[michmoldman]

Originally Posted by darstar

You need to read jeeg's story again...

Lol..that is a great little story.

[darstar]

Originally Posted by jeeg

My wife works for a local utility company here in Marquette and deals with the public every day....... mostly people starting/stopping service and making payments. There are a lot of people who move here, stay for months to a few years..... and then get out. Almost always the gripe is about the winter. She was just telling me about one the other day, the gentleman said winter's almost here and he just can't face another U.P. winter, so he's moving south. You also have a lot of people who have lived here most of their lives, their family has moved on, and they can no longer handle the cold so they head south.

That's why I said I'm thankful that the winters will always moderate the growth.
But my wife and I are obviously examples of Darstar's illustration. We left and came back to stay

As for affordability........ We currently rent a home in Marquette. This is our fourth home in the area.
We are seriously planning on buying a home this coming Spring/Summer but there's no way we can afford a place in Marquette. At best it would be scraping the bottom of the barrel of available houses here in our price range, and maxing out what we can afford to pay monthly which is no way to live.
So we'll be purchasing something 15 - 30 miles out and commuting in for work & play. Which is a bit misleading because we spend a lot of our time playing in the wilderness all around here and we're avid gardeners who look forward to having a few acres to sculpt to our desires (and to help feed our growing brood).

As for us common folks affording to eat along the waterfront..... our 11th wedding anniversary was a couple weeks ago. Want to guess where we went out to eat? Donckers. It's what we could afford. That and we just can't fathom paying $40 - $50+ dollars just for a meal for the two of us (on our very rare date nights)! We're excellent cooks ourselves and thus rarely have the desire to eat out. That kind of money can buy a lot of top quality ingredients for several meals.
Different strokes for different folks...... as it should be.

Just for the record, Donckers does have great sandwiches there!! I was impressed. Friendly folks too

I sneek in there during the summer , for some of their hand packed Ice cream at 4.00 a pint...well worth it, but not too often !

Yes , we all have our piorities, and , things change with time. You are young , someday your kids will be grown , and you can retire. I work more now than I did when I was working it seems. Building a house can be a big undertaking, especially when you are your own GC and are building with proceeds from retirement, and not a Big bank loan.
Retired folks have to watch their pennies too, don't get the wrong idea about most folks here in Marquette. Its still a middle class town. Look around and you will see, not everyone lives on the shore.... I have found that going out for lunch at a favorite pricy place downtown, can be just as rewarding as for dinner , and , at less than half the price. The average home here is not much over 100,000 , so it can be a very reasonable place to put down roots. ( Compared to any big city in a nice neiborhood). The nice thing is its THERE , if and when you can justify it.

[joemits]

for what it is worth~ Mqt to Chitown is only 6 hrs, Milwaukee about 5 and Mpls closer to 7. Detroit is almost a full 8 hr shift.

[jeeg]

Joemits - Do you take 41 down towards Escanaba and over, or do you take 28 out to 95 and down?

We have yet to make that trip from here.

[darstar]

Originally Posted by joemits

for what it is worth~ Mqt to Chitown is only 6 hrs, Milwaukee about 5 and Mpls closer to 7. Detroit is almost a full 8 hr shift.

I just got back from Chicago Sunday. I was staying on the north side far suburbs , so it was closer , and still , it took me 7 hours. ( I did drive in rain all the way, and there was some construction south of Milwaukee to fight). I stopped for fuel once and a quick bite to eat, that was it. Going down last week , It took 8 hours, heavy traffic and lots of construction.... Maybe I drive slow ? ( 60-70 ) I always take 35 and with the new four lane north of Green Bay , its an easier trip.
MPLS is closer in miles , but less four lane.

[joemits]

Funny I was just there too, about 6.25 hrs with good weather one stop for fuel and coffee no meal (eat with pals in Chi) But if you hit heavy traffic just outside/in chicago all bets are off. :-)!

[joemits]

Jeg- I usually take 41 to Esky/ Menominee, Greenbay, Milwaukee. same as Darstar except he takes 35 to Esky as he lives by the ski hill. Maybe I drive a bit faster than I should and I don't eat on the road but wait until I get in the city and hook up with friends.

[jeeg]

Thanks guys. Wife's coworker says she takes 41 to Esky but maps.google.com says to go west to Republic and drop down which led to my curiousity

[darstar]

Originally Posted by joemits

Funny I was just there too, about 6.25 hrs with good weather one stop for fuel and coffee no meal (eat with pals in Chi) But if you hit heavy traffic just outside/in chicago all bets are off. :-)!

Yes , I know the feeling, can be a parking lot at times , in rush hour and constrution. I did stop for coffee and that bite to eat was about 30 min., so , I guess depending on where you are going , 6 hours could be easy, maybe 5 with the hammer down and no traffic. I was staying in Lake Forest , so that cuts 30 min off right there, from downtown. Having an Ipass helps a lot, and they work all over the Country now.

[danielj72]

Originally Posted by darstar

When we are young , we go where we have to , mostly to further our career, or to not pass up needed jobs.... I always tell disgruntled kids, when they complain about local lack of opportunities, and or social life...." Pack it up , move to Chicago , make your mark,save your coin, then , when the time is right, come back home and enjoy the fruits of your labor". If you can't make it in Chicago , you won't do well anywhere. Nothings worse than not fulling your abilities, and your talents.... If I were young again , I seriously would consider Northern Canada....depending of coarse on the field I was in.

It does not always pay to move from a smaller place to the big city to "make your mark". I live in a very small town, liveable homes can be had for 60k, very nice ones for 100k. You may only make 30k a year, but with cost of living so cheap, you can do it. If your not commuting to a super career and just accept the local job market, you save lots of time and money on fuel as well. Now if you do run off to the big city so you can be somebody important there is a cost. First you will pay triple or quadrouple for a house. Also a big career often means a big expensive education. When you do land the big job its also necessary to buy the right cloths, drive the right car and live in the right neighborhood in order to project an image of success and confidence. If you do not do these things your new career will stagnate or die. Image is everything in a world like that. When you factor in the cost of the expensive house, the cars, the commute and all the trappings of the so called sucessful life is it worth it??? Sometimes I really wonder if those people live any better than those of us who stay in podunk and never amount to anything other than a store clerk, or an employee at a small manufacturing facility. We have a relaxed life and less stress. Often you will find small town people are living in bigger houses, own more land than do those running the rat race in Chicago. Skip the expensive University degree, skip the move to some expensive city, skip the stress of ladder climbing, then go get a job and save what you can, live within your means and when its all said and done you will be no worse off for it. The only difference is that you will have enjoyed your middle years alot more than if you spent them ladder climbing in corporate America and playing the game.