[JIMANDTHOM]

Originally Posted by magellan

I think it's interesting in that article they have to explain what the Meijer will offer (grocery and department store goods). Do people in the Soo not know what a Meijer is? Or the reporter?

I remember staying a few weeks up at a relative's farm near the Soo when we were teenagers, cut myself on a piece of metal, and I had go get a tetinis shot at the Indian reservation med center because there wasn't really a med center anywhere else. That was back in the 80's though.

Even here in SE MI as a kid and teen, Meijers Thrifty Acre was sort of like the magical almost mythical shopping experience. There were none in this area but many people had experienced one while traveling to the other side of the state.

Not a fan of big box stores but will take a Meijers over Walmart.

[JIMANDTHOM]

My OCD has kicked.

I'm printing out sections of town, so we can plot grocery, medical etc locations. Just needing something to do for the next 30 days as for the first time in years that we have considered the "what if" of moving back--it seems as though it may soon be possible.

[JIMANDTHOM]

Hey Man--- one reason we want a smallish town is for convenience as we age. Less driving etc.

Are the taxi services reliable or is there also a bus service?

[ManoftheNorth]

Originally Posted by JIMANDTHOM

Hey Man--- one reason we want a smallish town is for convenience as we age. Less driving etc.

Are the taxi services reliable or is there also a bus service?

The taxi services aren't bad, there are a few. We don't have a proper city bus system, but there is the dial-a-ride: CLMCAA - Helping People Changing Lives. They even have a bus service to Sault Ontario, though the hours are limited and the bus can run late or miss stops if traffic on the bridge is really bad. It's pretty cheap though ($2 to cross).

As for less driving, most of the people here are very car dependent, but I live near the downtown and I don't drive everyday. It would be totally doable to live downtown and not have a car here through most of the year, but you'll need transportation once January hits unless you get a house RIGHT next to a grocery store or something.

[JIMANDTHOM]

Originally Posted by ManoftheNorth

The taxi services aren't bad, there are a few. We don't have a proper city bus system, but there is the dial-a-ride: CLMCAA - Helping People Changing Lives. They even have a bus service to Sault Ontario, though the hours are limited and the bus can run late or miss stops if traffic on the bridge is really bad. It's pretty cheap though ($2 to cross).

As for less driving, most of the people here are very car dependent, but I live near the downtown and I don't drive everyday. It would be totally doable to live downtown and not have a car here through most of the year, but you'll need transportation once January hits unless you get a house RIGHT next to a grocery store or something.

This is our game plan. We find ourselves walking a lot here, post office, hardware, meat market and our favorite little mom/pop restaurant and the corner store for beer.

[Tyryztoll]

I worked in patient care at McLaren in Petoskey for 7 years, and never once heard anything good about War Memorial. You'll have to go to Petoskey or Marquette for a lot of stuff, and that's a good haul either way - especially during winter.

As for the Soo itself, it's always been a town that has succeeded in underwhelming me. One of my buddies used to refer to it as "The end of the earth".

I would think real estate up there would be pretty affordable, all things considered.

[JIMANDTHOM]

Originally Posted by Tyryztoll

I worked in patient care at McLaren in Petoskey for 7 years, and never once heard anything good about War Memorial. You'll have to go to Petoskey or Marquette for a lot of stuff, and that's a good haul either way - especially during winter.

As for the Soo itself, it's always been a town that has succeeded in underwhelming me. One of my buddies used to refer to it as "The end of the earth".

I would think real estate up there would be pretty affordable, all things considered.

I recall being told at one time that entertainment in the Soo was watching the car rust.

Amazingly we actually want to live in an area that is underwhelming, where the excitement of the day might be hearing the sound of a laker as it enters the locks area, sitting somewhere and hearing the water lap onto the beach, be freaking amazed at the power of a November storm.

All those things and others of the same are what we actually are looking for in a place to retire.

The medical part, yeah, we have to think this one through.

Thanks.

[Tyryztoll]

Originally Posted by JIMANDTHOM

Amazingly we actually want to live in an area that is underwhelming, where the excitement of the day might be hearing the sound of a laker as it enters the locks area, sitting somewhere and hearing the water lap onto the beach, be freaking amazed at the power of a November storm.

Nothing wrong with that. I was specifically referring to the downtown area. Doesn't seem to be much down there at all, which has always surprised me. The Soo has a nice location - easy drive from the bridge, international border.......eh, I don't know - for some reason I always assumed there were more people living there than there actually are. Maybe it's the university throwing me off.

[ManoftheNorth]

Originally Posted by Tyryztoll

Nothing wrong with that. I was specifically referring to the downtown area. Doesn't seem to be much down there at all, which has always surprised me. The Soo has a nice location - easy drive from the bridge, international border.......eh, I don't know - for some reason I always assumed there were more people living there than there actually are. Maybe it's the university throwing me off.

A lot of times if I mention to people that Sault Ste. Marie has a higher population than Petoskey or that the Soo is the second biggest town in the Upper Peninsula, they act pretty surprised. The thing is, despite having the locks here, The Soo doesn't get that many tourists compared to Petoskey. Mainly though, this is a lot poorer of an area than Petoskey or Marquette, and for whatever reason the people around here aren't as interested in hanging out downtown as they are in going to Wal-Mart or eating at Applebee's. Go to the Super Wal-Mart here any time of day if you want to see how many people live in Sault Ste. Marie, it's one of the busiest Wal-Marts in all of the Upper Peninsula and Northern Michigan.

Downtown Sault Ste. Marie has shrunk a great deal in the past 60 years or so, maybe by half or more. There are some pictures of the downtown at the River of History Museum on Ashmun street of the Soo from the 20's and 30's, it's pretty sad to see how many beautiful buildings have burned down or were torn down over the years. There are a lot of parking lots in the central downtown area where nice old buildings used to be, and there are whole blocks that used to be part of the downtown that are just giant parking lots now. I imagine a lot of land must have been cleared out here to make way for tourist parking in the 50's and 60's when the tourist industry was a lot bigger here.

[JIMANDTHOM]

We presently live in the "old" downtown section of our little village in the township. Mentioned earlier that we can/do walk to many business' for what we need and want. Fully expect to see a reduce downtown-- sadly.