U P Michigan Life, considering a move

[Slowgoat]

Anybody on this site live in the U. P.?

I have a business opportunity, and am thinking of doing it. I love the outdoors, and love snow.

I have heard the people are amazing, the natural beauty is wonderful, and if you can deal with the rural atmosphere and winters, you might be able to give it a go.

A buddy of mine is from lower Eastern MI, and his advice was to be sure to visit before I move. He said it is a challenge to live up there.

What am I thinking?

Am I nuts? I think it would be killer!

I used to live at 8000 ft. in CO., and we got nailed with 350 in. of snow a year. Those were the happiest days of my life.

I'd love some input from some locals, please.

 

[RandyDaytona]

I don't live in the UP, but I travel there extensively for work.

I've found it to be overrated. Yes, it's beautiful and heavily forested when you drive through it, but you can find that in any part of the country where public land (i.e. national forest land) is so prevalent. Outside of the resorts and the public lands - what the vast majority of people see and what gets it its reputation, IMO - there are also some dumpy portions. And the ones I've seen are REALLY dumpy, as in they make you wonder whether the people there have any respect at all for the environment, those around them, or themselves, for that matter.

Now, I realize that there are people like this everywhere. But I mention it because I think it's even more egregious when it happens in a place which is so nature/tourism oriented.

I *guess* the people are nice, but I haven't found them to be any nicer than any other place where tourism is your main industry. I've also found them to be overwhelmingly conservative. Some people may like that, but personally, rather than surrounding myself with people who will parrot my opinion back to me, I'd rather have a mixture. YMMV

I'm not a huge fan of cities and population, so I can see why anyone would contemplate a place like this. That said, I've lived in extremely isolated places, and while peaceful, you still need the ability to "get back" to population in the event that you need or want things. Doing that from the UP is very difficult. This may not seem like a big deal now, but when you've been hunkered down in your unabomber cabin for 3 months straight, it's nice to just pick a day and go and just see something else. ***This is even more critical if your are bringing a significant other with you to said unabomber cabin...*** (<----personal experience).

If this is for a specific job opportunity, you probably don't have the option to look at similar places. If you did, I'd recommend northern MN and WI: both have some pretty isolated spots with just as much public land around, but also allow you easier access to places like Minneapolis or Chicago.

I would definitely heed your friend's advice and visit, first. Actually, I'd visit right now - outside of the main tourist season, when there isn't a ton going on and when the weather isn't perfect.