[todd00]

hi, ive been thinking about buying an acreage in the UP. id like to get your thoughts on comparisons of the western part of the UP compared to the eastern part. it seems like there is more crime in the western areas from reading the newspapers. aside from that tragic shooting on the border area of wisconsin and michigan, most seem to be petty crimes. are the pple more friendly in one part of the UP than the other? im friendly and enjoy talking to and meeting new pple, but really like my privacy too. im a disabled vet, so i also have to consider the locations of the va clinic and hospitals up that way. ive read of the locations of the va healthcare facilities, there are more locations than i expected. i was thinking i might prefer the eastern side, as sault ste marie ontario is a bit bigger city, and id enjoy seeing a bit of canada from time to time.

i am in iowa now, surrounded by cornfields, and really dont care for the sw iowa area. unfriendly pple in the small towns, well down right rude, many of them. and the area has nothing to offer and acreages arent even cheap. ive enjoyed reading the forum, lots of good information and nice pple from what i have seen here. thanks, todd

[crazyme4878]

I would think the eastern side for you as well. You have Marquette in the north-center and the Sault on the east end. Munising is nice, as well. There is a lot of born-raised-gonnadiehere people there, but I believe there are also a lot of retirees in that area as well. Marquette is nice since it is a large town--look toward Big Bay for suclussion.

I really love the shoreline to the northwest of Sault Ste. Marie. I think I would avoid St. Ignace, as it is very touristy. Also avoid Newbury.

As far as the westside, many people like the Houghton-Hancock area, although I don't know too much about it. You can also find good real estate deals around Ironwood, but it is a bit isolated.

I'm biased--I like Superior better than Michigan, and my favorite section is from Marquette to SSM. Just so you know how my answer is colored. Man, now I'm missing the big lake again!

[Great Lakes Pirate]

What strikes me as the most apparent difference is the geology of the UP, east vs. west.

The western half (that is west of Mqt) dates back to Cambrian and Pre-Cambrian epochs (about 2.5 billion years ago), which left behind old, old, rocks (and minerals). So, the west is rocky terrain, with hills, cliffs, etc.

The eastern half dates back to Phanerozic eon (about 540 million years ago). The eastern side is flatter, more plain like, and you'll find its beaches are sandier.

Fast forward a few million years. The geology of the western UP led primarily to mining economies; the eastern UP more logging and some farming.

Initially, the mining enterprises brought a lot of wealth to their towns, but these monies have largely left with most of the mines tapped out. Logging was pretty much go-go-go in the late 1800s, so that economy wasn't sustained.

[valzena]

Todd, you might like Oscoda or Tawas. The Former Wurtsmith Air Force Base might interest you as there is a VA clinic and beautiful Lake Huron and the AuSable River. It is more affordable than the West Side to be sure and safe and quiet and ideal for retirees or vacationers. Good Luck. I am feeling the same as I live in Oscoda and my only daughter wants to reside on the West side near Saugatuck...............

[todd00]

i know many yoopers hunt, but im an animal lover, and i dont like the idea of hunting. the only shooting of animals i do is with a camera. i been wondering if there are any like me up there.

[SpaceGhost79]

I love the west side of the U.P., but that's because I like the hilly terrain more. The east side is very flat.

Houghton is home to Michigan Tech University, so it's a college town but a beautiful area.

I don't know what the population scale is in the U.P., but maybe there's been more crime on the west side due to more people living out there? I'd like to say there's more bigger towns on the west side than east. Outside of your petty stuff, though, hard crime in the U.P. is rare.

I don't hunt myself, but I don't have an issue with people who do as long as it's legal. But it does dishearten me when some idiot decide to illegally kill something for the fun of it or just out of cold blood.

There was a story on a local TV station's website a few days ago about a wolf that was illegally killed (they are federally protected here). The DNR found it's radio collar. I realize there's two sides to the wolf issue in the U.P., but like it or not they're here to stay. Personally, I love'em. But when some viewer actually commented on the website that it's great someone killed the wolf and encouraged others to shoot a wolf in the hind legs if they see one so it will go back to its pack and the pack will kill it for being weak (they meant it, too) That's just downright disgusting. People like that deserve to be shot. It's people like that that give the real hunters a bad rap.

Sorry for my side rant...people like that just bother me. Anyways, the deer population would get out of control if there wasn't a hunting season. For instance, drive a car up here outside the city between dusk and dawn and chances are you'll come across a herd or two of deer feeding along the shoulder of the road and praying that one of them doesn't decide to walk out in front of your car. I can't imagine what it would be like without a hunting season.

I understand your point of view, but in this area of the country having a hunting season is definitely needed.

[michmoldman]

Originally Posted by todd00

hi, ive been thinking about buying an acreage in the UP. id like to get your thoughts on comparisons of the western part of the UP compared to the eastern part. it seems like there is more crime in the western areas from reading the newspapers. aside from that tragic shooting on the border area of wisconsin and michigan, most seem to be petty crimes. are the pple more friendly in one part of the UP than the other? im friendly and enjoy talking to and meeting new pple, but really like my privacy too. im a disabled vet, so i also have to consider the locations of the va clinic and hospitals up that way. ive read of the locations of the va healthcare facilities, there are more locations than i expected. i was thinking i might prefer the eastern side, as sault ste marie ontario is a bit bigger city, and id enjoy seeing a bit of canada from time to time.

i am in iowa now, surrounded by cornfields, and really dont care for the sw iowa area. unfriendly pple in the small towns, well down right rude, many of them. and the area has nothing to offer and acreages arent even cheap. ive enjoyed reading the forum, lots of good information and nice pple from what i have seen here. thanks, todd

All i can say is if you decide to move there you are very lucky! I would give anything to live in the U.P! Good luck!

[Bluefly]

Originally Posted by todd00

i know many yoopers hunt, but im an animal lover, and i dont like the idea of hunting. the only shooting of animals i do is with a camera. i been wondering if there are any like me up there.

No one's going to pressure you to hunt, but you need to have a tolerance of legal and ethical hunting here. If people are cheating the system, then have at 'em. But hunting is VERY pervasive and, as mentioned above, important to managing hundreds of thousands of deer and never questioned as a legitimate pastime.

But there's a lot of people that don't - especially in Marquette. It's really tilted away from the traditional yooper pastimes and toward the "silent sport" culture of cross country skiing, snow shoeing, mountain biking, photography, hiking... It's a much more urban professional culture in Marquette, though.

[stanman13]

Marquette and Houghton-Hancock are college towns, to a certain extent. Both are beautiful towns, with a fair variety of things to do.

By and large, anywhere you go in the U.P. you will find good people. Finding steady work is an issue, so you'll have the problems that go along with that. But, for natural beauty, there is no finer place.

Great Lakes Pirate described the goegraphy well. Marquette is the approximate dividing line. I've always found that to be interesting, as well. The highest point in MI (Mt. Arvon, about 1981 ft.) is in the Huron Mts. between Marquette and L'Anse. It is a beautiful area, I've hiked it extensively. Be aware your compass may not be accurate there, due to heavy iron deposits.

Whereever you land, I'm sure you will like it in the U.P.!

[darstar]

Coming from Iowa myself ( long ago )..... I would think you might like the west side best. Marquette will solve all your medical needs , and , be closer to friends and relatives you may still have in the lower Midwest. Western UP has more of a relationship with Wisconsin / Illinois than of Michigan. Its a scheduled 45 min. flight from Sawyer International to Chicago , and , the plane is most often full.
land will be less expensive in the Eastern area as long as you stay away from the tourist , a lot of it low swampy type. Through the center of the UP east to west , you will find the land low lying, and , the best pricing. Farming in the western UP is limited mostly to the Skandia area south of Marquette. Lots of truck farming there , as well as the " banana belt " area to the south that juts out into Lake Michigan. Where ever you go ( outside of a city or town ) , the smallest parcels are about 10 acres , on up. Lots of 40 acres parcels for sale now , as speculators are looking for cash........