[rntim]

So, my wife is from Michigan--Bay City, she wants to move to the UP. I believe the area of Manistique. I've never been to Michigan. We live in Sitka, Alaska. 14 miles of road, 9000 people, lots f brown bears and tons of rain. We've also lived interior, lots of snow and moose. I've looked at stuff on the internet and all the "pretty pictures and all," but want to know what its really like; my wife is of course bias. I've hunted and fished my whole life. I looked at Michigan fish and game reg's--freaking complicated. Gun laws seem kinda like here.
We are going on 60 and we are both nurses. We are retiring in the next couple years. She is like "we are going to buy a house there now and then move in 3 years." I get what she is saying cause the cost of living here is extremely high. I really don't want to leave Alaska but I do want to keep the wife(even though she talks kinda funny with that accent). I'd really like to hear from real people from Michigan about their thoughts of that area and its people and all. We got a drug problem here, just like everywhere else I guess but you can legally buy pot in stores here; pot ain't a drug problem--heroin, meth, spice is(in my opinion). Is is all over the UP also? I got a 22 foot boat--don't know whether I'd drag that with me or not. I can't remember the last time I set foot in a walmart--its been many years. And fast food--none here. Sometimes I do dream of like Kentucky Fried Chicken. We tend to eat a lot of salmon and halibut here, a long with a lot of deer. Caribou and moose are up on the interior. We have no little black bears here, just brown bears the size of volkswagons.
I had to go down to the lower 48 last year for a funeral and was like shellshocked and couldn't wait to get back on the plane out of there. Its not like I'm a hermit in Alaska; have worked in Montana, Maine, North Carolina, freakin' Florida and Arizona-short stints and that was long ago. I just ask myself--Michigan, really? Would I like it down there? It almost never hits 70 here, when we lived in the interior, 40 below wasn't uncommon. It rains A LOT here, we just had a landslide up the road a bit about half hour ago because we are getting heavy rain.
Anyway, would love to hear from folks and get their opinion! Thanks!

[michmoldman]

Sounds like you would like the weather...but thats about it. yes, drugs are everywhere, but it's not like where ever you go, you see people strung out. I've been to the U.P. tons of times, but I can't tell you one time I could honestly say I saw people on meth or whatever. If you ask me U.P weather is perfect. It rarely gets real hot in Summer, and rarely gets below zero because of the lakes. (In normal Winters) It's been a rainy, cool Summer all over MI and looks to be a snowy Winter. I would imagine Manistique gets a decent amout of snow, but nothing like closer to Lake Superior.

[craig11152]

As far as the wilderness experience I would say you are going from the Big Leagues to double A to use a baseball analogy.
The one thing the UP has that Alaska can't compete with outdoor wise is the Great Lakes. Sure you have the ocean and the Great Lakes can't compete with the Pacific Ocean but they are fresh water (you can drink it and it doesn't sting your eyes) you can't see across them, they can sink a ship, but nothing in there will eat you.

I'm not sure what you hunt in Alaska but in the UP to hunt Black bear or Elk I think you apply for a permit and not everyone gets one due to a numbers game. Limited number of permits. Hunting white tail deer is not a problem, along with other small game and birds.

If you don't want to leave Alaska you may see the UP offerings as a bigger step down than perhaps they really are.

[Geo-Aggie]

If I were looking to live in the Lower-48 and wanted some place remote, with a mild cold-weather climate, not too many people, lots of trees, a laid-back lifestyle, and a low cost of living, it would either be the UP of Michigan or Maine. Most rural places have drugs, but I've never heard of it being a specific problem in the UP. Most importantly the UP is every bit as beautiful as the pictures make it out to be. You can pretty much just aim your phone camera somewhere, take a photo, and 90% of the time it's "EarthPorn" quality.

I've never been to Alaska, so I can't really compare directly, but when I think of remote and beautiful, the UP is definitely at the forefront of my thoughts - right there with Northern Maine and Southeastern Utah (though SE Utah is beautiful in a VERY different way).

[Snootylooter]

I've lived in Alaska (Anchorage & Ketchikan) and Michigan (SW & Traverse City) - both places for over 20 years each. I've been to Sitka many times, and my husband worked there many decades ago. I have family that lives in Eagle River, Ak. I have also visited the U.P extensively over the past decade. My response to you is pretty split, however! If I had it to do over - I would never have left Alaska - EVER! It truly is like no other place I have ever been (and I've been all over the US!). The U.P. does remind me a lot of Alaska (more like Palmer/Willow area) and Lake Superior is far and away the best/prettiest of the Great Lakes. The U.P. scenery if very, very pretty - S.E. Alaska scenery is spectacular! The population density is very light, no major Interstate highways, limited services in some areas, severe winter weather, and a self-sufficient strength in the folks that live there. It is a much cheaper place to live than Sitka. Both Alaska and the U.P. are suffering a loss of jobs and a dour economy in many areas. I am told that cost of health care in Alaska is astronomical, and I imagine you are still flying to Seattle for some conditions. Michigan has many top-class medical facilities but some conditions may need care that U.P. facilities can't handle. Michigan's overall tax burden is greater for the average resident/homeowner than Alaska's. U.P. does get a lot less rain than Sitka - but a bunch more snow lol! Gun laws are better in Alaska but Michigan's have improved since we moved here. Alaska's groceries are more expensive, especially produce.

If money is a big issue for you as you head towards retirement, or either of you face significant health issues, then you might plan a trip to the U.P. and check it out. Otherwise, I'm thinking you will be happier staying right where you are. Or maybe I'm thinking I would be happier where you are LOL!!

[craig11152]

no better source than someone who has lived in and or visited often both locations.

[rntim]

I appreciate the input! The wife is pretty determined at this point. I'm the sceptic. She says, "oh, its sort of just like here except no mountains." Since someone mentioned having been here--I'm 5 miles up Halibut point road and can fish for coho right off my porch at high tide.
I guess I'm willing to listen to her. I'm just wondering why the area she is thinking of. She said when she was a kid they spent lots of time up the UP, in that general area. Things change with time--we worked in Anchorage at Providence for years but I wouldn't live in Anchorage now if you paid me. Here in Sitka, you aren't buying a house for less than 300,000 bucks thats worth a darn. 90% of foundations are junk. The cost of living-5 bucks for a quart of milk, 3.50 a gallon of gas, something like 120 bucks for a carton of smokes(don't smoke cig's). Our average monthly costs are about 2500/mth. She is showing me houses that cost like 40,000 bucks down there, really nice places. Theres gotta be something wrong with them!
Healthcare is dismal in general here-and we are nurses! I do flight and she med/surg. We keep our medical evacuation insurance up to date just in case--they aren't touching me here! Some of the dumbest doc's wind up here. School teachers are getting real hard to come by up this way all over the state.
When folks down there talk of "camps," does that mean like their own little cabin in the woods? Is there a big rust factor down around the great lakes? I like the statement nothing can eat you in the lakes! We recently had a guy get drug around by a killer whale in a 32 ft. boat. Grabbed the anchor like and apparently wanted to eat the anchor. Sea lions have bit people several times.
Crime here is like almost none. Drugs, drunk dudes in public bathrooms, stolen bikes, drunk dudes in the bathrooms again. Thats the norm. We got lots of folks that live on their boats and that where all the action is down at the harbors--but usually at like 1 a.m.
Thanks so much for your comments!

[Snootylooter]

I still watch the Ketchikan local real estate company websites & am traumatized by the home prices there! It's unreal! I did a quick search of the Manistique listings. I sell real estate in SW Michigan, so have access to a few spots. Of the ones I found that were $300k+ all had either acreage (40+) or water frontage on a lake, river, or Lake Michigan. Most of the water front ones also had land larger than an acre and most of the homes were new &/or very large. Found a 4 Bed/2 Bath on 40 acres w/Lake Michigan view for $149k. It needs to be finished, but major stuff is in place. So, yeah, real estate in the U.P. is much cheaper than Alaska - for sure! As I said earlier though, the U.P. is mostly seeing a decline in population and a rise in the unemployment rates. This article may interest you - Upper Peninsula population plummets. One family

[pjcinmi]

Born and raise in lower Michigan. Visit the UP a lot in the winter. Never been to Alaska.

The UP can be as remote as you want it to be, or more populated. The BIG cities in the UP are (Northwest) Houghton / Hancock, Marquette (Middle), followed by (Northeast) Sault Saint Marie. These are the "cities" you will find, Walmart's, Chain restaurants, major hospitals, Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan University (Colleges), etc.

People call their places Camp's. It can be anything from a house in the woods, to a cabin on 40+ acres.

Snow. The UP is surrounded by either Lake Michigan, Lake Superior. Depending on the weather pattern, the shorelines area get the least amount of Snow. 5-10 miles inland will usually have more snow. If you look at a map, areas around US 2 (south) get the least, Areas above US 28 (north) get the most, along with anything West of US 41. (I am a snowmobiler!) Speaking of witch. Michigan has thousand of miles of marked trails. You can travel anywhere from the lower Michigan to Wisconsin via marked trails in the winter, and most towns in between.

Homes and prices. Homes can be cheap up there, and still be good condition. More land, waterfront, add $$$. However, you REALLY need to know the area or ROADS that they are on. (Not bad as in crime areas) There are A LOT of Seasonal roads in the UP. Meaning the roads don't get plowed or maintained in the Winter. Therefore, no propane service, no hopping in the car / truck to drive to town, no fire / EMS services etc.

Hunting. As stated Michigan has there seasons for everything. I personally gave up hunting several years ago. But Michigan DNR website site should help you on that. Same with fishing. Remember the Great Lakes are all Fresh Water. No Tides here! The Great Lakes freeze pretty solid in the winter. Commercial Freighter traffic stops in late December to early April. Coast Guard also stops most Ice Breaking efforts during the same time frame.

Weather again. Last winter was a usually warm winter, lots of rain and above average temps. (32+) Snow did not really start till January, was mostly gone by mid March. This summer has been cooler then normal with more rain then usual. The winter before was usually cold with lots of winds and a lot of near zero days, with all the snow I needed.

[leebeemi]

I have never been to Alaska, but I do live in the UP. There are things we cannot compete with here--mountains, for one. But I grew up in the UP, a couple of hours from Manistique, and my diet was mostly venison, rabbit, salmon, lake trout, duck, and partridge. My dad was also an avid gardener & forager, so we collected berries, mushrooms, & fiddle-heads (ferns). I left the UP after college, but my husband & I decided this was a better place to raise kids than where we were before. I have always loved it here.

There are struggles. The UP has been economically depressed for years. We've traded a mining & lumber centered economy for a tourist economy. That can be hard. But as more & more employers are allowing people to work from their homes, that is slowly improving.

I live in Marquette, now, which is kind of booming. We've seen an increase in small businesses opening up, as well as larger commercial businesses. It's happening in a lot of towns--we've got a quirky vibe, and people are discovering us. Munising, which is about 45 minutes to the east from us, gets more tourists than it can currently handle--there simply aren't enough restaurants or hotel rooms at the height of summer tourist season. Now the leaf peepers will be coming through, and hopefully we'll get a lot of snow and have the snow-mobilers come. If we have a mild winter with little snow, it can really have a detrimental effect. The "good news" is that we're supposed to have a cold & snowy winter. A "cold" winter does mean sub-zero temps. Then, we get raging lake effect snow if the lakes remain open--if it's cold enough to freeze the lakes, things may die down a bit. We had a really cold winter a few years back & had ice in caves on Lake Superior into July.

You'd likely be able to find a spot where you could just about cast off your porch and have land to hunt on out the back door. Your relative isolation probably wouldn't be an issue if you're used to where you are now. Basically it's a PLUS to me that a major city is about 8 hours away. We don't have mountains. But we do have beautiful shorelines and beaches. We do have LOTS of trees.

And houses are cheap here. Even cheaper if you head inland (for the most part).