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U.P. of Michigan

trike lady

trike lady

Junior Member
Is anyone here from the U.P. of Michigan?
I'm thinking of moving there and getting away from Florida.
I know 'Climate Shock' is one thing. Just want to live somewhere else and start over.
I want to see autumn, enjoy a good old fashion winter like I had when I was young and a plain old spring and summer.
 
Have no experience with the UP of Michigan, but can offer some suggestions. When I got out of the service in '72, I worked for a company that had it's home office in Buffalo,NY. Had to go there a few times. I'm a native NJ boy, we have winter, and I can tell you one thing about Buffalo in the winter....IT IS COLD!!!!! Now, for the native "Buffalonians" four feet of snow was like a dusting here in the garden state, but, they grew up with that. My brother in law lives in Foley , Alabama about ten miles from the gulf coast in a modular home community. Half of his neighbors are from Michigan. As soon as autumn hits, they head south. I'm sure that some native Michigan folks can fill you in more, but as a suggestion, check it out before you make any drastic moves. Even here in NJ latitude makes all of the difference. I am located in south central NJ. The bride and I have a small beach house in Cape May the southern most city in our state. In the winter, there is a 10 to 15 degree difference between our two homes. OK, I recognize that the Cape is amidst water and that tends to moderate temps, but our primary home isn't all that far from the Atlantic. Again, check it out in the winter before you make any moves..Good luck
 
trike lady said:
Is anyone here from the U.P. of Michigan?
I'm thinking of moving there and getting away from Florida.
I know 'Climate Shock' is one thing. Just want to live somewhere else and start over.
I want to see autumn, enjoy a good old fashion winter like I had when I was young and a plain old spring and summer.
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I am going to The Twin Cities for Christmas, I can tell you this after being in Florida for 15 years, I aint to fond of the cold any more, but if you like the seasons Minnesota would be a good choice as far as economy and jobs go JMO Good Luck:s
 
I'm a troll from below the bridge. Don't live in the UP but love it there. Spending some time there in winter is great advise if you are contemplating a move there. I love Marquette but there is a definite lack of urban centers in the UP. There are spectacular places to live with choices of Lakes Superior, Michigan and Huron as well as rivers and so-on. The water will never be like the Gulf no matter the time of year. The economy in MI is finally starting to pick up, but don't know what the situation is up there. It can be a wonderful place to live, but you must have the right expectations.
 
Like errplane I'm a troll also. There is some nice riding up there. As a kid and as an adult I have spent a lot of time up there. Have you thought about the Traverse City area? I think that is some of the most beautiful area in Michigan. If you do make it up here let us know and maybe we can meet up and do some riding.:D
 
If you move to the U.P you may need to trade the bike in for a snowmobile and a ATV. The U.P is a nice area but the riding is limited when it come to paved routes and you can cover them all in a summer with no problem. There is only 1 HD dealer there and it is in Marquette or you will need to cross the bridge and go to Gaylord in the lower peninsula to the other HD dealer. I don't know about the economy up there but a good portion of the jobs are based on tourism and hunting /fishing. You will need a 4 wheel drive truck to get around in the winter and many roads are seasonal and don't get plowed you also need to put a orange flag on a 8 foot fiberglass pole on the bumper of your truck so other drivers can see that there is a vehicle at a intersection because the snowbanks are 10 feet high or higher. I was born and raised in Michigan and I go to Arizona for the winter.
 
Took a trip up through there back in 1970 riding pillion with an army buddy. Riding an old H1 Kaw that was supposed to be the fastest ride stock right out of the crate. Old 3-banger 2-cycle and it probably was the fastest! I'd riden with him before out around the local town and actually slept on the trip over to his mom and dad's place That was a first and survived! Just met up with him again last week for old times! From Lansing and in the process of moving with the YF down this way next year. Daughter's already here. Sorry, sort of wandered off there!

Anyway, times were hard back then and you'd take any ride you could get! He was going home, Lansing as I mentioned, and offered to give me a ride to get off post for a while. Met the family and headed north across the Mack. bridge. We rode for a little while and then he turned off onto two sandy tracks that were parallel and looked like four wheeler tracks. But the undergrowth, wasn't! This stuff was tall enough to be smacking the handlebars and at times you couldn't even see the other parallel track! We rode for a couple of miles back through there and came out of the trees onto a lake. I'm thinking we're looking out over this and probably the only people to see this in a long time! It was GREAT! We stayed as long as we could stand the little black speckled winged flys biting us and then we rode back to his moms! I can still, to this day, picture that lake and remember how it was! God's country for sure!


And those little flys!

Sorry, got carried away!

:breakdance:cheers
 
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I lived in Gwinn for 2 years while stationed at KI Sawyer AFB back in the mid 80's. I grew up in Rochester, NY, so I was used to cold and snow. But the UP definitely takes it to another level. The Marquette area averages over 200 inches of snow a year! It's paradise if you love outdoor activities and can tolerate the weather. Hunting, fishing, and camping in the summer. Snow mobiles and cross country skiing in the winter.

I will second the comment about a lack of urban areas. Marquette is the largest city on the UP (I think) and it's really nothing to get too excited about. Some decent restaurants and an OK bar scene thanks to the presence of Northern Michigan University. Other than that, we used to drive the 3 hours due south to Green Bay for my wife to get in any serious shopping, or a bit further to Milwaukee. On the other hand, this may be exactly the lifestyle you're looking for!

Definitely go up for an extended visit during at least 2 of the 4 seasons before making your decision.
 
Jack Klarich said:
I am going to The Twin Cities for Christmas, I can tell you this after being in Florida for 15 years, I aint to fond of the cold any more, but if you like the seasons Minnesota would be a good choice as far as economy and jobs go JMO Good Luck:s
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Thinking about Minnesota. Spoke with the service manager at the HD dealer in Mankato.
 
I live in MI as well. One thing I can honestly say after having moved and lived in five different states.

The grass always seems greener but seldom is. Your probably going to tire of the seemingly endless cold and snowy mess of the north faster than you did of warm weather. And the transitional seasons (fall and spring) only last a few weeks.

Good luck deciding!!!
 
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