[michmoldman]

Originally Posted by darstar

Yes so true , however , even Yoopers like to make light of " living in Yooperland". There was a time when it was a forgotten place , mostly because of being off the trade routes, and because of the decline in mining. The closing of the AFB did not help ether in recent years.... Things have changed quite a lot in the last 15 years.... Thirty years ago , I would never have considered moving to Marquette, it had deteriorated into a dump mostly.... My , my how things have changed !!.... Most of the Yooper books you see reflect times long ago past, are exaggerated, and mostly ethnic motivated toward the Finnish culture. Sort of our version of " Lake Woebegone" as depicted by Garrison Keeler on NPR...about living in Rural Minnesota.

Speaking of "Yooper" books I am in the midst of reading "So Cold a Sky: Upper Michigan Weather Stories" It is one of the best books I have ever read!

[Luzette]

Who is the author of that book? Sounds interesting.

[michmoldman]

Originally Posted by Luzette

Who is the author of that book? Sounds interesting.

Amazon.com: So Cold A Sky, Upper Michigan Weather Stories (9780977818907): Karl Bohnak, Rebecca Tavernini, Elizabeth Yelland: Books

[Luzette]

Thanks, I'd like to read this one.

[michmoldman]

Originally Posted by Luzette

Thanks, I'd like to read this one.

You will love it! GET IT! And I would advise anyone who loves the U.P...or is thinking of moving there to read it because of all the history in this book. I love how if you have been to the U.P, you will recognize the town names and how they got them, and how many of these small towns like the Soo, Ontonagon and Marquette (among others) had to struggle to survive in the early days. It really is a fantastic book. Oh, and if you think 30 ft. waves on Lake Superior is crazy...imagine 30 ft. snow drifts! Yup...thats in here too!

[Lynmar]

I live in Iron Mountain which is the south central side of the U.P. and though we do have a beautiful peacefull area, the weather is terrible...winters are nearly unbearable and most everyone gets SAD (seasonal affective disorder) as a result of the long cold dark days lasting so many months of the year. Also, the economy is terrible and people tend to be "clickish"...most having lived here all their lives. So getting a job here is mostly about who you know...not what you know. There are also alot of drinkers and basically "low life" kind of people...with exception of course.
The summers are nice and there are ample lakes, waterfalls and parks etc to enjoy, but it is so short lived...only lasting about three months. I wouldn't reccommend this area to anyone...unless you like being a hermit and shoveling snow.

[kiki63]

You may have already gotten the answer you were looking for, so I may not be adding anything to this conversation, but here goes!
If I was you I would rent the first year to make sure you really are cut out for this kind of living. Second, you will want to settle near one of the bigger college towns (Marquette, Houghton) since they will offer diversions like restaurants and theatre productions, as well as youthful winter outings! If you do not currently love winter sports (skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling) you will not like winters in the U.P. The summers are fantastic, but there is black fly season, and mosquito season!

[darstar]

Originally Posted by michmoldman

Amazon.com: So Cold A Sky, Upper Michigan Weather Stories (9780977818907): Karl Bohnak, Rebecca Tavernini, Elizabeth Yelland: Books

Carl Bohnak is our local weather man on channel 6 , along with Megan Quickly. The weather stories are very interesting , but , many times things are a little overblown. Other than the huge amounts of snow along the Lake shore of Superior, our weather is not all that bad. We have nice cool summers ( not this year) , no tornado's , seldom below 0 temps near the big lake, and the ice and wind are not near as bad as in the lower Midwest.
Because of our local , surrounded by lake Superior, and Lake Michigan to the south the weather here comes directly from Canada and not out of the SW as most of the Central parts of the Country. One of the reasons we do not have tornado's and ice storms.... Things are changing as always with the weather , and now , global warming. Seems to me , the better place to be in the future is up here...think about it.