[darstar]

Upper Michigan is a great place to live. We are a world far away from the land down under the bridge ( Trolls ....lower michigan ). two percent the Population , one third the land mass....the virus in some counties never happened. a great place to ride out the pandemic. ( don't bring it with you).

[alaskaflyer]

Originally Posted by theokami01

Thanks for the replies guys!

I work in Indian Gaming right now (Safety and Risk Management/ Gambling Compliance), looks like Ojibwa Casino Baraga is relatively close so I'll definitely check them out.

I seriously can't wait to leave California!

The casino in Baraga is apparently a decent place to work - I worked with management on a project and it was a very pleasant experience. Actually, Baraga and areas around it is/are a decent place to live too, especially west from there towards the national forest.

There's also Northern Waters Casino in Watersmeet. For some reason, there are a lot of retirees from elsewhere around Watersmeet, though no retirement subdivisions...yet!

I miss my time in the UP up there in Houghton County, I moved away after a job transfer and haven't been back since. I'm more of a mountain and desert guy but the area still lives in my heart regardless. Great, great boating.

[alaskaflyer]

By the way...

[theokami01]

Hahaha! Thanks Alaskaflyer!
Getting close, can't wait to get on the road!

[Sparrow_temp]

My information on this area is actually 30 years old but the biggest take away that I can give you is that it's isolated. Your locals are all going to know each other and will probably take a while to warm up to an outsider. I like small towns but I also like to be within an hour of a large town in case I need something. As already stated, your biggest city near Toivola is Houghton/Hancock which is probably like 12,000 combined. L'Anse/Baraga isn't that close (45 minutes depending on weather). The closest airport hub is probably Minneapolis and the closest commercial airport is probably Marquette.

This should be a warning to you -- how did these places get their name: Mosquito Inn and misery bay road. Half the population is below the poverty level. There is just nothing good about Toivola that I can think of that you can't beat anywhere else in the UP. Maybe if there was a cottage on a nearby lake with good fishing and hunting, but otherwise why not closer to Houghton since that's where you're going to have to drive for most things.

If I wanted to live in the Keweenaw peninsula then I'd probably pick a town around Hancock or Calumet. If expanded to the UP in general then probably Negaunee/Ishpeming area.

There are about 15,000 small towns in this country. I'd pick most of them over Toivola unless I was in the witness protection program. You said you currently work in Indian Gaming. You should just pick your location based on where you find employment. You aren't going to want a long driving commute in the winter within the UP.

[darstar]

Much can be said about social distancing, even in the UP. The hub of population in all upper Michigan is Marquette County,. even tho it is the largest county in all of Mi. the population in summer is around 100,000. We have also had the largest number of COVID 19 cases in the UP. However , Marquette ,for me , is the best place to be hands down. we have traffic on 41 all day ( lots of Canadians ) about 30,000 cars and trucks,most back and forth, it’s a busy place,yet only 5 min and you can be off the grid , deep in the woods !

[Sparrow_temp]

That's why I cited the Marquette area in my post -- think I indicated Ishpeming/Negaunee because they were smaller. It's a large enough city where you can get everything you want but you can still live in isolation if you want to.

My preference after moving out of Michigan though is the desert southwest even though it's not where I'm currently located. I'm currently living in the central coast of California where the temps and weather rarely change. It's almost always between 60-80F with either clear skies or morning fog and then clear skies. Very boring weather. Definitely not the case in Michigan. I've not really missed the heavy snowfalls in the Lake Superior or Lake Michigan lake effect areas. Or all of the biting bugs in the summer that would home in on me for some reason. Lots to like in Michigan and the UP specifically but you can have the cold, snow, and bugs. I've been considering Arizona for my next move but with the same criteria of a small town but somewhere near a much larger town for when you need something.

Originally Posted by darstar

Much can be said about social distancing, even in the UP. The hub of population in all upper Michigan is Marquette County,. even tho it is the largest county in all of Mi. the population in summer is around 100,000. We have also had the largest number of COVID 19 cases in the UP. However , Marquette ,for me , is the best place to be hands down. we have traffic on 41 all day ( lots of Canadians ) about 30,000 cars and trucks,most back and forth, it’s a busy place,yet only 5 min and you can be off the grid , deep in the woods !

[darstar]

Originally Posted by Sparrow_temp

That's why I cited the Marquette area in my post -- think I indicated Ishpeming/Negaunee because they were smaller. It's a large enough city where you can get everything you want but you can still live in isolation if you want to.

My preference after moving out of Michigan though is the desert southwest even though it's not where I'm currently located. I'm currently living in the central coast of California where the temps and weather rarely change. It's almost always between 60-80F with either clear skies or morning fog and then clear skies. Very boring weather. Definitely not the case in Michigan. I've not really missed the heavy snowfalls in the Lake Superior or Lake Michigan lake effect areas. Or all of the biting bugs in the summer that would home in on me for some reason. Lots to like in Michigan and the UP specifically but you can have the cold, snow, and bugs. I've been considering Arizona for my next move but with the same criteria of a small town but somewhere near a much larger town for when you need something.

I know all the negatives......also I lived 18 years in the Blue Ridge at 4100 ft. ,near perfect, cool summers,long Falls,no bugs.....also winter spikes,30 below,4’ snow and black ice,mountain rds, beautiful place and 130 miles to Atlanta, ( that’s a good one ). ....Love the UP, winters not so much anymore and have spent last 7 years in motorhome for 4-5 months, Az. NM , Tx. and 2 mo in Marina,Ca.,Love Big Sur.,perfect place to live, but expensive , homeless , hate time zone. ( business wise )..... so now I hate Texas,tired of desert ,( Boulder City,Nv. was nice). still , UP , Marquette is for me,safe place to be,for me , at 79.

[theokami01]

Thanks for your replies, they're much appreciated.

The reason for Toivola is that's where my bud lives and he's putting me up in a cottage until I buy a house/ find work. He's a custom knife maker and I'll be apprenticing under him but will still be working full time. If I get on at Baraga, I'll move closer to there and use my VA loan to buy a house.

Move day is the 23rd. I'll be travelling along the 10 to the 40 and out towards Kansas city before I shoot north. Looking forward to the drive and hopefully some nice scenery.

[Podo944]

Originally Posted by theokami01

Thanks for your replies, they're much appreciated.

The reason for Toivola is that's where my bud lives and he's putting me up in a cottage until I buy a house/ find work. He's a custom knife maker and I'll be apprenticing under him but will still be working full time. If I get on at Baraga, I'll move closer to there and use my VA loan to buy a house.

Move day is the 23rd. I'll be travelling along the 10 to the 40 and out towards Kansas city before I shoot north. Looking forward to the drive and hopefully some nice scenery.

Please please report back on your adventure! Hubs and I loved the UP when visiting there a couple of times. The Hancock /Houghton area was where my great grandparents from Finland settled over a hundred years ago. Seriously thought of moving there, but ended up in the PNW. Husband was a little concerned about the remoteness, and I dont do well with mosquito bites.
But other than that, it's one of the most magical places I've ever experienced!