[Dwatted Wabbit]

Originally Posted by darstar

No , Just Superior , cause it is...

That works. What would the population of Superior be? And land area?

[wordsmith680]

Originally Posted by Dwatted Wabbit

That works. What would the population of Superior be? And land area?

We might have to limit it to 285k .....(about what it is now) The small population base is a dbl edgd sword. Land area is about a third of MI total.

[Dwatted Wabbit]

Originally Posted by wordsmith680

We might have to limit it to 285k .....(about what it is now) The small population base is a dbl edgd sword. Land area is about a third of MI total.

That would make Superior the smallest-population state. Wyoming is next at just under 500,000.

Drive on!!

[darstar]

Not a lot of change up here as well. We haven't had a job boom since 1910 and the copper days. Things never get real bad , economy wise , nor do they get real great ether. Our economy is fragile , just like our natural resources , we would like to keep it that way...... Statehood for us would be a boom , during these hard times. The exposure by the media would bring lots of interest and awareness , and Government monies.... Believe it or not , most of the Country has no idea what the " UP" is, and , that goes for a lot of folks in lower Michigan......who have never been here.

[darstar]

Originally Posted by Dwatted Wabbit

That would make Superior the smallest-population state. Wyoming is next at just under 500,000.

Drive on!!

The difference , is however , we would be a blue state. One more won't hurt.
Marquette will be our Capital city , and the new Interstate going east and west across , would be financed by the most economically stable Country in the World , Canada. ( Going through the UP , for trans - Canadian trade is the shortest route ).

[jeeg]

Originally Posted by darstar

Believe it or not , most of the Country has no idea what the " UP" is, and , that goes for a lot of folks in lower Michigan......who have never been here.

I like it that way.

[baystater]

National Wildlife Federation: Great Lakes Natural Resource Center (http://online.nwf.org/site/PageServer?pagename=glnrc_lakesuperior_documentary _full_length - broken link)

National Wildlife Federation: Great Lakes Natural Resource Center (http://online.nwf.org/site/PageServer?pagename=glnrc_lakesuperior_documentary _full_length - broken link)


Just adding a documentary to the thread.

[MTUCache]

Originally Posted by darstar

Statehood for us would be a boom , during these hard times.

Honestly, having grown up in the Detroit suburbs and having gone to school at Tech, my impression is that there's not a whole lot of people in the lower peninsula that would be heart-broken.

Sure, it would hurt their (our?) reputation for having the longest fresh-water coastline, it would remove probably half the wilderness from the state of "Michigan", but in the end I think the average suburbanite would probably support it... just not for the reasons you're thinking.

The average tax-paying down-stater is under the impression that the entire UP is filled with Packers fans in a cabin off in the woods somewhere with a dozen kids, a couple rifles, and a deer camp; buying food and gas for their snowmobiles with government checks. 90+% of down-staters would be under the impression that it would be a good thing to limit the sponges in the state to the inner-cities, where at least they can be contained.

I'm not saying that's my opinion, as some of the best (and most formative) years of my life were spent in the UP... that's just the impression that most Michiganders have.

As for the mine... sounds like a big case of Not In My Backyard. Although, in this particular case, it's a ridiculously huge and very nice backyard, and I don't personally know of any reason why we should spoil it just because of a global upturn in the price of Nickel. I don't feel very confident that the government would be able to, or anyone else for that matter, limit the collateral damage. I wouldn't count on it helping the UPs economy whatsoever, and even if it did I'm not sure that's what people in the UP want.

From my impressions, I get the feeling that most yoopers would be more than happy to be forgotten about and live in their quiet paradise, with or without an inflated paycheck or a soul-crushing job, no matter what name they put on the place. It would probably be best if all forms of big business kept their noses out, from mining companies to Walmart.

[darstar]

Originally Posted by MTUCache

Honestly, having grown up in the Detroit suburbs and having gone to school at Tech, my impression is that there's not a whole lot of people in the lower peninsula that would be heart-broken.

Sure, it would hurt their (our?) reputation for having the longest fresh-water coastline, it would remove probably half the wilderness from the state of "Michigan", but in the end I think the average suburbanite would probably support it... just not for the reasons you're thinking.

The average tax-paying down-stater is under the impression that the entire UP is filled with Packers fans in a cabin off in the woods somewhere with a dozen kids, a couple rifles, and a deer camp; buying food and gas for their snowmobiles with government checks. 90+% of down-staters would be under the impression that it would be a good thing to limit the sponges in the state to the inner-cities, where at least they can be contained.

I'm not saying that's my opinion, as some of the best (and most formative) years of my life were spent in the UP... that's just the impression that most Michiganders have.

As for the mine... sounds like a big case of Not In My Backyard. Although, in this particular case, it's a ridiculously huge and very nice backyard, and I don't personally know of any reason why we should spoil it just because of a global upturn in the price of Nickel. I don't feel very confident that the government would be able to, or anyone else for that matter, limit the collateral damage. I wouldn't count on it helping the UPs economy whatsoever, and even if it did I'm not sure that's what people in the UP want.

From my impressions, I get the feeling that most yoopers would be more than happy to be forgotten about and live in their quiet paradise, with or without an inflated paycheck or a soul-crushing job, no matter what name they put on the place. It would probably be best if all forms of big business kept their noses out, from mining companies to Walmart.

I would agree with most of what have said. Yes , most Trolls think the UP is a sponge.... also undereducated , stupid , ( They forget about the kids who come up here for higher learning ),. However , some parts of the UP , like around Marquette , is quite a different story., and , maybe it is in part because so many have or are going to NMU.... Statehood would be a plus anyway you put it , but , the will of the people who are ready to except change , is small.... Just look at the National Health care issue now. So many folks get their health care nourishment from the employer , that they can't , or won't look beyond the trees and see the problem. ,.

This more urban area , in a sea of sparsely populated rural forest, is slowly changing its people , from Yoopers , to transplants. much of this change is due to medical employment , the need for specialist in mining , environmental , and research . They are coming from the outside everyday, housing development is still going on. Infrastructure funding is kicking in, and almost every street in town is under construction. In a way , some things are " booming ". We do need more purpose to remain here, to keep the cycle going. Smart mining is , and will , be part of the landscape.....and , yes , same for me as everyone else everywhere , " not in my back yard".

Its very hard to except change , modernization , and " improvements" , when the disrupt our view of the wilds out our back door , yet , they are coming anyway. Lets join in and except the challenge to keep things in line with environmental standards,. ... Just examples , I know of 2 developments underway that will have 250 new homes in each , right here in Marquette County , and , in one case I have mixed feelings , because its so close to where I am building............. The UP is a big place sparsely populated , and then there IS Marquette County, a very different world as is the norm here in the Northern Tier.

[darstar]

Just for the record, the two developments I am aware of , on large scales , are Harlow farms , and Northern land brokers Marquette Mountain project. Another is at the Lake... Founders landing. Several more are on the drawing Board , awaiting zoning and environmental study . Although there is a slow down in construction in Marquette County, wages are still high , most workers are still employed , and there is a waiting list with most contractors , if you want to get started building. Slow periods here are more connected with the weather , than anything else. The Union is strong here , maybe a reason wages have remained so high , compared with the rest of the UP. There are plenty of investors looking for large projects , and places to put their money. They are just being careful , and conservative as to where they invest. For the individual , looking to build a home , its very hard to get any type of financing. The available funding is for the big developers, the banks , and the suppliers. They all make a profit , are connected , control costs , and know each other. call it price fixing , maybe , maybe not , ether way , they don't know how lucky they are , spoiled , and not living in the real world.....one of the less than perfect reasons we live here, but it is still worth it. I fight the system every day , but over all I am winning. It is just taking me a long time to get my house built. I am on my second year, 50 per cent done.....its not been easy , a full time job being your own General Contractor.