[Sparrow_temp]

I think the selfish thing would be creating a family with X number of kids and then breaking it up via divorce, or not having the means to support it -- not simply raising a family. That's how I was reading it anyway...

And regarding the snow -- I remember it being 50/50 in the Boyne City area whether there would be snow before Halloween.

Originally Posted by mrkool

Having kids, sacrificing, and raising a family is more selfish than staying single and being self-absorbed??!! You're effing joking, right?
If not... I don't know what more to say about such a misguided statement.

[wagonman76]

It does seem like Gaylord/Elmira gets dumped on with snow more than most places in this area. Maybe it's the location where the snow comes back down after it picks up from the lake. A lot of times when most other places have lost most snow, there is still a foot of snow in the open flelds down M32.

[Da'one]

Mancelona/Belaire seem to get more actually than Gaylord.

[Peter B]

Mancelona is usually Ground Zero for the heaviest snow during Lake Effect events.

[michsnowlvr]

Originally Posted by Wulf67

This seems to be an accurate map.

For sure you want to look at places in western or northern Michigan for the most snow.

That said...this map is inaccurate for southeast Michigan. The original poster said he would like to live somewhere rural but near Detroit. Detroit officially averages 44 inches of snow per winter season, but the northern suburbs (northern Oakland county) average approximately 55", and out west towards Ann Arbor the average is also around 50".

The last two winters, however, have been very snowy in southeast Michigan, more reminiscent of places in northern lower MI. Wonder if this snowy trend will continue?

2008-09:
Detroit Metro Airport: 65.7" (8th snowiest on record)
Saginaw MBS airport: 79.4" (4th snowiest on record)
Flint Bishop Airport: 72.8" (8th snowiest on record)
White Lake (Oakland co.): 88.8"
Ann Arbor (Univ Mich): 79.3" (3rd snowiest on record)

2007-08:
Detroit Metro Airport: 71.7" (4th snowiest on record)
Saginaw MBS Airport: 80.0" (3rd snowiest on record)
Flint Bishop Airport: 82.8" (2nd snowiest on record)
White Lake (Oakland co.): 91.7"
Ann Arbor (Univ Mich): 90.5" (snowiest on record)

***************************************

Again, all that said, if snow is the main reason for moving, go to Paradise in the Upper Peninsula, on Lake Superior. They average literally 200-300 inches of snow per winter. Here are a few pics from when I went up their in March 2008:

[Wulf67]

Originally Posted by mrkool

Having kids, sacrificing, and raising a family is more selfish than staying single and being self-absorbed??!! You're effing joking, right?
If not... I don't know what more to say about such a misguided statement.

What I meant was having children is to fulfill a personal need for being a parent. We don't really need more people on this earth so you're not doing the world a favor, do you? There are too many people polluting the planet as it is..

[M2G1]

Not sure what area of SW Michigan u live in, but the average here in Berrien county is around 85 inches. Last yr at the airport in Benton Harbor there was 146 inches and the winter before that ('07-'08) there was 132. Granted the last few winters have been pretty snowy, but we'll see what happens this winter though. The further south & east from Lake Michigan u go though, the snowfall amounts drops off rapidly.

[fallingwater]

Originally Posted by I_Want_Snow

I am looking for which cities are considered to be part of the "snow-belt" in the lower peninsula of MI. Could someone provide me with a list of cities or show me where on a map, or maybe what the counties are and I can research the cities in those counties? Or a website that has the average snow fall for these cities/counties?

I was born and raised in MI just south of Ann Arbor and spent the first 30 yrs of my life there. I have been living in the south for the past 5 years: FL for 3 1/2 yrs and now GA for the past 1 1/2 years. Needless to say I HATE IT!! I am sick and tired of all the humidity and constant heat. So I am moving back to MI next summer with $28,000 in cash and zero bills.

I am starting to get A.D.D about where I want to live. I want to either go live closer to Detroit in a rural area, or I want to go somewhere that gets LOTS of SNOW!! I already started a thread asking about jobs in the U.P. and now I am starting this one for the lower peninsula.

Like I said, I will have $$ saved up, I have zero bills, I am in my mid 30's and single. I work in IT/Telecommunications and have over 11 years experience. Don't really care about how much $$ I make, just as long as I can get a decent place and put food on the table.

Can anyone help me out with towns/cities that get LOTS of snow and that I will have a possibility to get a job with the local phone/cable company, or any IT job for that matter.

Thanks

I hate snow. I really really hate it. So out of complete ignorance I moved to the South Bend, IN area (for husband's job) and had no clue on the whole lake effect snow deal. Last year, we had several days in a row that dropped 12-14 inches. I had snow mounds so high I couldnt see the street from the living room window. Storms like that would have shut down my former town in Michigan. But here, its the norm and business as usual. We got snow starting in late November up until March. I have a rear wheel drive car. It was hell. So if your looking for snow, I would say South Bend or southwestern Michigan is a good bet. Both areas have a low cost of living but Indiana is cheaper than Michigan. We live close to the MI border but since property taxes are a quarter of Michigan's, we could afford a lot more in housing. So we chose to stay on this side of the state line.

[needing more]

North of Houghton Lake area and all over the UP has what you want.. If you want lots of snow, quiet life and fishing... The Pere Marquette river by Baldwin has some of the best salmon runs in the US.. Housing is cheap and still lots of snow since its on the west side of MI. I prefer Traverse area but grew up outside of Gaylord area which has gotten to be really nice too. We lived about 20 miles south of Gaylord on a lake surrounded in the woods.. It was heaven! I have heard aound the west side of the UP by "lake of the clouds" (I think thats what its called..lol) is breathe-taking scenary too..

Another place that has what you are looking for as well is Northern Idaho. I was looking into that area to move to.. Tons of snow, better economy, quiet and close to Canada too. Plus mountains (which I want)

You know we can tell you what we like but it cant replace you coming and looking for yourself. Once you find that right spot you'll know it.. MI is a beautiful state with LOTS of snow in the northern parts.. but you have to find your perfect spot on your own

Good luck on your search!!

[kcam213]

Originally Posted by Peter B

Mancelona is usually Ground Zero for the heaviest snow during Lake Effect events.

This I can believe! I have a place just outside Mancelona. We go snowmobiling and it snow like a blizzard and you drive toward Mancelona proper, and no snow, streets are dry.

our place is near Starvation Lake and the Hide-A-way bar.

Ground Zero! A couple of years ago, we had to leave the snow shovel propped in a very specific spot so that we could find it when we got up there. One time, we had to search all over blindly because there was so much snow. When we find the shovel, we had to dig DOWN to get to the door. People had to shovel their roofs to avoid collapse.
Now, we carry a shovel with us in the trunk.


It is GROUND ZERO.