[Tompho]

Any input welcome - my husband and I are planning to relocate to our retirement / 'last' house in about two years when our youngest leaves for college. We live in northern Connecticut but my husband grew up in Ann Arbor and is very nostalgic about Michigan. He had an uncle who lived along the shore in harbor point - something, I have to look it up, apologies, but it was a very nice home. That sounds great but I don't want to keep up with the joneses, New England style. I live in a very transient area now with a commuter lifestyle - trying to get away from that.

Anyway, I just started the search, online, and I really like traverse city area. We want to be very near the water but also want to be able to walk or drive easily to a little town with a library and a barber shop. That kind of place. It can be a small house with a little yard. Something charming, not a McMansion. In fact, we want friendly folks who have old time Midwestern values.

I grew up on a farm in Illinois and I miss the people but don't want farm life. A nice, quiet northern Michigan town that hasn't been overrun (and changed) with Chicago or Detroit money.

What comes to mind? Thank you

[newengland17]

Traverse city is great and probably your best bet if you still want some basic city amenities.

The little traverse bay area is also very beautiful and you have the great towns of Harbor Springs and Petoskey.

I'd suggest Marquette but it gets very cold, not sure how long of a winter you're willing to deal with.

[beachmouse]

Traverse City is a regional hub for a lot of things (shopping, health care, etc.) while still being a small city amid a collection of small towns. If you're planning on being there for the long term, closer to specialty health care is a big plus IMO. Do take a nice longish visit to the area in about early April- that time of year it will give you a feel for where the year round folks live and where it's more seasonal cottage country.

[Tompho]

Thank you both! Yes, I have spent more hours on google maps and realtor and I do think those three towns mentioned (tc,harbor springs and petrosky) are the best for us. Your opinions were so helpful. We need to spend time there, exactly as mentioned. it does look like there are many options (in town, on the peninsula on an inland lake - or just in the countryside).

I'm happy to have 'found' this part of the country. So beautiful and still peaceful.

[michmoldman]

The West side of Northern Lower Michigan is amazing!! TC is the creme of the crop, but Petoskey is a close second. But just beware...there is very little sun in Michigan during Winter because of the Great Lakes and those areas get quite a bit of snow. Spring, Summer, Fall are best in the country. If your like me and love to snowmobile, Winter is AMAZING!!
Good luck!!

[Giesela]

Just realize that these are summer tourist towns and the whole NW side is a summer tourist area.
It creates a different vibe.

[skyl4rk]

Traverse City has big city traffic. Along Lake Michigan, Frankfort or Petoskey might be good choices, although any town along 31 will have heavy traffic in summer. Most Lake Michigan cities will have an influx of rich retirees, which you seem to want to avoid. They also tend to have a fake-authentic tourist vibe because of the number of visitors.

You might like Bellaire, it has more of the characteristics that you are looking for. When you visit, explore northwest Michigan and you will find many beautiful places and towns that might work for you. You will probably fall in love with a number of towns, so keep looking to make sure you find the right one.

[BeachMaples91]

Hi Tompho!

Based off of what you're looking for, I think Traverse City would be great for you! I grew up in Michigan and lived in Traverse City for a little while. It's a beautiful area with lots of water, little beach areas, trails, lots of hills, charming downtown area with shops and restaurants, breweries, wineries, historic state theatre, historical and new neighborhoods, as well as fast food places, decent sized mall, grocery stores, and it has Munson Medical Center. It is 8.66 mi² with a population of approximately 15,000. There is traffic, but I honestly didn't find it to be overwhelming. However, traffic picks up more in the Summer and especially around Cherry Festival time. I wouldn't let that get in the way of your decision to live there, though. This may not be a big deal to you and your husband, but outside of TC, it is very rural. In other words, it is a pretty isolated area, although it does not feel that way when you are in the city. It's not an issue for some people, but I thought I'd mention that in case you would prefer a short commute to a more populated city directly outside of TC.

Sleeping Bear Dunes is gorgeous and is only 40-45 mins west of TC. It has access to hiking, excellent sightseeing, and of course, Lake Michigan. The old Traverse City psychiatric hospital, newly converted into The Village at Grand Traverse Commons, has a brewery, condos, shops, food, and other fun things to check out. Like I mentioned above, TC holds an annual Cherry Festival each July. It has concerts, food events, wine tasting, races, parades and so much more. People come from all over just to attend and join in on the fun! The people in TC are very friendly and helpful as well.

Downtown TC is practically on the water. You could easily spend part of your day at the beach and walk over to the shops and restaurants downtown for the rest of the evening. I'm not sure what your price range is, but the homes within walking distance to downtown are around 350k+. They are very charming! If that is out of your price range, you could find something further away (but not too much further) from downtown for less expensive. You could also purchase a lot/land within a 10 minute drive to downtown TC for a decent price, around 40k and up, and build your own home on the land. Some are located on large hills where you can overlook the water/city. Greyhawk, Eagles View, and Morgan Farms neighborhoods for purchasing a lot/land are just a few you can look into if you decide to do so.

It really is a great place to live. The only reason my husband and I moved is because we wanted to be closer to family and TC gets more snow than we are comfortable with. It is also colder than we would like due to it being so far north and right along the water. The average high temperature in January is 28 degrees (Jan is typically the coldest month of the year) and the average annual snowfall is 102". If you're alright with that, then I think you would love living there.

I hope this information was helpful!

[Giesela]

Outside the western UP there are no mountains in Michigan. The big draw is water, the big lakes and the inland lakes and rivers. The western UP is really quite remote and all the UP has very long hard winters.

Sagatuk is very small, closest to GR for winter activities and health care. No mountains, its a boating town with a big artisic vibe so might feel a little more blue. GR is pretty conservative. There is some partying that goes along with the boating. The whole Lake Michigan coast is great for about 6 months. But as with everywhere - the nicer and cooler the draw, the more vacation homes there will be, the more touristy it will be.
The only places that don't get that whether its Colorado or wherever are places that are too rural, no amenities.

I think Michigan is the second cloudiest state after Washington.
The other 6 months its seriously cloudy, cold and precip (rain or snow). Even summers can be cloudy.

Michigan is a pretty red state honestly. The Pickney region of lakes NW of Ann Arbor is very lakey/country area but close to Ann Arbor which tends to be a little more blue because of the University. No mountains or anything spectacular really, just lots of little lakes with woodsy hiking trails. Ann Arbor has lots of great restaurants, music events, health care.

If you still like the idea of Michigan and can afford a higher tax base you could also look at eastern Wisconsin. North you are closer to Minneapolis/St Paul, south you are closer to Chicago. But still no mountains unless the northern border with the UP.

[homeschooldad1]

I'd say Traverse City and Marquette are the best choices. Traverse City is larger and surrounded by conservative suburbs while Marquette is bluer and next to Lake Superior. Both have advantages. I like the more conservative nature of the Traverse City area but much prefer Marquette because its second to none in the Midwest when it comes to the outdoors.