[eve_robles]

My boyfriend and I are moving to Gaylord Michigan. Can anyone give me some info on the area. How is work there?My boyfriend is in the NAVY so he's set with his job. I'm in the hospitality industry and i'm afraid work will be hard to find. How about housing? We would like to find a nice place to call home. Any information on what to expect would be greatly appreciated.

[JGatti]

Originally Posted by eve_robles

My boyfriend and I are moving to Gaylord Michigan. Can anyone give me some info on the area. How is work there?My boyfriend is in the NAVY so he's set with his job. I'm in the hospitality industry and i'm afraid work will be hard to find. How about housing? We would like to find a nice place to call home. Any information on what to expect would be greatly appreciated.

Not trying to sound like a smart azz but what job does he have with the navy in Gaylord? Are you the one that was asking about TC a little while back?
Anyway there are a ton of homes for rent up there, and if your looking for a home to buy.....well they're there too. You would need to post a little more about what you like before I could suggest where to look. Want to be downtown? Want property? Close to a lake? Secluded? If your in the hospitality field Gaylord as well as some surrounding cities are tourist towns. Boyne is within driving distance, Petoskey, Alpena. Not all of them are close, but within 45 min- an hour drive. That's not unusual for a commute downstate, but further mileage wise up there. Down here it's the traffic that hold you up.
I'd suggest looking at the gaylord herald times web site for everything you need to find. Job, home etc. Good luck.

[Bydand]

My bet is a recruiter. There are quite a lot of "hospitality" type business's around Gaylord for it's size. What there are available may be the stickler right now. There are a few nice places around and like the privious poster said, it really depends on what type houseing you are looking for right now.

[scarabchuck]

Try one of the many golf courses that are up there. Sylvan, Garland etc...

[eve_robles]

You didn't sound like a smart azz. He'll be recruiting. We are both Born and raised in Southern California and although he has lived in cold wether before, I have not. Ideally we would like to rent a home hopefully in the downtown area. I have yet to even visit the state of Michigan so I don't know what to expect. I hear its beautifull and really cold. Our move won't happen untill Dec of this year.

[eve_robles]

oh and i'm not the one who was asking about Traverse City? Is that TC?

[JGatti]

Well I'm sure you won't have any problems finding a home to rent. Look on craigs list and also check the many listings on the gaylord herald newspaper web site. I think they are very affordable. Personally I'd prefer to be just outside of town but thats me.
The key to surviving the cold is dress for the weather for one, and two stay busy. Join a bowling league, go to the sportsplex and swim. If you can afford it get a snowmobile or two ( used are not bad and plentiful). People tend to ***** about the cold and snow etc but if you can find way to enjoy it you can grow to love the cold and the snow both. Gaylord offers a great deal of wildlife to enjoy, there are a lot of nice lakes close bye too. It's great location because of it's location. There is so much close to you as well. Petoskey, Alpena, Boyne, and even Traverse City is close enough to make a day trip out of it. I love Gaylord, I love Traverse too but there is something appealing about Gaylords small town feel. It's grown A LOT since I was a kid but still has a nice feel to it. I wish you the best of luck on your transition to norther Mi. As long as you embrace the new adventures ahead you'll be fine. If you sit around and avoid seeking out anything you'll hate it. Oh another tip. When you get there pick up some of the tourist booklets. I have friends who live in Gaylord and they don't even know what they really have there. My last day up there last week I asked where there were hiking trails..... " we don't have any hiking trails around here". I picked up a Gaylord booklet and they have like 4 trails close bye. LOL
Another thing you can check out online is go to the snowmancam.com web site. There are a lot of locals who visit and it is also located in Gaylord.

[eve_robles]

THANK YOU SO MUCH. I'm very excited about the move and yes even the cold. I'll start looking at the websites you suggested. Thanks again.

[bluebird39]

Hi there,

I live about 30 minutes from Gaylord, and moved here from Southern Oregon. I think you'll be absolutely shocked at how cheap houses and land are here as compared to California. It's easy to buy or rent, but if you buy, do so wisely if you plan to sell it later on.

The schools in Gaylord are great (if that's an issue), there is plenty of big box stores in Gaylord, and a small hospital. Winters are cold, and in Gaylord, they get lots of snow. If you don't' ski, plan on learning, either alpine or cross country. I'm learning, along with my kids, and there's a great slope, Treetops, near Gaylord that's much cheaper than anything out west, and very easy on an adult beginner like myself! But it's COLD! We also like to snow-shoe, and keeping your drive and walkways clear during the winter gives you lots of exercise too!

I personally LOVE the cold. I was scared to death moving here, because I grew up in Southern Louisiana, so I'd never lived anywhere cold, but fall and winter are my favorite seasons up here. You'd LOVE fall too! Summers IMO are WAY too cold though. People think I'm nuts when I say that, but having lived my life in places where I could be outside and swim most of the summer, I really do miss that!

I also miss the incredible selection of fresh fruits and veggies that we had out West, as well as good beer, and coffee. But MI does have a good selection of fruits and veggies in the oh so short summer here. I've learned to scramble to all of the u-pick places I can find and freeze freeze freeze.

The culture is very different up here. That's been my biggest challenge. I really miss the West's culture. I miss the mountains and tons of public land. But I'm very happy with the schools, and the deep roots of the communities here do have certain advantages. The Great Lakes, as well as the tons of tiny inland lakes are incredible!!!!

Good luck with your move!

[Bydand]

Originally Posted by bluebird39

Hi there,

I live about 30 minutes from Gaylord, and moved here from Southern Oregon. I think you'll be absolutely shocked at how cheap houses and land are here as compared to California. It's easy to buy or rent, but if you buy, do so wisely if you plan to sell it later on.

The schools in Gaylord are great (if that's an issue), there is plenty of big box stores in Gaylord, and a small hospital. Winters are cold, and in Gaylord, they get lots of snow. If you don't' ski, plan on learning, either alpine or cross country. I'm learning, along with my kids, and there's a great slope, Treetops, near Gaylord that's much cheaper than anything out west, and very easy on an adult beginner like myself! But it's COLD! We also like to snow-shoe, and keeping your drive and walkways clear during the winter gives you lots of exercise too!

I personally LOVE the cold. I was scared to death moving here, because I grew up in Southern Louisiana, so I'd never lived anywhere cold, but fall and winter are my favorite seasons up here. You'd LOVE fall too! Summers IMO are WAY too cold though. People think I'm nuts when I say that, but having lived my life in places where I could be outside and swim most of the summer, I really do miss that!

I also miss the incredible selection of fresh fruits and veggies that we had out West, as well as good beer, and coffee. But MI does have a good selection of fruits and veggies in the oh so short summer here. I've learned to scramble to all of the u-pick places I can find and freeze freeze freeze.

The culture is very different up here. That's been my biggest challenge. I really miss the West's culture. I miss the mountains and tons of public land. But I'm very happy with the schools, and the deep roots of the communities here do have certain advantages. The Great Lakes, as well as the tons of tiny inland lakes are incredible!!!!

Good luck with your move!

If you want a good coffee, try Leelanau Coffee Roasters in Glen Arbor. They ship their coffee if you cannot get over to their store on a regular basis. They do have it in some of the stores around the Northern Lower as well. Give them a call and they can tell you if there is a store in your area that carries it. Leelanau Coffee Roasting Co. My wife swears by it, and she is a first rate coffee snob from Massachusetts.

You hit the nail on the head when it comes to fresh fruit and veggies. We have them, and they are very good; but the season is short and you have to take advantage of it when they are available. A small freezer and a vacuum sealer are like gold when things start to come in season. Plus a Balls Blue Book of canning along with a canner is a nice thing as well.

Treetops was my hangout for YEARS before I moved away from Gaylord. I lived in "Sparr" which if you get real technical is where Treetops originated (I say that because they moved the entrance to where it is now to legitimately claim they are in Gaylord.) The original entrance when it was still Sylvan Knob and Lynn Mead owned it, was where the entrance to the maintenance shed is now down on Marquardt road. I wired most of the original buildings when they turned it into Sylvan Resort when Harry Melling bought it (nice guy, I was sorry when he left us).