[darstar]

Originally Posted by itlltickleurinnerds

Unless you like wilderness and UFO people Traverse City is the way to go. Its a great town with lots of wine makers and lots to do in the summer. Marquette has a college and a prison. If not for those two it would be dead. Have you been to both? I would think if you had you would not even ask. Marquette to me is a dirty town. At least comapred to TC. TC has lots of shops and a great down town. If not for the cold horrible winters I would think seriously of buying an upstairs condo there and move back. But alas the winters in MI just suck, but they suck even more in Marquette. Thats my opinion anyways.

Everyone is entitled their oun opioin , however, your biased slant looks to be reversed . Most of what you have said, ( if you ment Marquette), is just plain wrong ! State your fact checked reasons thatMarquette is a " dirty town". I have found TC. To be much lesser a small city. There is no comparison , and should not be., TC does not have Lake Superior, reason enough.

[michigan83]

Everyone is entitled their oun opioin , however, your biased slant looks to be reversed . Most of what you have said, ( if you ment Marquette), is just plain wrong ! State your fact checked reasons thatMarquette is a " dirty town". I have found TC. To be much lesser a small city. There is no comparison , and should not be., TC does not have Lake Superior, reason enough.

Just to play devil's advocate... some of us actually like Lake Michigan better as a summer playground. It's nice to swim in a big lake that can get up to 70 degrees or higher in the summer. The sand dunes are also a lot of fun down here, and Lake Michigan has a lot more of them.

[joemits]

Originally Posted by michigan83

Just to play devil's advocate... some of us actually like Lake Michigan better as a summer playground. It's nice to swim in a big lake that can get up to 70 degrees or higher in the summer. The sand dunes are also a lot of fun down here, and Lake Michigan has a lot more of them.

Right, some truth to that but the warm water can also be a determent to the great lakes as there can be algae blooms that smell all summer long. Had first hand experience with that issue a couple years back in the TC area and was told it was the warmer water...... Cold lake = clean lake

[darstar]

Originally Posted by michigan83

Just to play devil's advocate... some of us actually like Lake Michigan better as a summer playground. It's nice to swim in a big lake that can get up to 70 degrees or higher in the summer. The sand dunes are also a lot of fun down here, and Lake Michigan has a lot more of them.

As Gordon Lightfoot wrote in his famous song about the Great lakes/ Edmond Fitzgerald, " Lake Michigan is for sportsman ".......

[michmoldman]

Originally Posted by darstar

As Gordon Lightfoot wrote in his famous song about the Great lakes/ Edmond Fitzgerald, " Lake Michigan is for sportsman ".......

Nothin wrong with that! Every Great Lake has its own "feel" and vibe. That is why they are all amazing in their own little way, and what makes Michigan so awesome.

[darstar]

Originally Posted by michmoldman

Nothin wrong with that! Every Great Lake has its own "feel" and vibe. That is why they are all amazing in their own little way, and what makes Michigan so awesome.

Of coarse, but I do think Lake Michigan IS more for "sportsman", if for no other reason the proliferation of big metro areas along its shore. The largest city on Lake Superior is Duluth on the US side, overall its Thunder Bay, On. at 108,359 and Sault Ste Marie , On at 79,800. Take a look at whats along Lake Michigan, Chicago, Milwaukee, Gary, Holland,Muskegon , many cities both huge and small.Much greater population all around the lake, and, more pollution.

[cosmicrowbar]

Originally Posted by joemits

Right, some truth to that but the warm water can also be a determent to the great lakes as there can be algae blooms that smell all summer long. Had first hand experience with that issue a couple years back in the TC area and was told it was the warmer water...... Cold lake = clean lake

Algae blooms in Lake Michigan have much less to do with warm water than with the unnatural clarity of the water that encourages Cladophora to grow on lake bottoms, thanks to the invasive mussel species. Sunlight penetrates much deeper than it should into the crystal clear water.
Nutrient runoff from farmland,...those places that grow the food that's shipped up north to feed Yoopers... into the lakes is another component of this but much less so than the water clarity. People think of the lake as being clean and beautiful when they observe the clarity, but it's not natural and not healthy for the lake.
The smell is from decaying algae.
I'd rather put up with some cladophora and have significantly warmer water to swim in, thanks. Love Superior but it's usually too cold for more than a "refreshing" dip.

[joemits]

Originally Posted by cosmicrowbar

Algae blooms in Lake Michigan have much less to do with warm water than with the unnatural clarity of the water that encourages Cladophora to grow on lake bottoms, thanks to the invasive mussel species. Sunlight penetrates much deeper than it should into the crystal clear water.
Nutrient runoff from farmland,...those places that grow the food that's shipped up north to feed Yoopers... into the lakes is another component of this but much less so than the water clarity.

We have the zebra mussels up here also but our cold waters help keep the algae from blooming and smelling.

[cjcolorado]

Originally Posted by 6.7traveler

Just an update.... we are heading to michigan in january. My wife wants to get a feel for each of the hospitals so that could make our decision for us. Is a commute from champion to marquette possible in the dead of winter? It is only 3 days a week but we have found quite a bit of land around there. I have also heard that the u.p. uses sand on their roads where as the l.p. uses more salt. Is this true? I have a brand new diesel truck that I would hate to get rusted out so that could be a factor. Something tells me traverse city is more practical but the u.p. is calling me for some strange reason. I guess we will find out more in january.

To answer another part of your question, the roads between Champion and Marquette are generally kept fairly clear (with a mix of sand and salt); though, there is a long stretch that can get quite slick between the two. Since we don't know you, personally, it's great that you'll be able to come up and get a feel for both places before making a decision. While I live in Houghton, I prefer Marquette; but, honestly, I like Traverse City even more! I have young children and we are a family of "foodies." We moved up here temporarily from CO and have found that TC feels the most comfortable to us, for some reason, so we visit a couple of times a year to get our "fix." If your online sales are plentiful, then it doesn't matter much which you choose if the options are similar for your wife. I recall you said you had kids, as well, so be sure to check out the school situation. Champion is an itty bitty place, so I'm not sure what quality you'll find.

[darstar]

If the medical complex is important to you or your job. Marquette General is hands down the place to be close too. The Duke Group has bought MG and has a lot of plans in the works, which includes 77 more Doctors, new construction ( twice the size) and a lot of support personal. We have a very large clinic where most of the Doctors are, that is separate from MG. Word on the street is there is an offer to purchase that too. The news release said the Duke Group wants to turn MG into a show model for the other hospitals they own. They stated that the goal was to be like Mayo Clinic and or Cleveland Clinic. MG already is one of the top 100 hospitals in the Country for cardie-vascular care. Could be one of the reasons there is a shortage of upper middle class homes for sale. ( above 400,000). I know that sounds cheap, buy, housing here is not inflated as it is in other cities that are growing so fast. Rents here are high, lots of new condos, more coming. This city never stops building ! There was little slow down during the last recession, which never really affected the home values around here. Real Estate is another business thats growing, agents are doing well I hear.