[questioner]

Hi, which city would be a better place to settle down into to live-Duluth,Mn, Milwaukee,Wi, or Grand Rapids,Mi area(i.e. Holland,Mi)? please assume that i could get equally good jobs in all those locations.
I'd like to know which place has better (more continental) climate? I don't mind snow at all, but i hate high humidity and rain. Thats why i hate NYC. Is it possible to run along the beach year round in Holland,Mi? Or Oct-Dec and Feb-May the snow keeps falling and then melting all the time? Is it true that the shore of western michigan and lake superior is not as nice to swim in as east michigan? I really like the photos of ludington,mi... Also i dont care about the cold, i might swim even in freezing temps if only for 1-2mins, but i like it if the shore has no rocks on it,etc. Can you buy a boat and make trips from Holland,Mi or Milwaukee to Chicago,Il along the lake?
Also Milwaukee and Grand Rapids are as close to Chicago as Duluth,Mn is to Minneapolis. So can get access to the big cities on the weekends. Are there any difference in culture though, between Duluth, Grand Rapids, etc? Which place has better high schools? Which places have more opportunities/interest in tennis, skiing, cycling?

Also, if someone is really interested in sunshine and mountain climbing or hiking, should he seriously consider teton county,wy or lake tahoe area even if he couldnt get the same qol(or job) and even if he'd have no access to the big cities like chicago?
thanks a lot!

[magellan]

Originally Posted by questioner

Hi, which city would be a better place to settle down into to live-Duluth,Mn, Milwaukee,Wi, or Grand Rapids,Mi area(i.e. Holland,Mi)? please assume that i could get equally good jobs in all those locations.
I'd like to know which place has better (more continental) climate? I don't mind snow at all, but i hate high humidity and rain. Thats why i hate NYC. Is it possible to run along the beach year round in Holland,Mi? Or Oct-Dec and Feb-May the snow keeps falling and then melting all the time? Is it true that the shore of western michigan and lake superior is not as nice to swim in as east michigan? I really like the photos of ludington,mi... Also i dont care about the cold, i might swim even in freezing temps if only for 1-2mins, but i like it if the shore has no rocks on it,etc. Can you buy a boat and make trips from Holland,Mi or Milwaukee to Chicago,Il along the lake?
Also Milwaukee and Grand Rapids are as close to Chicago as Duluth,Mn is to Minneapolis. So can get access to the big cities on the weekends. Are there any difference in culture though, between Duluth, Grand Rapids, etc? Which place has better high schools? Which places have more opportunities/interest in tennis, skiing, cycling?

Also, if someone is really interested in sunshine and mountain climbing or hiking, should he seriously consider teton county,wy or lake tahoe area even if he couldnt get the same qol(or job) and even if he'd have no access to the big cities like chicago?
thanks a lot!

I've never been to Duluth, but I live in Grand Rapids now. I'll try to field some of these:

1) Run along the beach year round? If you don't mind running in snow. Once December comes, the snow stays on the ground (some of it melts, more falls, etc.) pretty much through February.

2) The Western coast of Michigan (on Lake Michigan) has probably some of the best beaches in the country (no lie), and is much more sandy with a lot of dunes than the Eastern part of Michigan, and the Eastern part of Wisconsin and Minnesota. A ton of inland lakes with connections to Lake Michigan also exist along the Western part of Michigan (like Ludington and many others).

3) Yes, you can take a boat from Holland (Lake Macatawa), and many other lakes along the coast, and travel up the coast line or to Chicago. You need a pretty good sized boat (bigger than a 19' ski boat) for safety reasons, and it helps to have a sleeping cabin. Many of the marinas have slips that you can rent for a night. The lakes are almost like mini oceans, and storms can come up from virtually nowhere, so definitely classes in boating on the big lakes are a must if you're new at it and plan to do some long-distance boating. There are coast guard stations at pretty much every coastal town for assistance, and "safe havens" (channels that lead to inland lakes) every 10 - 20 miles or so to escape storms if need be, gas up, eat, see the sights, etc..

3) Lake Superior is very cold and rocky for swimming. The water temperature seldom gets above 60 degrees.

Hope that helps.

[tuebor]

I've heard that the prevailing west-to-east weather patterns make the east shores of Lakes Michigan and Huron nicer (as in sandy beaches vs. rocky or swampy shores), meaning that the west coast of the state of Michigan is nicer than the east coast of Wisconsin, and the west coast of the province of Ontario is nicer than the east coast of Michigan. I don't know if this is true, but I know that Muskegon (where I live) has beautiful sandy beaches (Pere Marquette beach was recently rated the nations cleanest, I hear), and so does Pinery Provincial Park in Ontario.

[conovercourt]

One exception I found to Lake Superior's coldness is at Marquette, where their public beach is on a shallow cove. I grew up swimming in Lakes Michigan and Huron, and I bragged to my Native California wife how cold we Michiganders liked our lakes.
But the water at the beach in Marquette (late summer) felt like bathwater!

[Great Lakes Pirate]

IMO- Duluth hasn't nearly as much going for it as Grand Rapids.

But Bayfield WI and Grand Marais, MN can match Holland-Grand Haven-Saugutauk for livibality. Lk Michigan beaches are sandier than Lk Superior's -- but the big lake has more & more seculed beaches.

[jeeg]

I live right off of Lake Superior now but I'm from the Grand Rapids area.
Definitely sounds like Grand Rapids - Holland area is what you're looking for