[LoveLife4220]

Well, I am new to posting threads and this is my first one. I am thinking of moving from North Carolina to Michigan and am checking out Rogers City at the moment online. I am a simple country boy that is looking for the simple country life. I already know the nearest wally-world is 30 plus miles away. Can anyone help with information about Rogers City? And yes!! I know how much it snows there. That is actually one of the things that is attracting me to Michigan. I want to live somewhere where it snows alot, lol.

[mofromcheboygankalamazoo]

Do you have a job lined up? Rogers City is very small, but isn't too far from Alpena (bigger) and of course really not too far from Gaylord, Cheboygan, Tawas (beyond Alpena.....). Seriously though if you have a job great, but if not, it is so small jobs are not easy to come by.
It is right on Lake Huron which is beautiful....not far from Ocqueoc Falls (I have pictures I can post) and within an easy driving distance of EVERYTHING the beauty of Northern Michigan has to offer, including the UP! Bigger city stuff is not so close, but longer day trips are definitely possible to Saginaw, Traverse City etc........
Let us know what specifically you are looking for?
I am not from Rogers City, but have friends who are and growing up in Cheboygan, I have been to Rogers City quite a few times....including for the very fun Nautical Festival

[LoveLife4220]

Well honestly, I am alittle paranoid about giving out to much information on here, so I will not go into a lot of specifics.
Basically, I am just wanting to know if there is a low crime rate in Rogers City and is it safe. Those are my prime questions.

No problems with gangs or drug dealers dealing from the corners would be nice.
As far as jobs go, as long as I can make enough money to keep my head above water, I am fine. I don't have a job lined up but will be doing alot of research in the future to see what is available. I am in my 40's, white and male. I am not that old , but can still remember what my home town was like 25 years ago when everything was smaller and had that small town feel. I miss that. So I am hoping that Rogers City has that to offer.

[mofromcheboygankalamazoo]

OKay......low crime rate-YES
safe-YES

Gangs, no such thing there....drugs of course....it is a small town, in my cheboygan people get addicted to then might sell prescription drugs-that is if you hang out with those people or somehow you became addicted to that....there are other drugs too.....but you really have to be looking for those people to have a problem with them....intheir houses...not on the corners....i am speaking about cheboygan, and rogers city is much smaller but I am sure has some of the same issues.....
Well make sure you do your research, there just isn't much by way of employers there...if you are in the medical field there is a nice rehabilitation facility there (my grandma spent lots of time there). The courthouse employs people, but my mom who works for the courthouse in cheboygan works a day in rogers city here and there.....there are car dealerships (actually I am unsure of that now!) and some stores......you may have to be willing to drive to alpena for a job.....

small town feel MOST definitely in a beautiful surrounding

[LoveLife4220]

I appreciate the info. Sounds great! I will just be doing research for several months anyway with a move possibly in early 2010 so I have plenty of time to check it out in detail.
I was told by someone that there is approximately 150 inches of snow there a year, cool. I am definitely going to have to learn how to snow ski, lol.
Thanks for your advice!

[mofromcheboygankalamazoo]

Originally Posted by LoveLife4220

I appreciate the info. Sounds great! I will just be doing research for several months anyway with a move possibly in early 2010 so I have plenty of time to check it out in detail.
I was told by someone that there is approximately 150 inches of snow there a year, cool. I am definitely going to have to learn how to snow ski, lol.
Thanks for your advice!

Yes, lots of snow!
You will have to try out cross-country skiing (nordic skiing) because there are some fantastic trails in that area (lake huron shoreline).......you can actually buy decent x-country skis at the salvation army!!!

of course there are nice downhill resorts nearby...but cross-country can be relaxing and much cheaper!
snow-shoeing is popular too

[north_mi_dude]

Hey there RC hopeful.

I have lived West of RC for that last 9 years, and grew up (17 yrs) between RC and Cheboygan.

RC does not have any real crime to speak of, and gangs are more like kids hanging out in town. There is a lot of boat people that come up from further south (detroit and other areas) that will stay for a week, or so in the summer. So there's a fair bit of tourists in the area most of the year. In winter there is a healthy snowmobile culture, but moreso inland, like Indian River and Gaylord. But there is still a lot of tourists. Many people come to RC in the summer for big lake fishing (lake huron). There is a nice marina right downtown with a real nice park along the water (about 8 blocks long).

Another angle of RC is the age of it's inhabitants. Mostly the town is an old age community (ok, not entirely, but alot). There are a lot of people that retired from further south, so they're on a fixed (or retirement) income. There is a decent amount of money around, as is noticeable by the well kept homes and areas, but there aren't really a large amount of jobs. The people staying in the area are in the health field (tending to old-timers) or farming. There is a lot of farming around, so if you dig fields, you'll be happy. There is the Quarry operations, and some other MFG jobs, but they're hard to get into, as many don't leave them when they get them.

There is the shipping industry, that ship ore in and out from calcite, and/or stoneport. These are both mining related operations, and put some people to work as sailors. I know a few people now that are on the boats, and they live good lives, but they're away for weeks (or months) at time.

Some people drive to the Alpena area (about 45 mins) or Cheboygan (45 mins) for work. I don't get south of RC often, maybe 2 or 3 times a year, so I don't have much to offer there. Cheboygan I get too frequently, so I can add some insights there, if you have ?s.

There are a few bars in town, and there are some nightlife type places, but only Fri / Sat. Otherwise they're pretty quiet most of the week.

Downhill skiing is far away, noteably Sylvan (around gaylord, i think) and a few nice places around Petoskey (that I go to when I can). X-C skiing is very popular, as Ocqueoc Falls has nice trails, and there's trails on the shore, like mentioned above.

The winters are darn cold. The wind off the lake keeps the temp lower than inland N. Mich. If you want 80 deg days in summer, move more inland. RC does have some nice weather, but don't expect to live in shorts and T-shirts until you acclimate to the climate. Snow is not as much as inland, like Indian River and Gaylord, where it's probably twice as much. But RC does get its snow, and a snowblower / plow is a necessity. If you're right in town, and only have a small driveway, then you can shovel, but expect to spend 2 hours a pop shovelling.

On that note, if you're a fan of a LOT of snow, then gaylord may be more for you. It's a little bigger, so jobs are more available. Plus they get about twice the snow-fall. We call it the banana belt, because the area near I-75 gets a lot of snow all winter. That area would be from Indian River area down to Gaylord area (generally).

I guess if you're coming here planning on finding work when you arrive, plan to live on your own resources for awhile. It can take awhile to secure employment, as people don't leave their jobs, as I've said, and there isn't much industry to create jobs. Now that I think about it, I think the power company may be making a new plant somewhere local to RC, but I don't know much more about it. Wolverine Power is the company, so maybe you can research that.

Hope that fills in some details for you, i'll plan to check this thread again, if you have some more detailed questions.

[Dexterguy]

I love Rogers City, I have been going to that town ever since I was a little kid. Over all those years it's always retained it's small-town charm. You meet some of the nicest people there.

If there was any place that I would retire to one day it would be Rogers City.

[LoveLife4220]

I think that pretty much answers my questions about crime and so forth, I am currently doing research on Harbor Beach, Rogers City and Cheboygan. I think all of them would make great small places to live.
I am looking towards sometime in March or April of 2010, so I have plenty of time for research and so forth. I check the local Channel 11 News channel WBKB online every day to get the latest on news and what is going on.
Is there a local daily newspaper that serves Cheboygan and Rogers City that has a web site as well?

[north_mi_dude]

Presque Isle County Advance | Rogers City, Michigan | Onaway, Michigan | Posen, Michigan | Up North | Rogers City | Posen | Onaway | Rogers City Sports | Posen Sports | Smolinitek Inc | Smolinitek

Presque Isle Advance

Homepage - Cheboygan, MI - Cheboygan Daily Tribune

Cheboygan Tribune

Gaylord Herald Times - News, Sports, Weather and Entertainment - Front

Gaylord Herald, if you're interested in Gaylord, though it's not on the lake, but middle if upper LP