont care for the view. at least you have trees, lakes, pretty scenery. ive thought of moving to the u.p. because of the natural beauty, housing is a better value than in iowa or nebraska, and i like winter better than summer. but i think id prefer the eastern areas to the west.
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at least you have trees, lakes, pretty scenery. ive thought of moving to the u.p. because of the natural beauty, housing is a better value than in iowa or nebraska, and i like winter better than summer. but i think id prefer the eastern areas to the west.
