[bluebird39]

Here's a link to Munson: Munson Medical Center I'd say Traverse City would be worth looking into. Schools seem to be good. You could rent without committing to buys a house to see if you like it. There's also tons of U-pick places and farmer's markets to get great fresh food to freeze and can.

It's hard moving kids. I have 2 young ones, and moved to N Michigan 3 years ago. We moved here for a job promotion for DH and so that I could afford to be a SAHM.

I personally don't blame anyone for wanting to escape the hustle and bustle of big city life, but that's me.

There are lots of things for kids to do up here when schools in session, especially in the TC area. Things really dry up during the summer though. I've found it very hard to keep my kids entertained. Once they get older too I think there's more of an issue. I know the teen pregnancy rate up here is really high for instance....

Good luck with your decision.

[mindbodysynergy]

Thanks for the responses. Some have been really helpful. Some, not as much. But everyone is entitled their opinion.

We'll keep our eyes and ears open and keep a level head about it all.

Cheers!

[beadster]

I hope it works out well for you whatever you do. Just to clarify where I come from. I have lived in both Houghton, mi and Sault Ste Marie. They are both lovely places of the UP. I have traveled all over the UP, and down into TC. There is lots of character up there, and lots of neat outdoor things. That is why I originally went to college up there, and lived up there. But economically it is a struggle. Pay is lower up there compared to southern Michigan, and you are fighting for scraps of jobs. And if you don't know someone who knows someone who knows someone at the place you are applying for your application won't get past the door. My wife has 2 degrees and a masters, and all she could manage was a job at Duty free in the sault. When we moved from Sault to Grand Rapids. She went from 7.50 an hour to 18 dollars an hour. I went from 7.50 an hour to 10 dollars an hour. I lived near downtown grand rapids, and the SE side of Grand Rapids. I can understand hating the hustle and bustle of the city, but there are smaller areas near grand rapids, where you don't have to make such a long winded moved. The move itself is a nightmare, let alone living up there. That is just my 2 cents.

[jrose12587]

After always coming north for our family vacations from Grandville area I convinced my husband to look for a job in Traverse city when he became unemployed. He had previously moved to mesick with his parents when he was in high school from fruitport. He hated it, to say the least. Well, anyway he found a job so we moved up here with our 2 year old son thinking that it would go better this time since he wasn't in school. We moved to mesick so we could be near his parents who have a church there and because we were sick of city life. We have lived here for a year and we can't wait to leave! We are definitely outdoorsy people and when we are not working, we are outside. There are tons of things to do if you like kayaking, fishing, hiking, wildlife, etc. but that is it. It seems to be impossible to meet anyone unless you go to the bar everyday. We are in our 20's and have noticed that there are no people under probably 35 who are into just spending time with family. Drugs and alcohol seem to dominate the area. There are a lot of wonderful elderly people who are retired and such but you will have a hard time finding any kids around who have good moraled parents to let your kids play with. If you decide to move anywhere north choose Traverse city or you will have to spend a ton of gas money going there anyway for everything you need. None of the smaller towns have any stores open past 9 and most are closed on sunday so just running out for a couple things will be a huge inconvenience if you are not right in town. Also, the winter is a big change even from holland and GR where there is plenty of lake effect snow. The economy is worse here so the county has less money for plowing. The roads in the winter are horrible! If you are not traveling on highways the roads will barely be plowed. I would think twice before moving, especially for your kid's sake.

[Fenderman]

Petoskey is one of the nicest places I've seen in Michigan during the Fall season. Also the Oscoda and Alpena area on the east coast are nice places.
Traverse City is a winner.

[FESTER]

I lived in TC for years. I am not telling you to do it or not to do it. Most of what you have read here about TC is true. Jobs are scarce and generally low paying compared to where you live. I would advise LOTS of research and go in with your eyes WIDE OPEN!!!! A realistic assessment of your resources and cost of living for the area is in order here. Good luck either way

[MichiganMovesSouth]

Originally Posted by scolls

Saying anything negative about northern Michigan on here is likely going to bring me grief, but I'll do it anyways since I have experience.

In short, I had a horrible experience in northern Michigan. Grew up in Detroit, bounced between Detroit public and private schools. In 99, my parents had enough and did not want to send me to Detroit Public High School (Denby). My dad was getting set to retire from Ford's so the family decided against my wishes to move north. We ended up in Roscommon, about 12 miles north of Houghton Lake. The people are rude. The cute little town where everybody supposedly knows everybody and are so friendly is false. They greeted us upon arriving, but as soon as we said we were from Detroit, we literally did not see them again. They live 100 yards away and we would not recognize them if we saw them at the store. The people we meet in town are rude. My first week in Roscommon I was at the local gift shop and the woman working there accused me of stealing. (I was not stealing. She thought my wallet was something I stuck in my pocket)

Within my first week of high school, i was offered pot and prescription pills. (Never exposed to drugs while in Detroit) After 3 weeks, I had my bicyle stolen the first time I forgot to lock it up. The next summer, we bought a patio set, and within two weeks, someone managed to make off with a patio table, 4 chairs, and an umbrella over a chain link fence. When I got my first car, I installed a CD player (No loud system) and the first weekend that was stolen. Finally, just a year ago, someone busted my mom's window on here car and stole her GPS. Between all these incidents, we called the police on three seperate occasions when the neighbor across the street from us, is out on her lawn screaming for help while some man is yelling "I will kill you *****" The worst part is, the police station is less than two blocks away and it takes 20 minutes to get over there. I finally gave up calling the police when the woman refuses to leave this man. This is all relevant because in 10 years, we've had to call the police 7 times. In my 14 previous years in the city of Detroit, we called the police zero times and had zero things stolen, or damaged.

If you look at crime rates, most of these communities have double the crime rate of a lot of suburbs. I don't know how many times my school was on lock down while the drug sniffing dogs came in and how many kids were taken out of class in handcuffs. The amount of sexual predators is ridiculous to. Roscommon averages 54 resdients per sex offender. That's the worst I have ever seen. Highland Park isn't even that bad. Roscommon has more predators than Harper Woods with a 10th of the population.

The lovely downtown is lined with vacant buildings (Ala Detroit) An entire block in downtown is vacant. There are 4 vacant houses on my parents block. (there are 7 houses total) Most all towns are like this. From Houghton Lake, to Grayling, to Kalkaska etc.

There is nothing to do for kids. Most kids at my school chose to do drugs to pass time. We spent most of our time finding places in the middle of the woods were the cops couldn't get us. There is nothing for young people. The economy is horrible.

The doctors are horrible. My parents have to go to Traverse City just for competent health care. They have to go there just for a shopping other than Walmart. My parents are sick of it and are trying to dump their house, but the one behind their's sold for six thousand. Their stuck.

If you're still reading this, at least Traverse City isn't as horrible as the rest of Northern Michigan. They have competant doctors and some form of shopping. My parents got fooled into thinking northern Michigan is a great place to raise a family because of their weekend trips to the area. It's great to vacation to, but I'd think twice about living here.

I too lived in Roscommon, graduated from RHS in 2000 - small world! Chances are we know each other. However, I had quite a different experience. We moved to the area when I was in 4th grade and were welcomed from day one. We got to know what seemed liked everyone in the area. We spent many summers enjoying Higgins Lake and my memories of high school are actually really great ones compared to the nightmare some people call their high school days.

I'm sorry your experience was not so great. I do agree though that good doctors, shopping, etc are all very far away! But, I think the OP will find a completely different world in TC. My parents live in TC and every time I visit I want to move there - so, to the OP - go for it!!!

Roscommon is a very, very small town and should not be compared to TC, in my opinion.

[TheCatWishedThatItWasABee]

If you can afford it and really want to relocate to Northern Michigan, I highly recommend Harbor Springs. I grew up there (ages 0-18) and I couldn't have wished for a better city to be raised in. It has an excellent school system, the people are incredibly friendly and warm, plus it has the two ski resorts and is on the water. Not a far commute to Petoskey, which is slowly becoming a decent city. Has a good hospital I'm sure your husband could find a job in.

[Jswee]

I'm a lifelong resident of Traverse City and have raised 4 kids here, all have gone to public schools, two currently in College, one in high school and one still in elementary. If you have any questions about the area or the schools, I'd be happy to answer them for you. It's a great place to raise a family.

[hhwtm]

My sister and bro-in-law retired to a small town north of Traverse City. They were lucky to have a great piece of property already. They were very sick of the narrow mindedness of that area (if you know the Holland/GR area you KNOW what I mean!) and the increasing traffic and crime. They absolutely love it up there. Not many jobs and a lot more solitude, but it's all a trade-off