[katharsis]

Our highest priority is natural beauty -- and are hoping to find a quiet (but not very rural) place with both lake and mountain views -- but we also want suburban conveniences (such as a major supermarket and at least a couple of nice restaurants close by), but with a small town look and "vibe". We enjoy quiet nature walks and LOVE four distinct seasons -- pleasant springs, warm (but not terribly hot) summers, colorful autumns and plenty of snow in winter.

We are middle-class, agnostic and politically moderate. Although we enjoy a nice glass of wine to accompany dinner or a beautiful sunset, we don't want to live in a place where most of the residents think a good time is getting drunk and/or hunting.

Our house budget is about $350k for a medium-sized two-bedroom with a nice view.

All suggestions appreciated, and thanks in advance!

P.S. We are not necessarily seeking a town in Michigan, but in checking stats nationwide, I think northern Michigan MIGHT be a good fit for us.

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by whocares811

Our highest priority is natural beauty -- and are hoping to find a quiet (but not very rural) place with both lake and mountain views -- but we also want suburban conveniences (such as a major supermarket and at least a couple of nice restaurants close by), but with a small town look and "vibe". We enjoy quiet nature walks and LOVE four distinct seasons -- pleasant springs, warm (but not terribly hot) summers, colorful autumns and plenty of snow in winter.

We are middle-class, agnostic and politically moderate. Although we enjoy a nice glass of wine to accompany dinner or a beautiful sunset, we don't want to live in a place where most of the residents think a good time is getting drunk and/or hunting.

Our house budget is about $350k for a medium-sized two-bedroom with a nice view.

All suggestions appreciated, and thanks in advance!

P.S. We are not necessarily seeking a town in Michigan, but in checking stats nationwide, I think northern Michigan MIGHT be a good fit for us.

The only mountains in Michigan are in the upper peninsula, extremely rural mining country. Houghton is the nearest significantly sized city in that area. Marquette is a very cute small city with most of the conveniences you are looking for and all the natural beauty. It is on Lake Superior, but not that near the Porcupine Mtns. You are not going to see them from Marquette. But is is very close to Munising (tiny town that is the gateway to the Painted Rocks kayaking trips). Both Marquette and Houghton have universities and the amenities that tend to go with them, but on a fairly small scale. Michigan tech in Houghton is the home of the tallest building in the upper peninsula (12 stories). If all you need is a small town with a grocery store and some restaurants, then your choices are much Broader. We recently stays for a while in L'Anse. A very small town on the Kewanee Bay (lake Superior) near the moutnains, cute little place. It definitely has a grocery (IGA) and a few restaurants, mostly Pasty places. Keep in mind the Upper Peninsula is often buried in snow for much of the year (but this past winter they got comparatively little snow), and has very cool summers (47 in Marquette yesterday, but there have also been some days in the 80s). Michigan weather is a roller coaster. The is a little town called Two Lakes (or was it three lakes) right in the mountains that has a grocery store/restaurant combination - that is pretty much the entire town. There are pretty inland lakes there too, so you get your mountains and lakes

The upper Peninsula is unmatched for natural beauty. No place is prettier. Some things you may need to drive/hike or Kayak to see, but you can spend years just seeing beautiful places for the first time. Lots of waterfalls, forests, colored cliffs, dunes, beaches, lighthouses, even a sizable canyon. If you live in the UP and do not hunt, you will want to be into snowmobiling, or some exciting winter oriented sport so you look forward to the winter.

There are some places in the Western USA and the East coast that are about as pretty in some ways, but all of them are very expensive. You are not likely to get your view property in your price range (maybe in some parts of Colorado or New Mexico, Possibly in Oregon).

Traverse City in the lower Peninsula is probably more of what you are looking for. There are some big hills that we call mountains near Traverse City. People even ski n them although the runs are about 5 minutes of skiing. There are some decent wineries around the area, lots and lots of fruit and berry growers. Lake views are everywhere. Both great lakes and smaller inland lakes. Traverse City is one of our prettiest towns. Petosky is also fairly pretty, not as nice but your moeny goes a lot further. Bar Harbor is super nice too, but probably out of your price range. The whole area is beautiful.

The lake front cities near Grand Rapids are also a decent option. Grand Rapids is a major city with all kinds of amenities and culture, but not huge. Grand Haven, South Haven Saugatuck etc are beautiful little beach towns along the lake. Busy in the summer, pretty empty the rest of the year. When you get that far south, you will be competing with moeny from Chicago for real estate, so prices may be higher.

The West Side if Michigan lower peninsula and the Upper peninsula meet many of your wants. Snowfall will vary, but the West side gets lake effect snow off of Lake Michigan.

There is plenty to do besides hunting, but if hunting offends you, Michigan is not the best choice, especially not the upper peninsula.

[beachmouse]

While not mountains, there are a lot of lovely very rolling hills in the Traverse City area. It's also a regional hub where it's going to be easier to get next level medical care there compared to really small towns (though some very specialized cases would probably get you sent to Grand Rapids or Metro Detroit for treatment) and that needs to be a consideration if you plan to keep aging in place.

[vicb]

Not Michigan but you might check out the area in NC south of Asheville.... Hendersonville, Lake Lure etc... My inlaws retired there from lake living in Maine (escaping the winters). That area is 4 mild seasons. Just a thought. That said I think the Traverse City, Petoskey, Charlevoix areas of MI are worth a look.

[MS313]

Check out Traverse City and South Haven.

[katharsis]

Thanks for all the replies so far! Much appreciated!

[zthatzmanz28]

Originally Posted by whocares811

Our highest priority is natural beauty -- and are hoping to find a quiet (but not very rural) place with both lake and mountain views -- but we also want suburban conveniences (such as a major supermarket and at least a couple of nice restaurants close by), but with a small town look and "vibe". We enjoy quiet nature walks and LOVE four distinct seasons -- pleasant springs, warm (but not terribly hot) summers, colorful autumns and plenty of snow in winter.

We are middle-class, agnostic and politically moderate. Although we enjoy a nice glass of wine to accompany dinner or a beautiful sunset, we don't want to live in a place where most of the residents think a good time is getting drunk and/or hunting.

Our house budget is about $350k for a medium-sized two-bedroom with a nice view.

All suggestions appreciated, and thanks in advance!

P.S. We are not necessarily seeking a town in Michigan, but in checking stats nationwide, I think northern Michigan MIGHT be a good fit for us.

Consider Boyne Mountain. I read where there are residential lots on the "mountain"sides...

[homeschooldad1]

I would say check out Marquette, MI. Its basically the capital of the upper peninsula and super beautiful! Its hard to beat the UP for scenery with its mountains and awesome Lake Superior. In the Midwest, I'd say that its the best mid-size city. If you'd prefer a larger city in the Midwest, check out Duluth. Asheville, NC; Bend, OR; and Flagstaff, AZ are some other places in the country that are super nice.

[Meemur]

I think distance to hospitals with good doctors might merit a higher place on your list.

I've seen many a retiree have to sell their place in the wilderness when one partner needed lots of care.

Alternative: look into towns around the Mayo clinic in Rochester, MN. You can still get some lake property or other nice place but be near a world-class hospital. No mountains, but what good is scenery if you lose your partner to a heart attack?

[homeschooldad1]

Originally Posted by Meemur

I think distance to hospitals with good doctors might merit a higher place on your list.

This is important. As one who works in the medical field, I'd say the only hospital set up to deal with most serious medical problems in the UP is Marquette. In northern MI, Traverse City is the only place. If I stay in the UP through retirement, I'll retire in Marquette due to its medical facilities as well as the shopping and other amenities the city has. But do remember its cold and snowy up here. That said, it seems nowadays the UP and northern Michigan are basically retirement communities.