[jeeg]

Originally Posted by Bluefly

Well, I guess I don't know many who are happy with their jobs. Content, perhaps, since it allows them to live here. But not truly passionate about the way they spend 40 hours of their week.

I don't know that many people who are truly passionate about their jobs anywhere in our fair country!! A few but they are a minority.
I think it has more to do with who they are inside then how they bring in the income

[bryan61]

Ive spent my entire working life living that rationalization. My attitude is fine but its not so much how you bring in the income its

how much

The people who graduated with my wife last weekend who want to stay in the UP will work out of their career fields or if lucky find a career job and accept half of her starting pay, with a weak benfit package or part time.

Look I love the UP but your cat got the canary smirk about living here is kind of funny. Give it a few years the UP will grow on ya

Originally Posted by jeeg

I don't know that many people who are truly passionate about their jobs anywhere in our fair country!! A few but they are a minority.
I think it has more to do with who they are inside then how they bring in the income

[jeeg]

Originally Posted by bryan61

Ive spent my entire working life living that rationalization. My attitude is fine but its not so much how you bring in the income its

how much

The people who graduated with my wife last weekend who want to stay in the UP will work out of their career fields or if lucky find a career job and accept half of her starting pay, with a weak benfit package or part time.

Look I love the UP but your cat got the canary smirk about living here is kind of funny. Give it a few years the UP will grow on ya

I am not smirking, I'm pointing out the obvious. If I wanted a higher paying job here in the U.P. I would pick a profession that this area can support before aquiring a degree in it.
Our values have nothing to do with money or material goods which is why we love it here. We make more then enough to support our lifestyle and our future goals.
If your values/desires lie elsewhere, more power to you. There's no need for getting snarky because you disagree. I have merely stated my opinion. Let's leave the childish attitude out of it.

[darstar]

I lived 6 years in SW Mi.... Yes , a sort of retreat area for many Chicago folks, other than that , the area and people are much more rural than Marquette area. All the 6 years , I felt like i was living in " Green Acres"., on TV. ! The locals made their profits from Chicago types, who were eager to write checks, for the privilege of having a relaxing week-end at the lake house, or the country estate. behind the false front, was endless double wides, trailer parks, people who needed dental work, and , lots of meth labs, drug deals, and , you had to lock your door, always. GR is loaded with unrest, and crime. take a drive thru Benton Harbor some time, you will see......
The UP is laid back yes, but for all the bad and good things to ponder, the one thing that stands out most , are the people. I have only been here 2 months full time, and already know I have found a home, a place I can live, and , not just tolerate.

[Bluefly]

^^
Amen to that - the UP truly draws a unique blend of people seeking something a little off the beaten path of life. I'm constantly surprised by the folks I meet - Shakespeare afficiondados in Ishpeming; brilliant artists working as mechanics or whatnot; vegan health nuts at the end of dirt roads you'd think would be full of nothing but gun toting libertarians; hippies living off the land tucked into little shacks in the woods; extremely wealthy tycoons tucked into the landscape. Truly a unique cultural stew of hardy individualists which I will always cherish.

[blu banks]

Originally Posted by Bluefly

^^
Amen to that - the UP truly draws a unique blend of people seeking something a little off the beaten path of life. I'm constantly surprised by the folks I meet - Shakespeare afficiondados in Ishpeming; brilliant artists working as mechanics or whatnot; vegan health nuts at the end of dirt roads you'd think would be full of nothing but gun toting libertarians; hippies living off the land tucked into little shacks in the woods; extremely wealthy tycoons tucked into the landscape. Truly a unique cultural stew of hardy individualists which I will always cherish.

bluefly I really enjoyed your commentary. Ive always wondered about the up and what life is like up there. Can anyone give me more detail about living there?

[A2Mich]

My vote depends on the individual as others have stated. If you're looking for art museums, galleries, a huge selection of fine dining, etc, my vote would be for the LP. If a very active outdoor lifestyle of fishing, hunting, etc, I would say probably anything north of the Flint area. If a larger selection of jobs is extremely important, I would say that SE Michigan would be the better bet. My main concern would be with medical care...sure there are hospitals in the UP, but my gut instinct is that hospitals are fewer and farther between. Being that the UP is such a rural lifestyle, in case of a serious emergency, the appropriate medical facility may be quite some distance away, depending on where you live of course. For sheer beauty, and a more relaxed lifestyle, say ya to da UP, eh?

[Bluefly]

^^
Well, I guess if you're living in the middle of nowhere that's true. Most people in the UP don't really live "rural" lifestyles, per se. They live in smaller cities adjacent to rural areas that have fine hospitals. Marquette's hospital is quite fine, very modern, and a major employer for the region.

[A2Mich]

I should have been a bit more specific, in referring to people living outside of Marquette, Houghton, etc. My in-laws have a summer home in Dollar Bay, and the nearest hospital to them is in Houghton. While not really that far away, in winter time, it may take quite some time to get medical attention in a serious emergency if need be, due ti their more rural location. THough I guess the same is true of smaller towns in lower Michigan as well, so I guess my opinion on that was pointless.....sorry. As for the hospitals in Marquette, do they have all of the specialty treatments, such as dedicated cardiac units, burn uints, cancer units, etc? Not trying to sound dumb, but simply not aware. I know that here in A2, there are some great hospitals (with differing opinions about UMHS), but a tremendous amount of specialized care is available in this town. Thanks in advance for any info!

[Bluefly]

A more educated opinion would be in order, but I believe the Marquette General Hospital has all of that. It is the hospital that they fly patients to from across the UP when specialty or serious issues arise. It's quite a complex. Not on the scale of A2, but it's a very legitimate hospital.

You could probably find out with a quick web search.