[els4875]

Hi All,
My husband has the potential to relocate to a job in Charlevoix. We both grew up in small lake towns and find that to be a desirable environment to raise a family. We are in our 30s with young kids and enjoy most of the outdoor activities Michigan has to offer. We don't ski or snowmobile (yet!) but the bike trails in the area look awesome. Based on reading these forums, I really thought Petoskey would be our new home. Charlevoix, Boyne City, and East Jordan were other potentials but we only had enough time to look at Charlevoix and Petoskey. Basically, we are looking for a quiet small town with lots of access to the great outdoors and a great sense of community. I'm sure all four towns fit the description but everything I have heard about Petoskey was so awesome so that was my #1.
I actually fell in love with Charlevoix. During my very short visit, Charlevoix seemed less touristy and like the town had a better lay out and overall feel to it. I was excited about Petoskey's gaslight district. And it was awesome. As a visitor. But I didn't see myself going to that area much as a resident, unless they have community events and stuff down there. Now, I had two small kids in tow so that was part of it.. they aren't the best to take in and out of little shops. But I usually have 2 small kids in tow, so little shops aren't really my thing most of the time. In contrast, we saw the awesome library in Charlevoix and then went to a little park with a playground and a beach and had a great afternoon with the kids. Even having to cross the bridge several times and being stopped in traffic was no big deal.
So did I miss a bunch of Petoskey? I'm sure I probably did, can someone fill me in? What's the library like? Do they have other kid things? A great park? I did see that there was a winter sports park in Petoskey, can anyone tell me about that?
But mostly I want to know what year-round living is like. I saw a lot of houses in both towns that were nice, and a lot that seemed run down and like they were probably rentals. Do a lot of year round residents live right in town? Or is it a ghost town after tourists leave? In the summer are tourists in and out of those houses? I understand tourism is important and I have no issue with that.. I just don't want to have to get up for work the next day and have some people getting drunk and having bonfires or shooting off fireworks next door all night because they are on vacation. I saw there were a lot of nice places out of town as well!
In the winter, do people drive snowmobiles everywhere? I saw a ton of signs with snowmobiles in Charlevoix, and just wondered. Where I grew up they definitely ride them down the country roads, but not usually in town.
I had the impression from the forum that Charlevoix was more for the well-to-do and I was a little put off by the private club on the edge of town, the Belvedere Club... but not enough that I wouldn't live in Charlevoix. But is that mostly summer people, or is that year round residents? My husband and I both have advanced degrees but are by no means that kind of wealthy and aren't interested in joining exclusive clubs and that kind of thing. We are into, however, getting involved in the community, volunteering, that sort of thing. Are there any good opportunities for that in the area?
How do the school districts compare?
How are taxes?
And, finally, what about East Jordan and Boyne City? How do they compare to Charlevoix and Petoskey?
Are those reasonable commutes in the winter to Charlevoix?
Thanks for any help you can give me on this, it seems like such a beautiful and nice area and I am sure I would be very fortunate to make any of these towns home!

[aoletsgo]

Well you put a lot out there but I can try and put a dent in it. I am not a local but we are "summer people" with a condo in Charlevoix for many years. Charlevoix is a great place in the summer but absolutely dead in the winter, we do go up and stay in the winter to go downhill and xc skiing. To me Charlevoix can be summed up in four words - tourists and rich boaters. I have heard that the Charlevoix schools have lost some student population lately, and gone through some painful reductions, but the other towns might have had the same experience. Petoskey is like a mini Traverse City and that to me is a good thing. Petoskey is definitely busier in the summer and very beautiful but has more year-round residents and does not go into total hibernation in the winter. We do like the winter park in Petoskey it has a sledding hill, hockey rink, a big sheet of ice for public skating and a nice warming/locker building. Boyne City is similar to Charlevoix but not as snobby, I think it is better for year round families but honestly I don't know the town well enough to say that definitively. East Jordan is the poor sister of the four towns, blue collar but cheaper housing. If I were you I would live in Petoskey and your husband could do the easy drive to Charlevoix on 31, make sure you have snow tires and preferably 4wd because that is an icy/snowy road for many months.

[els4875]

Thanks! Yeah I realized after posting just how very long that was, guess I'm just excited! Thanks for the info.

[DTWflyer]

All four are great towns. Its always been a toss-up for us between Boyne City and Petoskey.

Petoskey - the largest of the 4, has the most year-round community and the best school district of the four. It also has the healthcare facilities/doctors associated with the hospital and the larger/big-box retailers for the region outside of Traverse City. The downside is that it can be extremely busy in the summer months in downtown, waterfront, and on US-31 through town. The stretch of US-31 between M-119 through Bayview over the US-131 often backs-up in the summer. Close proximity to Petoskey State Park and has many trails/bike pathways through town. Many community events, although somewhat overlooked in the summer due to full-on tourist season for about a 8-10 week stretch in late-June-July-early August.

Boyne City has come a long ways in recent years, while smaller than Petoskey has shed much of its industrial image from decades prior and developed its own identity. Relatively quieter downtown without all of the traffic like in Petoskey. Has many community events.

Charlevoix is quieter than Petoskey, particularly so in the winter. As said a lot of rich boaters and somewhat a destination for those who have properties around Lake Charlevoix. Still a very nice place, but school district has been suffering from declining enrollments (typical of most areas of Nothern MI).

East Jordan is a much poorer working-class town and doesn't have as much of the tourist/resorter/vacationer traffic. The common poverty issues of rural northern Michigan are more prevalant in East Jordan than any of the other communities. It is also more isolated from the larger communities that have more retail and healthcare facilities.

In either case, you will find yourself going to Petoskey on a semi-regular basis for stuff.

[detwahDJ]

I was going to say that East Jordan, where I motelled one quiet night, is mainly a place to gas up on the way to somewhere else.

[teachbeach]

I have only visited both, but know people that moved to Petoskey because of the year round community happenings, downtown that doesn't close down, and the proximity to hospitals, and better school district. Personally, I was more impressed with the vibrancy of Petosky, and found Charlevoix to be almost too touristy.

[nordwulf]

Petoskey - best for year-round living. Easy commute to Charlevoix. Easy drive to Traverse City, the UP and all the good things of northern Michigan. Great downtown, stays pretty busy in winter. Close to skiing.

Boyne City - nice historic downtown, many community events but is dead in winter like many other northern Michigan towns. Easy commute to Charlevoix. Home prices lower than Charlevoix. Close to skiing at Boyne Mountain. New development activity and investments in the downtown area.

Charlevoix - touristy and busy in summer. Besides K-Mart and a couple of supermarkets, any other shopping requires a trip to Petoskey or Traverse City. Nice, friendly town.

East Jordan - poorer area, the large industrial plant in downtown is very noisy and can smell bad. Not a desirable place to live. One supermarket with limited selection and a few fast-food restaurants.

[djacques]

Petoskey is the most practical place to live of the ones you mentioned, but I loved the two years I was in Charlevoix.

[prospectheightsresident]

I've spent about 9 months total in Petoskey (all during the summer) and can honestly say that I love the city during that time of the year. Lakeside living and generally good food and people make for a great experience. And there's actually a lot to do for city of this size. For instance, the library, which has free wifi and computer access (there's free wifi in the park downtown as well, but its pretty slow) has solid hours and regular activities for children (I recall 7pm closing times M-Th, and 5pm closing times F-Sunday, which went up from 5pm when I first visited Petoskey). Also, the old library building shows old movies on Fridays (there's a suggested price of $2 or so and they sell popcorn) and there are various fairs and children's activities that take place at the park/marina. Not to mention many people have a blast visiting one of the area parks/lakeside beaches, riding a wonderful bike path, and jumping off of the breakwall. There's even the opportunity for salmon fishing during the salmon run in the late summer/early fall! As far as cultural immersion goes, the Odawa Indian Tribe has multiple educational events throughout the year/summer that are pretty interesting to say the least.

Moving on to Charlevoix: I haven't spent much time there, but it does seem to be much smaller than Petoskey and with a lot less to do. They do, however, have a food truck festival, which runs periodically during the summer I believe (as one from NYC, that was a welcome relief). If you're passing through Charlevoix, try not to get stuck at the drawbridge!

While I've only been to Traverse City for its airport or for the occasional meal, it seems beautiful (Petoskey on a slightly grander scale).

[chh]

Either Boyne City or Petoskey. Both have great schools, great communities, and stuff to do. Live in Petoskey if you don't mind it being more touristy and want more stuff to do in the winter, live in Boyne City if you like it less touristy, don't mind it being more dead in the winter, and you don't mind driving to Petoskey alot. Both have easy access to parks and things to do outdoors, and the Boyne Mountain ski resort is just south of Boyne City. I'd say it's a toss up on which is better for year round living.