Help - What's wrong with Cheboygan ??? (Petoskey, Indian River: ski resorts, insurance, lawyers)
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It's a pretty small town, without too much to drive it's economy. It reminds me of a small U.P. town. Of course, if you like nice quiet towns, then it may be just the place for you!
Not good to travel across that upper tip of Michigan in winter....roads are plowed good but still there are curves and hills and drop offs....ice diffently a no no....I used to live in Harbor Springs in an apt. loved it....my brother lives in his house in Indian River....not enough restruants for him he says....but he eats out all the time. My sister has property right on Lake Huron forsale a mile an half from town...wish I could buy it..what a view and yes a rocky beach but so what! It would be close and you could put a modular on it or build....wish I could....reasonable too.....are you working in Cheboygan or where? all those towns aren't far from each other but the roads are not to be traveled in a hurry trying to get to work ontime........slippery even when plowed....love it up there tho.....clean air ...I'm in NM right now working and will be going back home soon ....economy in Michigan not good right now hope it picks up soon.........bye Jan
I live near Cheboygan and my ex-husband and his family lives IN it...I would say it is a town with an interesting mix of people in it...it is like many other small towns in Michigan: struggling, dying, etc. My personal interaction with the culture there is that there isn't a lot of it...the Cheboygan Opera House is beautiful and offers some neat opportunities each year. Geographically, you are close to Mackinac, which is a blast in the summer but a ghost town in the winter months. I believe Cheboygan has a relatively high poverty rate (people on assistance). There are a heftier number of registered sex offenders there than some of the other Northern Michigan towns...(not sure why). Does that help???
North of Harbor Springs has great living too. I am from that area and wealthy is not the word for north of town. Schools are GREAT in harbor springs because of the high tax dollar in the summer though.
I no longer live in cheboygan, but my family still does and I am proud to say that I grew up there! If you have children it is a fantastic place to raise kids! I am a teacher but due to the struggling economy in ALL of michigan i moved out of state to get a teaching job three years ago! I know quite a few teachers in cheboygan and I can vouch for their skill as i did quite a few observations while i was in college. I also went to the catholic elementary school which is above and beyond. Cheboygan seems sleepy, but there are MANY activities to do if you are willing to meet new people and to get out of your house! I am not a fan of walmart as it closed down smaller businesses in town-this is mainly because yes, cheboygan has fairly high poverty therefore people shop at walmart-i refuse to when i'm in town
Winter-sledding, skiing, snowmobiling, ice skating, festivals, ice-fishing, fun bars/restaurants, just a few things to do in winter
Summer-the longest stretch of an inland waterway in the state, boating, cheboygan river, black river, mullett lake, lake huron, burt lake, black lake, douglas lake, long lake (all beautiful and swimmable-SANDY with public beaches), hiking, camping, festivals, summer rec. sports for kids and adults...the list is endless...just ask me
Fall-Fun football town even ifyou don't have kids on the team, hiking, pumpkin patches, safe trick-or-treating, fall harvest festival, beatiful scenery.....ask for more
Spring-many shows at opera house, snow melts, community activities
I can vouch for the friendlyness of people, if you smile they will smile back, people will make an effort to learn who you are if you frequent their business unless it is walmart! haha....
there are awesome dance classes at the opera house (i attended) there is summer youth theatre, there are all kinds of clubs/organizations for adults to join, many volunteer oportunities, community art classes, brand new re-done library with many community events...i could go on and on about the positives, it is also cheaper to live here than petoskey (i do like petoskey too, but cheboygan is smaller and friendlier)
they are alos building a pedestrian bridge soon-my dad is on the DDA
yeah send me a message if you want to know more!
~mo
a few more positive things!
*gymnastics classes for kids
*music lessons for kids
*community theater for all ages (not just the summer youth theater)
*close to mackinaw city and mackinac island-free ferry rides for residents once a year (cheboygan county and others)
*4H is still pretty big here and kids present their work at the county fair which is still pretty much a big thing
*very good doctors in the area-i can recommend some also, dentists
*incredibly safe!
*neighbors look out for each other
*no such thing as a "bad" area....some are nicer than others but none "bad"
wow, i could go on and on!!
I grew up in Cheboygan, and my feelings about it are mixed.
What to watch out for:
1.) Lots of sex offenders
2.) Lots of drugs
3.) No good jobs
4.) Bad schools
5.) Redneck mentality
What I miss:
1.) This Old House Pizza (there is a reason this is first on my list--you MUST go!!!)
2.) 4th of July parade and fireworks
3.) Historic homes on Huron St. (my old neighborhood...so fond of it!)
4.) Aloha Campground (loved camping there as a kid!)
5.) Driving in the country (Polish Line Rd., Mullett Lake Village)
6.) Boating on Cheboygan River (we go to Mackinac Island!)
7.) Locally grown sweet corn (watch for the stands)
8.) 'The Big Dipper' ice cream
9.) The Opera House
10.) Walking downtown, plenty of sidewalks for miles
11.) Yeck's Drive In (they've been there forever--SOOO good!)
12.) Chiefs Football!!!
So, my opinion is that Cheboygan is a great place to visit...I would not choose to live there.
I grew up in Cheboygan, and my feelings about it are mixed.
What to watch out for:
1.) Lots of sex offenders
2.) Lots of drugs
3.) No good jobs
4.) Bad schools
5.) Redneck mentality
What I miss:
1.) This Old House Pizza (there is a reason this is first on my list--you MUST go!!!)
2.) 4th of July parade and fireworks
3.) Historic homes on Huron St. (my old neighborhood...so fond of it!)
4.) Aloha Campground (loved camping there as a kid!)
5.) Driving in the country (Polish Line Rd., Mullett Lake Village)
6.) Boating on Cheboygan River (we go to Mackinac Island!)
7.) Locally grown sweet corn (watch for the stands)
8.) 'The Big Dipper' ice cream
9.) The Opera House
10.) Walking downtown, plenty of sidewalks for miles
11.) Yeck's Drive In (they've been there forever--SOOO good!)
12.) Chiefs Football!!!
So, my opinion is that Cheboygan is a great place to visit...I would not choose to live there.
great positives....
but your negatives can go for any small town in any state
i have to disagree with the bad schools-they are far from bad for a town of 6,000-many opportunities compared to other towns of the same size!
no good jobs has something to do with the economic crisis!!!-depends on what you are in too!
and redneck mentality goes for a minority in the city-they are just a loud minority!
the drugs and sex offenders is not any different from many places-drugs are present but only if you are around the losers (i know that sounds childish-but growing up i never had problems!)
and sex offenders if you look up registries are everywhere!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
not a good thing anywhere but just a fact!
Which is exactly why I like Cheboygan, Rogers City, and Alpena. Nothing is going on- you guys kill me with all your talk about wanting to be Up North in the Wilderness and then you don't know what to do with yourselves! LOL If you want to be entertained, stay Downstate! The sunrise side is far more pristine than overdeveloped Traverse City and I hope it stays that way. Of course, it won't if the developers have their way- they are already nibbling away at Alpena. Hope the locals have at least enough sense to enact some zoning and hold them at bay, but proably they are all so star struck by the dollar signs in their eyes.
great positives....
but your negatives can go for any small town in any state
i have to disagree with the bad schools-they are far from bad for a town of 6,000-many opportunities compared to other towns of the same size!
no good jobs has something to do with the economic crisis!!!-depends on what you are in too!
and redneck mentality goes for a minority in the city-they are just a loud minority!
the drugs and sex offenders is not any different from many places-drugs are present but only if you are around the losers (i know that sounds childish-but growing up i never had problems!)
and sex offenders if you look up registries are everywhere!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
not a good thing anywhere but just a fact!
ok i can't wait to go there in two days!!!!
Just to reiterate a couple of points. The schools ARE bad. My husband is a Real Estate Broker/Owner in Northern Michigan. He has clients who refuse to live in Cheboygan SPECIFICALLY because of the schools. The current nationwide economic crisis cannot be blamed for Cheboygan's very own economic crisis. It has always been that way. The major employer...a paper mill. Unless you are "into" Walmart?????? MANY people drive an hour to work in Petoskey.
But, since you are going, have some This Old House pizza for me! YUMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!
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