[sesamekid]

Please help - I have narrowed down my options to Petoskey and need more info on the town.

Are there any bad areas to avoid when buying a home?

How do locals accept newcomers?

How is the crime rate there? Do you feel safe there?

What are the winters like? (I hate winter but am from Canada so I know what to expect)

This is a silly question but, are there a lot of snakes there? ( I'm scared of snakes!)

[alliteration]

Petoskey is a very small town. Here and there there are some houses that arent in great condition, but overall, it is one of the nicest, most scenic and beautiful small towns you will find. Right on the Little Traverse Bay surrounded by hilly terrain it is absolutely gorgeous. There is little to no crime and I have never once felt unsafe anywhere at anytime. My family moved up there about six years ago, and they have had no problem meeting people and making friends. I've found people to be quite friendly. As for winters, they are cold and typical of the upper Midwest. The Lake creates some microclimates, but Petoskey being right on the Lake is a bit more mild than inland.

Just like everywhere in the Midwest, there are snakes, but the only ones you'll really find are harmless garter snakes. I don't even think they have Mississaugas up there.

Overall, Petoskey is great, if you have steady employment and love the outdoors and don't need to go to the mall constantly, its a perfect place to be.

[cmuguy25]

I don't live in Petoskey, so I cannot speak about living there and making friends; but I can assure you crime is minimal. I would not worry too much about the crime rate.

[Nephler]

Are there any bad areas to avoid when buying a home?
Not really.

How do locals accept newcomers?
Like friends.

How is the crime rate there? Do you feel safe there?
Almost Zero...Very safe.

What are the winters like?
Like any other northern mid-west town. Back in 2001 (I think) we got 96" of snow in 3 days, but snows like that are very rare.

Snakes?
Sure, there are snakes, but chances of you seeing any are slim.

[detwahDJ]

Originally Posted by sesamekid

Please help - I have narrowed down my options to Petoskey and need more info on the town.

Are there any bad areas to avoid when buying a home?

How do locals accept newcomers?

How is the crime rate there? Do you feel safe there?

What are the winters like? (I hate winter but am from Canada so I know what to expect)

This is a silly question but, are there a lot of snakes there? ( I'm scared of snakes!)

The only dangerous snake in Michigan is the water moccasin, so just stay away from bodies of water like Lake Michigan (kidding). The garter snake is the snake of choice for most residents (and about the only one you'll ever see).

[sesamekid]

are there really water moccasins in northern Michigan?

[michmoldman]

I would move there in a hartbeat...but I'm already moving to Traverse City. Petosky is in one of the most beautiful areas in all the country. People for the most part are friendly everywhere in Northern Michigan.
Snakes in Michigan for the most part are scared crapless of people and are hard to come by. The most common is the Garter like others said...and it tickles when they bite.

[Nephler]

Here is the list of snakes in Michigan.
The only poisonous snake is the Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake, but you really don't need to fear as they prefer to run from you than strike.

This list is from the Michigan DNR.

• Black Rat Snake (Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta)
• Blue Racer (Coluber constrictor foxi)
• Brown Snake (Storeria dekayi)
• Butler's Garter Snake (Thamnophis butleri)
• Common Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis)
• Copper-bellied Water Snake (Nerodia erythrogaster neglecta)
• Eastern Hog-nosed Snake (Heterodon platirhinos)
• Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus)
• Eastern Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum triangulum)
• Fox Snake (Elaphe vulpina and Elaphe gloydi)
• Kirtland's Snake (Clonophis kirtlandii)
• Northern Ribbon Snake (Thamnophis sauritus septentrionalis)
• Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon)
• Queen Snake (Regina septemvittata)
• Red-bellied Snake (Storeria occipitomaculata occipitomaculata)
• Ring-necked Snake (Diadophis punctatus edwardii)
• Smooth Green Snake (Liochlorophis vernalis)

[Tyryztoll]

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.

[MSwartz]

Originally Posted by The Northerner

The biggest problem we have experienced up here is getting good medical care.

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.

Emmet County, Michigan | County Health Rankings & Roadmaps