[gouligann]

You might have better luck in the Petoskey, Boyne City, Traverse City area for finding jobs. All very scenic areas.
Small town atmosphere. Friendly people.

Boyne area has some great ski hills and Petoskey might welcome a new bakery.

[jeltez42]

My grandparents move to the Keweenaw Peninsula in the 1930s and the family has kept ties there ever since. It is a tiny community and a great place to live IF you can deal with the isolation. I moved back to Lansing, MI after 4 years in Houghton/Hancock/Calumet. I will just lay it out there.

First, my grandfather did not exaggerate the 10feet of snow and the 4 seasons - Winter, June, July, and August. You will want reliable transportation.

The cost of living in Houghton - Hancock is VERY high because of Michigan Tech University and the housing stock is very old. My place was built in 1884. It was very small, in Calumet 12 miles away and cheaper. Houses in desperate need of rehab can be had for under $30k. Good land is still available.

The schools are some of the better ones in Michigan. I know this sounds strange but this is a STEM university town and the long time residents place a high priority on education.

Health care. If you have chronic illnesses be prepared to travel 100 miles or more to get specialty care. If you have more exotic needs it could be up to 500 miles. Make sure your insurance has a broad network.

Employment - The university is the biggest employer. Walmart is up there too. There are the tourist jobs and some cottage industries. If you are an honest hard working handy person, plumber, or such you will have more work than you can handle. It is very hard to get a job here and unemployment is much higher. Many get government assistance, not because they are lazy or you unskilled. There just are few jobs. There are a few mines slated to move to production in the next years and it might improve things. Do Not move here until you have employment or do not need to work.

Others mentioned Marquette. The major employers are the prison (which is slated to close), Tilden and Eagle mines, the later is closing..There are some state.offices and big box retail. There is a small college. It is centrally located in the UP and is the biggest medical center.

Then there is the wildlife. Marvelous and diverse and it will all be in your backyard. I had a lynx living under my truck during the winters. Bears walked down the street. A cougar ranged through the area, wolves were around.

I moved to Lansing to find a job and am.considering moving again because it is very difficult to find a job in STEM fields in Michigan if you are over 45. The politics are jacked up statewide but the US House rep for the UP is decent.

I intentionally saved this for last. In June of 2018 there was severe flooding and many roads were.washed out along with water pipes, sewers, gas lines. Many homes and small businesses were severely damaged. It will take years to rebuild what was lost. Yoopers are a hearty and stubborn bunch and will rebuild. They will also give you the shirt off their back if you need it. Did I say this is a small town? You will have to prove yourself and it will take time to become "one of us" but it will happen. I would love to move back to the Keweenaw. Maybe for retirement, definitely to see friends and family.

This is one of the best and most unique places on earth to live, you just need to have money or a way to make it.

[leebeemi]

Originally Posted by jeltez42

My grandparents move to the Keweenaw Peninsula in the 1930s and the family has kept ties there ever since. It is a tiny community and a great place to live IF you can deal with the isolation. I moved back to Lansing, MI after 4 years in Houghton/Hancock/Calumet. I will just lay it out there.

First, my grandfather did not exaggerate the 10feet of snow and the 4 seasons - Winter, June, July, and August. You will want reliable transportation.

The cost of living in Houghton - Hancock is VERY high because of Michigan Tech University and the housing stock is very old. My place was built in 1884. It was very small, in Calumet 12 miles away and cheaper. Houses in desperate need of rehab can be had for under $30k. Good land is still available.

The schools are some of the better ones in Michigan. I know this sounds strange but this is a STEM university town and the long time residents place a high priority on education.

Health care. If you have chronic illnesses be prepared to travel 100 miles or more to get specialty care. If you have more exotic needs it could be up to 500 miles. Make sure your insurance has a broad network.

Employment - The university is the biggest employer. Walmart is up there too. There are the tourist jobs and some cottage industries. If you are an honest hard working handy person, plumber, or such you will have more work than you can handle. It is very hard to get a job here and unemployment is much higher. Many get government assistance, not because they are lazy or you unskilled. There just are few jobs. There are a few mines slated to move to production in the next years and it might improve things. Do Not move here until you have employment or do not need to work.

Others mentioned Marquette. The major employers are the prison (which is slated to close), Tilden and Eagle mines, the later is closing..There are some state.offices and big box retail. There is a small college. It is centrally located in the UP and is the biggest medical center.

Then there is the wildlife. Marvelous and diverse and it will all be in your backyard. I had a lynx living under my truck during the winters. Bears walked down the street. A cougar ranged through the area, wolves were around.

I moved to Lansing to find a job and am.considering moving again because it is very difficult to find a job in STEM fields in Michigan if you are over 45. The politics are jacked up statewide but the US House rep for the UP is decent.

I intentionally saved this for last. In June of 2018 there was severe flooding and many roads were.washed out along with water pipes, sewers, gas lines. Many homes and small businesses were severely damaged. It will take years to rebuild what was lost. Yoopers are a hearty and stubborn bunch and will rebuild. They will also give you the shirt off their back if you need it. Did I say this is a small town? You will have to prove yourself and it will take time to become "one of us" but it will happen. I would love to move back to the Keweenaw. Maybe for retirement, definitely to see friends and family.

This is one of the best and most unique places on earth to live, you just need to have money or a way to make it.

All in all, this is some good info, but there are some errors in your coverage of Marquette. Our major employers are in the health care industry. The hospital in Marquette employs nearly 2000, and the surrounding medical centers another 1000+. The mines probably employ about 1000, and the prison less than 500. Northern Mich University employs well over 1000. The prison in Ontonagon is closing, not the Marquette Branch.



Set your expectations for wildlife appropriately as well. I have a friend who lives on a large piece of property in Hancock. She has never seen much more than rabbits in her back yard. There are areas where bears WILL walk by, but that's not necessarily a good thing--they love to find your garbage, bird feeders, and gardens. I lived in an established neighborhood in Marquette a few years back, and we did have deer, rabbits, foxes, raccoons, and coyotes (they do help control the rabbit population).



The UP can be a difficult place for "outsiders" to become part of the community, but Houghton is a university town, and a certain fluctuation in the population is expected. The same is true in Marquette--we always have people coming in & out, so it's part of who we are to welcome new faces.



One area the UP is really hurting in is skilled labor. We need more than we've got. So the point about being a plumber or roofer or whatever is absolutely true.



The flooding in the Keweenaw was terrible, and we're getting some significant rain this week. The UP's infrastructure is sorely outdated. And there's a race against the weather clock to get repairs done before the sub-freezing temps & snow start.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by leebeemi

All in all, this is some good info, but there are some errors in your coverage of Marquette. Our major employers are in the health care industry. The hospital in Marquette employs nearly 2000, and the surrounding medical centers another 1000+. The mines probably employ about 1000, and the prison less than 500. Northern Mich University employs well over 1000. The prison in Ontonagon is closing, not the Marquette Branch.



Set your expectations for wildlife appropriately as well. I have a friend who lives on a large piece of property in Hancock. She has never seen much more than rabbits in her back yard. There are areas where bears WILL walk by, but that's not necessarily a good thing--they love to find your garbage, bird feeders, and gardens. I lived in an established neighborhood in Marquette a few years back, and we did have deer, rabbits, foxes, raccoons, and coyotes (they do help control the rabbit population).



The UP can be a difficult place for "outsiders" to become part of the community, but Houghton is a university town, and a certain fluctuation in the population is expected. The same is true in Marquette--we always have people coming in & out, so it's part of who we are to welcome new faces.



One area the UP is really hurting in is skilled labor. We need more than we've got. So the point about being a plumber or roofer or whatever is absolutely true.



The flooding in the Keweenaw was terrible, and we're getting some significant rain this week. The UP's infrastructure is sorely outdated. And there's a race against the weather clock to get repairs done before the sub-freezing temps & snow start.

We live about 10 - 15 minutes from downtown Grand Rapids and have the same animals all around us. Add to that wild turkeys, tons of them. We hear coyotes howling occasionally, and a black bear was found roaming around near downtown GR this past year. I think these animals are just a Midwestern thing, and definitely all over Western and Upper Michigan. I saw signs for elk and a lot of signs about bears in the UP but have never seen them.

[leebeemi]

Originally Posted by magellan

We live about 10 - 15 minutes from downtown Grand Rapids and have the same animals all around us. Add to that wild turkeys, tons of them. We hear coyotes howling occasionally, and a black bear was found roaming around near downtown GR this past year. I think these animals are just a Midwestern thing, and definitely all over Western and Upper Michigan. I saw signs for elk and a lot of signs about bears in the UP but have never seen them.

Yeah, forest critters have become suburban for sure! I am a native Yooper. I did spend some years out of state, but I've lived most of my life up here. I have seen maybe 3 bears in the wild and never seen a moose in the wild. It's not an everyday occurrence for MOST of us up here to see the larger mammals a lot. Some people do. I have a friend who works for the DNR, and she's had some close encounters--but she's working every day in the animals' neighborhood!