[Jaxrox18]

My husband and I are considering a move to UP Michigan, more specifically the very tip of Chippewa county, and the area between the two haiwatha national parks near Manistique or Manistique lake area.

My husband has a remote job so employment isn’t a concern. We like the cheap housing, country landscape, and outdoor focused lifestyle. We’re both mid 20s. We are coming from northeastern pa so we are familiar with snow and longer winters.

What I would like to know is:
Any advice or opinions about these areas
What are winters really like? Both temp and precipitation?
How is the shopping- both grocery and for home/clothing?
Are there CSAs?
How rainy is it throughout the year?
How accepting are people of outsiders (who are willing to embrace their local culture)
What is the local food like?
Is it more snow or ice?
Is 4 wheel drive essential?

[homeschooldad1]

I'd say the climate and culture is very to northern Maine if you are familiar with that area. Winters are nothing like balmy northeastern PA. Very beautiful and people rather independent and generally accepting of outsiders. Visit before you decide to move as the area is very remote. Manistique is a cute little town that I've been to many times. Not sure what you mean by tip of chippewa county.

[Jaxrox18]

My mistake, I meant the tip of the peninsula, outside of Sault Sainte Marie, in places like Chippewa, Pickford, any of those small towns on that side of the haiwatha National Forest.
We are definitely going to visit; it’s just 12ish hours so trying to gather information to know where to stay, explore, etc.

I also didn’t mean to equate PA winters to MI winters, just that I’m used to the concept of cold lasting for 6 months, snow starting in October and lasting til March. How much snow do they get? And how cold? I’ve been trying to look it up, but I’ve found varying reports from 100” of snow and it being low 20s, to 300” of snow and -20 degrees. Which is closer to accurate?

Thanks for your help!

[313 TUxedo]

I don't know anything about Chippewa County, but I did spend one to two weeks every year (2003-2010) in Manistique.
Manistique has one of the coolest summers in the Eastern US, as southerly winds blow air in over cool Lake Michigan. Marquette is warmer in the summer than Manistique. When the weather is clear, it's good for amateur astronomy, because Manistique has Lake Michigan to its south and very undeveloped land to its north.
There are places along US2 where you can pull off the road and swim on a beautiful sandy beach, for free.
Other than that, there's not too much to do, and the cost of food is higher than it is downstate.

Help me on CSAs, way too many acronyms are "CSA". No part of Michigan has the Csa climate, and the civil war ended 153 years ago.

[homeschooldad1]

Snow varies widely across the UP. Some areas get 300 inches while others get like 75 inches annually. The mountains outside of Houghton get the most. Menomonie gets the least. In terms of temps, the interior areas have the coldest winters and warmest summers. So Iron county is basically the coldest area in the winter. In some places I have seen snow around till July however most of the snow in most areas will melt sometime in May.

[hhwtm]

There are some other nice towns in the UP of Michigan. Take a look at Marquette, Munising, Houghton/Hancock as well. The first is probably one of the largest cities in the UP. Has lots of culture (a university, art, restaurants) as well as beaches, trails and winter sports. Have spent time in the central UP along Lake Superior.

[homeschooldad1]

Why do you want to look at the Eastern side of the peninsula. Its very flat and lots of swamps and mosquitoes. I'd stick to the central and Western portions which have mountains, waterfalls, fewer mosquitoes, and more parks. Basically go for manistique or further west.

[Jaxrox18]

[/QOUTE].

Help me on CSAs, way too many acronyms are "CSA". No part of Michigan has the Csa climate, and the civil war ended 153 years ago.[/quote]

CSA (at least here anyway) stands for Community Supported Agriculture. It means customers pay farmers a flat rate per season, and in exchange for the customers giving them guaranteed business, the farms give them discounted food each week. The farm picks what you get based on their growing seasons, but there’s an agreed upon amount (like 5-7 veggies per week for example). It helps support local farms and you get organic produce and meat drastically discounted.

[homeschooldad1]

Good luck finding that up here. We have agriculture buts its basically root veggies like potatoes, blueberries, and apples. Most fresh produce comes from downstate or further. Walmarts generally has the best produce prices but if you don't live near a larger city up here you could find yourself paying $4 -$5 lb for apples for example. Small towns have very high prices.

[leebeemi]

I grew up in Chippewa County. I think many people underestimate the relative isolation. There are small towns all over. But when you are an hour from the nearest "big" town, and that only has a population of 20K or so, that can be challenging. So really look at the map and figure out how far away you would be from what you need to thrive and be happy.


Sault Ste. Marie is a work in progress. There are a couple of big box stores, a smattering of good restaurants, and a truly great public library. There is a small public university there. But there is no movie theater on the Michigan side. You'd have to travel into Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, or down below the Mackinac Bridge to Mackinaw City.



There are a couple of nice grocery stores in the Soo, as it is affectionately called.



There is a growing Amish community in the area, and that has had a positive impact on what is available at farmers' markets. There is a short growing season on the east end of the peninsula, so that does come into play. My dad is an avid gardener, and his carrots, peas, tomatoes, beans and squash all grow well. He has started growing grapes, and grows apples, raspberries, and plums. Corn on the cob was never worth the effort for him. Lettuces are good, too. There is a LOT of local maple syrup available. Several family sugarbushes supply even over into the Marquette area. And it's very tasty--has a malty, smoky flavor that you don't find in Vermont! I don't know of any CSAs in the area, but there is a food co-op in the Soo that may have information.



St. Ignace is pretty small, and has few amenities. There are some nice restaurants. It's a tourist town, and off season is really quiet.


The impact of winter will depend where you live. The street my parents live on in their tiny town is typically cleared quickly. The street I live on in the UP's largest town sometimes gets missed altogether. If you live in a remote area in a snowbelt, you could get stuck for hours to a couple of days if it's bad enough. It is windy on the eastern end, and that can really make the snow difficult to deal with. We just had a wind storm blow through the UP. There were 50 mph winds. When that happens, the Mackinac Bridge closes down for high-profile vehicles. In the winter, ice can close the bridge & other roads. Winds can also knock out the power. If I lived in a remote area, I'd want a generator and/or wood heat source.


There are so many little towns. Some are cute, some are worn, some are churchy, some are rowdy. And everybody gets weird in March/April. We just get tired of the slush & snow & cold once it starts to melt.