[Coney]

Interlochen is very nice. If you wish to pursue additional training in the arts, it is "magical." But somehow, I don't think this is what the OP is looking for.

[secondbreakfast]

Originally Posted by djmilf

I had thought that the OP was looking for an arts community centered upon the physical arts such as painting, pottery, etc. - basically an Asheville or Raleigh, but in Michigan, not North Carolina.

Michigan's Asheville is what I think OP is going for. I don't want to burst the OP's bubble, but there's a reason why artsy places tend to be located in expensive resort towns and college towns. Artists depend on wealthy patrons for their survival, so they locate their studios where there's money. Not to say that there isn't art going on elsewhere, but it's the "I made this table out of driftwood" type of arts, which I don't think is what the OP had in mind.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by TLRaymond7730

So...I am a single professional female looking to move to a magical small town in Michigan after having spent 20 years in the Army. I am looking for a thriving arts/creativity scene with local festivals and happenings close to a lake or river. Would love it if housing prices were not astronomical. Looking for quirky and fun but with a population not solely university kids. Looking for grownups and adventure. Where should I move, Hive Mind Friends?

Definitely Saugatuck-Douglas! I see Asheville referenced in the thread and would say the arts community is similar as a frequent visitor to both. There really is something about Saugatuck-Douglas that brings people back and/or want to live there.

[trailstothesea]

Originally Posted by secondbreakfast

Michigan's Asheville is what I think OP is going for. I don't want to burst the OP's bubble, but there's a reason why artsy places tend to be located in expensive resort towns and college towns. Artists depend on wealthy patrons for their survival, so they locate their studios where there's money. Not to say that there isn't art going on elsewhere, but it's the "I made this table out of driftwood" type of arts, which I don't think is what the OP had in mind.

Coming in here to say I am an Ashevillian looking for this. But not what Asheville, or Ann Arbor, are today, but more like 25-30 years ago. I want to be on the water and not inland, but I do admit I am a bit nervous about the Michigan cold and a little worried I will miss the mountains and memories I have here. However, my children have either long moved away, or are planning to. None of them want to raise their children here so my dreams of taking my grandchildren trick or treating in the same neighborhoods they did, or sharing our favorite hikes, or ice cream stomps isn't going to be a thing for me unless they come here on vacation. My husband and I are in our early 50's and too young to retire and feel like we have one more big move and new life ahead to explore and want something totally different. I have an aunt I am very close to in Hillside and family in the UP - which is definitely know is out of my comfort zone. We've been looking at houses online for the past six months and plan to take a trip up there this fall after we nail down our areas of most interest.
I have appreciated everyone's replies more than the original poster, I think. Thank you.

[michigan lizard]

Originally Posted by trailstothesea

Coming in here to say I am an Ashevillian looking for this. But not what Asheville, or Ann Arbor, are today, but more like 25-30 years ago. I want to be on the water and not inland, but I do admit I am a bit nervous about the Michigan cold and a little worried I will miss the mountains and memories I have here. However, my children have either long moved away, or are planning to. None of them want to raise their children here so my dreams of taking my grandchildren trick or treating in the same neighborhoods they did, or sharing our favorite hikes, or ice cream stomps isn't going to be a thing for me unless they come here on vacation. My husband and I are in our early 50's and too young to retire and feel like we have one more big move and new life ahead to explore and want something totally different. I have an aunt I am very close to in Hillside and family in the UP - which is definitely know is out of my comfort zone. We've been looking at houses online for the past six months and plan to take a trip up there this fall after we nail down our areas of most interest.
I have appreciated everyone's replies more than the original poster, I think. Thank you.

I don't know how affordable it is, but you might want to check out South Haven, too. It gets hillier and more scenic (and snowier in the winter) as you go up North along the coast.

[trailstothesea]

Originally Posted by michigan lizard

I don't know how affordable it is, but you might want to check out South Haven, too. It gets hillier and more scenic (and snowier in the winter) as you go up North along the coast.

Thank you for the suggestion. I checked it out and the prices are on the high end, but lower than other areas I have looked at and liked. You get a lot more for the money in MI than we could ever find here though. The problem nationwide is that vibrant desirable places to live have high prices that the artist, crafters, and musicians that built the town on can no longer afford to live there. The town loses its integrity. I have witnessed this so strongly in Asheville that there is not a lot of good energy left for me to feel here anymore. Most of our iconic restaurants here have long been sold and bought by a corporation - and the downtown became aimed at strictly for tourist business. I'm definitely not looking for that, but a downtown that takes pride and is diverse in a different way (that is Asheville today) would be ideal. Like a vibration inclusive to that town and not trying to appeal to tourism - if there is such a place. A town or city that feels strongly about organic farming and farm to table restaurants are a huge plus.

[mjlo]

Originally Posted by trailstothesea

Thank you for the suggestion. I checked it out and the prices are on the high end, but lower than other areas I have looked at and liked. You get a lot more for the money in MI than we could ever find here though. The problem nationwide is that vibrant desirable places to live have high prices that the artist, crafters, and musicians that built the town on can no longer afford to live there. The town loses its integrity. I have witnessed this so strongly in Asheville that there is not a lot of good energy left for me to feel here anymore. Most of our iconic restaurants here have long been sold and bought by a corporation - and the downtown became aimed at strictly for tourist business. I'm definitely not looking for that, but a downtown that takes pride and is diverse in a different way (that is Asheville today) would be ideal. Like a vibration inclusive to that town and not trying to appeal to tourism - if there is such a place. A town or city that feels strongly about organic farming and farm to table restaurants are a huge plus.

Unfortunately finding a place that attracts artists, but doesn't attract tourists, and the organic farming/farm to table stuff doesn't really exist as far as I can tell. Saugatuck definitely has tourists, but the residents of those cities have fought ferociously over the decades to keep out large scale development and maintain the small charm. Even with that it's overrun with Chicago and Detroit money and there are very few locals left.

I'd almost think you'd be better off finding a cheaper/out of the way place that hasn't developed the sort of things that make it more expensive and setting up there. Something al a Muskegon, or Ludington. Usually the artists come first and the environment builds organically.

[michigan lizard]

Originally Posted by mjlo

Unfortunately finding a place that attracts artists, but doesn't attract tourists, and the organic farming/farm to table stuff doesn't really exist as far as I can tell. Saugatuck definitely has tourists, but the residents of those cities have fought ferociously over the decades to keep out large scale development and maintain the small charm. Even with that it's overrun with Chicago and Detroit money and there are very few locals left.

I'd almost think you'd be better off finding a cheaper/out of the way place that hasn't developed the sort of things that make it more expensive and setting up there. Something al a Muskegon, or Ludington. Usually the artists come first and the environment builds organically.

Very true. Muskegon isn't exactly a small town, but there's arts there--musical and theater mostly, but also an art museum. Check out shows at the Frauenthal theatre, and McGraft park also has free concerts in the summer. Whitehall has a little bit, too, and is smaller. Ludington is a lovely small town in some parts, but not as artsy, imo. If you like fishing, though, you're set there. Pentwater is also good for fishing, and might be artsy, I'm not sure. That one may be worth checking out. (I've barely been through there, but my brother likes to fish there on occassion.)

[trailstothesea]

Originally Posted by mjlo

Unfortunately finding a place that attracts artists, but doesn't attract tourists, and the organic farming/farm to table stuff doesn't really exist as far as I can tell. Saugatuck definitely has tourists, but the residents of those cities have fought ferociously over the decades to keep out large scale development and maintain the small charm. Even with that it's overrun with Chicago and Detroit money and there are very few locals left.

I'd almost think you'd be better off finding a cheaper/out of the way place that hasn't developed the sort of things that make it more expensive and setting up there. Something al a Muskegon, or Ludington. Usually the artists come first and the environment builds organically.

That is exactly what I want. A non developed place that still has some soul. Interesting that you mention Muskegon because a set of my great grandparents are buried there. The crime statistics are very high online there and so I had kind of ruled it out to live there. When I was a child my father was stationed in Chicago and we would drive over to the cemetery, but I recall nothing of the area. It's on our areas to visit list this fall for that reason, so we will be checking it out. I'll check out Ludington now, thank you!

[mjlo]

Originally Posted by trailstothesea

That is exactly what I want. A non developed place that still has some soul. Interesting that you mention Muskegon because a set of my great grandparents are buried there. The crime statistics are very high online there and so I had kind of ruled it out to live there. When I was a child my father was stationed in Chicago and we would drive over to the cemetery, but I recall nothing of the area. It's on our areas to visit list this fall for that reason, so we will be checking it out. I'll check out Ludington now, thank you!

Muskegon has midwestern crime patterns. It’s different from southern crime patterns. In southern cities crime is more sporadic, pockets here and there. It a lot of cases the good neighborhoods overlap with the bad. It can be difficult to determine what areas to avoid. Midwestern cities tend to lack any grey area. Crime contained to whole quadrants of cities, while others feel quite safe and quaint. The downside is that it can be very obvious where the line between poverty and comfort is. The upside is that is much easier to know what areas to avoid for crime.

I don’t know Muskegon very well but my understanding is that unsafe areas are contained to very specific areas of the city/metro. There are many areas that are quite working class, but very safe. If you figure out what section of town could be at risk take it out if a search. That said Muskegon is a city of less than 40k people. As a matter of scale there’s only going to be so much actual crime. It may not be a” small magical town” but it’s definitely at the beginning of a resurgence in big part due to proximity to Grand Rapids. It may already have the resources and community you’re looking for.