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Even though all the amenities aren't nearby, GT and Emmet rank pretty highly among Michigan counties for overall health. Especially when compared to some not too far away, just a few counties to the East, like Ogemaw, Roscommon, Alcona, etc.
Those counties you listed are desolate outposts. Many of those folks travel all the way to us or downstate for their care......and they definitely have to travel downstate for any kind of advanced pediatric care.
Not bashing our area by any means, just saying that living here does present some challenges.
I've been here for 6 years. Petoskey, Michigan could very well be the safest town in the United States. Having grown up in big metro areas, I always lock my doors out of habit regardless, but never even give it a second thought if I forget to. Most people are amazingly friendly, and my neighborhood is like a little family circle in itself. The terrain is breathtaking, and I never get tired of walking into work at the local hospital and seeing that bay view. Most people only see that kind of stuff while on vacation, we get to see it every day. This area also has bigger hills than I expected it to, which makes for the occassional winter driving challenge, but it's definitely worth it.
The winters are extreme. It's northern Michigan. We get lake effect snow...... usually well over 100 inches a year, although we've had a couple very mild winters (by our standards) in the past 3 years. I like having the snow during the holidays, but the majority of it comes Jan thru April, and that section of the year can be quite depressing, especially when much of the rest of the country is enjoying the fruits of spring come March while we're still buried in snow & ice. You said you hated winter, and so I'm not sure why you'd pick a place like this to move to on that front alone. The winters here are no joke. Even my relatives in the Detroit area are intimidated by them.
The economy depends largely on tourism and downstate money. You see lot of businesses spring up, only to wilt quickly. Very few are able to stick due to the economic instability and seasonal nature of the state and area. Petoskey and Harbor Springs have big money pockets, but many of the surrounding communities have been down & out for a long time.
Beautiful, quiet, and safe as it is, there are downsides to living up here. There is not a lot to do if you like big city ammenities like shopping, pro sports, direct flight airports, big name concerts, theater, etc., and with the job market being so limited, there are usually no options for change if one decides they need it. Yes, we have a Bob Evans, an Applebee's, and even a few nice non-chain places to eat, but nothing on the scale of any large metro. You won't find double or triple decked malls.....matter of fact, you won't find any in Petoksey, and even the ones in Traverse City are very small. The local airport (Pellston) is very expensive to fly out of, and Cherry Capital in Traverse City is just as mean to the wallet, largely due to lack of competition amongst carriers. If you're a sports fan who enjoys going to the games, there is nothing up here besides high school and some independent league teams in Traverse City.
The housing is pretty cheap. I got my 20 yr old, 3 br 2 ba place with an acre of land in a terrific neighborhood for under 150K and I can see Little Traverse Bay from my deck and my mailbox. I'm right outside the Petoskey city limits, so my taxes are dirt cheap. They will double if you live in the city limits. There is a run down section of town that I would personally avoid living in, but even there you wouldn't be in any danger of anything more than punk kids doing punk kid stuff.
The biggest problem we have experienced up here is getting good medical care. The local hospital has a pretty good reputation overall, but you will never get the kind of care in a place as remote as this as you would in a larger metro, epsecially when it comes to children. The hospital has no NICU, as they chopped it for cost savings. Other than this, we have had to get all our kids specialist care downstate, which has been an enormous drain on our time and money.
Do you have kids? If so, you may want to think about this: There are very few opportunities for kids up here once they get into the mid to late teenage years, and they will almost certainly have to leave town to make anything of themselves in the long run. There are obviously exceptions, but I have seen a ton of young adults- even 30 and 40 year olds - living with their parents..... jobless and void of any ambition, since I've been here, which is very sad. Not saying that doesn't exist elsewhere, but it seems to be extremely prevalent up here. Just an observation.
I think I've seen 2 garter snakes since I've been here, and no others. There are a lot of spiders here during the warm months, though, especially anywhere near water.
Overall, Petoskey is a great place to live. I was single when I moved here, met my wife here, and had my kids here. I don't know if we'll be here for good or not. Our hopsital was recently taken over, and the new medical insurance is terrible, which is a major issue with 4 children. If we end up moving, we will always return here to visit whenever possible. It truly is one of the best kept secrets anywhere.
thanks for the detailed response!
Yes I have 2 kids ages 7 and 3. I just want a very safe place to raise them.
what are property taxes like within city limits? say for a 2000 sq foot house?
The winters there do worry me - I really hate snow and grew up with lots of it in Canada so not sure if I want to go there again.
I really wouldn't worry that much about the snow. The snowfall that Petoskey gets is nothing compared to other areas just a tad south and of course northern and western UP. The roads are very well cared for.
The area hasn't seen a "true" ( in my eyes anyway ) winter since the 80's. I've lived in the area for the better part of 53 years, take out 4 in Alaska and 1 in Colorado.
I really wouldn't worry that much about the snow. The snowfall that Petoskey gets is nothing compared to other areas just a tad south and of course northern and western UP. The roads are very well cared for.
The area hasn't seen a "true" ( in my eyes anyway ) winter since the 80's. I've lived in the area for the better part of 53 years, take out 4 in Alaska and 1 in Colorado.
Yeah, Kalkaska, Gaylord, and other snowbelt points in the UP may get more annually, but saying the snowfall in Petoskey is "nothing" in any context is pretty silly however you slice it. 90% of America would crap themselves if they saw what most winters are like here.......even now.
OP, you are going to be miserable here if you really hate the snow as much as it sounds like you do. Just sayin'.
Yeah, Kalkaska, Gaylord, and other snowbelt points in the UP may get more annually, but saying the snowfall in Petoskey is "nothing" in any context is pretty silly however you slice it. 90% of America would crap themselves if they saw what most winters are like here.......even now.
OP, you are going to be miserable here if you really hate the snow as much as it sounds like you do. Just sayin'.
Give me a visual Northerner...
how many feet of snow stays piled up, and for how long?
How often do you have to shovel the driveway?
Can you get away without snow tires? Do you need chains?
How often are flights cancelled in nearby airports?
how many feet of snow stays piled up, and for how long?
How often do you have to shovel the driveway?
Can you get away without snow tires? Do you need chains?
How often are flights cancelled in nearby airports?
It depends on the year, but we'll usually have a thick cover of snow from late December through at least March, with periodical thaws thrown in that might last up to a week at a time if you're lucky. The amounts vary depending on the winds coming from the lake. Petoskey gets the most lake effect snow when the winds come straight from the west. If they come from the northwest, which is most common, the areas south get hit the hardest. That's why Boyne, Kalkaska, Gaylord, Mancelona, etc. are considered the actual "snowbelt" towns up here.
I don't shovel my driveway. I do have a snowblower, but my neighbor has a big tractor with a blower on it and he does all the homes in the vicinity out of the goodness of his heart. But he does it a LOT, if that gives you a better idea. You'll need a snow blower up here unless your driveway is really small and narrow, unless you're just looking for a monster workout with the shovel. Your back will not thank you for that, though.....this I promise.
I've driven a rear wheel drive light pickup truck with all season tires since I've been up here. Throw some sandbags over the rear axle and I'm good to go. I quickly discovered that 98% of winter driving is common sense. You don't need to be out joy riding when the heavy lake effect bands are moving. I have had to negotiate some scary snow situations coming back from downstate in the winter, and it is not for the faint of heart. There is no need for chains here, and I don't think they're permitted anyway.
No idea about the airports. I fly out of Flint, Chicago, or Detroit when the time comes for air travel, which isn't that often for me.
I have been a long-time visitor to the Petoskey area for the past 2 decades. My family has property north of Harbor Springs I simply love the area, and with the amount of time we spend up there year-round we would love to move up there full-time if we could find good employment. I am currently down in the Metro Detroit area, but there is hardly anything in my field up there, and I'd have to take at least a 50% pay cut.
That being said, the quality of life seems so much better than where we are at now. We are fed-up with the traffic, the rat-race, the "keeping up with the Jones", the closed-minded/unfriendly people, and lack of open-space.
Personally, I love winter and all of the seasons. It is interested to see how Petoskey-proper gets much less snow than surround areas, mostly since it is right on the bay. Particularly Nov-Jan, it is a few degrees warmer by the Bay and much of the heavier snow falls inland. I would plan on continuous snow being on the ground from early December-late March. Some years mid-Nov through mid-April. There is usually a thaw or two that melts a lot of the snow in the middle of winter, but it comes back pretty quickly there after. Typical snow-depth in town I would guess would be 1-2 feet for much of the winter. Outside of town, back in the woods, and in some of the more isolated areas, easily 2-3 feet in the middle of (a good) winter.
Winter driving, honestly the only time it is bad is in the middle of the storm. They are usually very quick to clean things up. I remember the massive storm in March 2012 and the other one in December 2012 that dumped 18-24" of heavy snow. They had most of the roads clear within 24 hours of the snow stopping, and those were big storms by northern MI standards.
The airport, I've flown in/out of Pellston serveral times and the same as the road conditions. In the middle of the storm, you won't get in/out of there but once it stops they are good to go. They do an excellent job of keeping the airport open for the 2-4 commercial flights per day. That being said, it can be expensive to use Pellston. If you are traveling with multiple people and have the time it can make sense to drive to Flint, Grand Rapids, or even Detroit.
We've lived here across the bay in Harbor Springs for a month now and crime here, indeed any disturbance in tranquility is really low. For example....
We have a couple of company cars that we share during the day. While not being used they are parked along US 31 unlocked with the keys in them.
I met the bride after work and left my motorcycle in the parking lot, along 31. As we were shoppping I was concerned as I couldn't find my cell phone. It turned out that I'd left it clipped to the handlebars of my bike. It was there when we returned 2 hours later.
As for response if something does happen, the house across the street caught on fire last week. 10 minutes later the volunteer fire department showed up in force along with the usual first responders. I guess they needed something to do!
And yes the people here are friendly. I haven't ever felt any animosity beyond one guy, the husband of the brides son's mother in law who groused about people coming in and stealing "our jobs". The brides son asked him if he was qualified for the job I "stole" and the guy shut right up. So yes we are loving it here thus far.
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