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How did your decision turn out? I am currently in the same predicament. I have a good job in Chicago, but hate city living and don't want to be here the rest of my life. I'm pretty well established here and now have the opportunity to accept a position in Negaunee, Mi. I'm currently single, 22 years old and in a pretty good position financially (some money saved and no debt, own everything I have) as I have been working for the last 4-5 years. I've always been fond of the UP and Marquette seems like the best place to find work and start over. I know no one in the UP, have some family in Northern WI and I wouldn't be able to start taking many classes at NMU right away as I will have a full time position. I would love to go back to school and finish my degree but will mostly be limited to online courses due to a 8-5 Mon-Fri work schedule. I'm an outdoorsman and I cannot stand driving 2-3 hours any time I want to get to a remotely natural place.
Anyone who has any advice please chime in, I would greatly appreciate it.
-Nate
While I respect darstar's advice of sticking it out in Chicago and moving up here later in life, I can also respect your hatred of big city living. I've lived in Nashville, Tn. and a couple other big cities, and it wasn't for me. Yes, it's true that there are (typically) better options when it comes to employment in the big cities, but it also all depends upon exactly what field it is that you are currently in, or what field you would like to end up in.
I think a person's personal life/happiness is equally as important as their career path. There's also the whole "big fish in a little pond" versus the "little fish in a big pond" thing to consider. Again, better opportunities in a city like Chicago can be a pretty relative thing.
As for myself, my wife and I just moved our family up here from Florida and it has been the best decision we've ever made (at least so far). We were sick and tired of the endless summers and unmerciful humidity of Florida. After 6 years of planning a BIG move to "SOMEWHERE up North" (we had been considering Rapid City, SD, Caribou, Maine, and ANYWHERE in the U.P.), we finally decided on the U.P. So, on April 1st of this year, we arrived up here.
By the way, we COMPLETELY ignored the advice of pretty much EVERYBODY and took a gamble on K.I. Sawyer (the former Air Force base near Gwinn), and as I said, we are absolutely thrilled with our decision. We heard all the horror stories about crime in the area (ranging from drugs and gangs to petty theft and vandalism), but we took them with a grain of salt. Why? Because we are second amendment exercising Americans. We figured we would simply clean this neighborhood up OURSELVES, if push came to shove. Then we got up here and saw for ourselves that, while there are sporadic characters who look fairly shady, the worst ones we have seen (at least so far) don't look like they would pose much of a threat to just about ANY fairly fit person (man or woman, armed or otherwise).
To say that the reports of the criminal element here on base have been greatly exaggerated would be a tremendous understatement. In all fairness to the people who have made such claims, I guess I can't really speak for the entire base. I can only truly vouch for my street, and a couple other streets that some of our new friends live on. I can also say this for our new neighbors/friends...they are very respectful of the fact that my wife and I don't drink. That's more than I can say about some of our former friends in Florida. We've actually lost friends over such a stupid and trivial thing as that.
All in all, Yoopers are some of the most genuinely nice people you could ever hope to meet. The majority of the people we have been fortunate enough to meet up here would bend over backwards to help a complete stranger.
Oh yeah, on a side note: If you haven't researched K.I. Sawyer, you probably should. It's only 18.6 miles from Marquette, and the average rent here would blow your mind. You can get a 3 bed, 1 1/3 bath townhouse for UNDER $400 a month! Also, every place here comes with a full basement and at least a 1 car garage for that incredibly low price.
Depending on the type of car you have, it may or may not be super economical to drive into Marquette on a daily basis. As for me, I have a Suburban with a 350 Chevrolet engine and a 44 gallon gas tank. I only get between 10-15 miles per gallon, so it's not exactly the most practical vehicle for commuting, but then again, I don't have to drive into town every day, either.
I hope my comment will be of some kind of help to you. Take it for what it's worth, but from one very recent transplant to a potential transplant to the area, if you're looking for a peaceful place to call home, and you prefer that place to be "outdoorsy", you really can't go wrong ANYWHERE in the U.P. Good luck to you! Let me know what you decide, one way or the other. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. That's what I'm here for.
Everything is relative, so much depends on where you came from, your age , married or not , and if you have kids. If I had too chose Florida over the UP there would be little choice. Climate alone would drive me north ! Fact is , I have lived in Florida and after 5 years I sold out and moved to the Blue Ridge Mtn. In NC. Best thing I ever did considering it was almost the best of both worlds. At 4.000 ft we had cool summers, long Autumns and short winters. Granted at that elevation we had spikes down to 25 below and some winters lots of snow. We have the snow in the UP but if you are near the Big lake seldom does the temps go below 10 degrees.The UP in general moderates winter temps. Not so much down in Wi. Or over in Mn. Marquette reminds me of Anchorage, Ak. In many ways. A close comparison would be unfair considering the size of Anchorage , which is a big city by most any standards . Marquette County remains around 65,000. , a huge difference.
Chicago is another story, it's still Midwest , but with all the millions of people quite different than the small farm town I came from in Iowa. It took a while adjusting , over a year or more, and I lived in the far burbs, not in the downtown.Moving there changed my life in many ways, that alone gave me the tools to find success business wise and social wise, I had found home, everything fit for a single guy with a great job. I could not have come even close just about anywhere else. This is why I said , stay in Chicago till you have found your calling. I know it's not for everyone, nothing ever is , neither is the UP. I am glad you have found KI Sawyer home, that also has to compare with where you came from in Florida. The story of life , it depends........
Gator Guy;44124109]While I respect darstar's advice of sticking it out in Chicago and moving up here later in life, I can also respect your hatred of big city living. I've lived in Nashville, Tn. and a couple other big cities, and it wasn't for me. Yes, it's true that there are (typically) better options when it comes to employment in the big cities, but it also all depends upon exactly what field it is that you are currently in, or what field you would like to end up in.
I think a person's personal life/happiness is equally as important as their career path. There's also the whole "big fish in a little pond" versus the "little fish in a big pond" thing to consider. Again, better opportunities in a city like Chicago can be a pretty relative thing.
As for myself, my wife and I just moved our family up here from Florida and it has been the best decision we've ever made (at least so far). We were sick and tired of the endless summers and unmerciful humidity of Florida. After 6 years of planning a BIG move to "SOMEWHERE up North" (we had been considering Rapid City, SD, Caribou, Maine, and ANYWHERE in the U.P.), we finally decided on the U.P. So, on April 1st of this year, we arrived up here.
By the way, we COMPLETELY ignored the advice of pretty much EVERYBODY and took a gamble on K.I. Sawyer (the former Air Force base near Gwinn), and as I said, we are absolutely thrilled with our decision. We heard all the horror stories about crime in the area (ranging from drugs and gangs to petty theft and vandalism), but we took them with a grain of salt. Why? Because we are second amendment exercising Americans. We figured we would simply clean this neighborhood up OURSELVES, if push came to shove. Then we got up here and saw for ourselves that, while there are sporadic characters who look fairly shady, the worst ones we have seen (at least so far) don't look like they would pose much of a threat to just about ANY fairly fit person (man or woman, armed or otherwise).
To say that the reports of the criminal element here on base have been greatly exaggerated would be a tremendous understatement. In all fairness to the people who have made such claims, I guess I can't really speak for the entire base. I can only truly vouch for my street, and a couple other streets that some of our new friends live on. I can also say this for our new neighbors/friends...they are very respectful of the fact that my wife and I don't drink. That's more than I can say about some of our former friends in Florida. We've actually lost friends over such a stupid and trivial thing as that.
All in all, Yoopers are some of the most genuinely nice people you could ever hope to meet. The majority of the people we have been fortunate enough to meet up here would bend over backwards to help a complete stranger.
Oh yeah, on a side note: If you haven't researched K.I. Sawyer, you probably should. It's only 18.6 miles from Marquette, and the average rent here would blow your mind. You can get a 3 bed, 1 1/3 bath townhouse for UNDER $400 a month! Also, every place here comes with a full basement and at least a 1 car garage for that incredibly low price.
Depending on the type of car you have, it may or may not be super economical to drive into Marquette on a daily basis. As for me, I have a Suburban with a 350 Chevrolet engine and a 44 gallon gas tank. I only get between 10-15 miles per gallon, so it's not exactly the most practical vehicle for commuting, but then again, I don't have to drive into town every day, either.
I hope my comment will be of some kind of help to you. Take it for what it's worth, but from one very recent transplant to a potential transplant to the area, if you're looking for a peaceful place to call home, and you prefer that place to be "outdoorsy", you really can't go wrong ANYWHERE in the U.P. Good luck to you! Let me know what you decide, one way or the other. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. That's what I'm here for.[/quote]
I really appreciate the advice. I am currently holding the highest position possible in my current job and there really isn't much I could not do if the owner of the business (I run a full service auto repair shop) left tomorrow. We are very highly rated, I know there is opportunity associated with staying in the City and the shop isn't going anywhere for some time. At the same time I've been there since I was 16 years old and have moved through the ranks well to the position that I've been at for the last two years and there really isn't any room to move up without switching careers. I have the opportunity to run a shop In Marquette, I am interviewing this Monday, and if I get the job I will basically be running the show from what I understand. As long as the money is fairly close (within 8K/year) I think I'll take the job. I will also be attending NMU to further my education and explore areas of interest that simply aren't offered or easy to pursue in Chicago. One major part of this decision for me is cost of living. I currently make about $48,000/year which doesn't get you much in the City, your sure can't afford to buy a home. I live frugally and take on many side jobs so I am able to save about 35% of my income and have no debt. $48k or even $40K in Marquette would go a long ways compared to Chicago, you can live very well, even on much less than that based on research I have done.
I've been in Chicago my entire life and have always aspired to leave. I feel as though if I stay here much longer I will be stuck here - I really appreciate the contrasting feedback as it is forcing me to think harder about a life changing decision that I must make very shortly. If I make this move I believe it will challenge me in a number of ways and I honestly am looking forward to that. Marquette has a lot of pluses in my book and I'm looking forward to giving it a thorough once over when I'm there today and tomorrow. I received a lot of mixed feedback form friend and acquaintances of mine, a few of whom have even lived in Marquette and attended NMU. They are the ones who have ben encouraging me to do this. I travel to the U.P. about three times a year and only have enough time to stay for a few days, I have done some week long stints in some of the amazing national forests that Michigan offers.
Here's a question - what's the worst that could happen? IMO - I hate Marquette and everything about it plus I'm now out of a job in Chicago. What to do - move back home and find another job? Tavel the U.S. and find another place I'd actually enjoy living in? Go back to school and actually get a degree in something that will propel me forward?
The possibilities are endless and I believe that if I decide to follow through with this I'm still young and can afford to screw up a few times. I have no debt and have saved my money with the hopes of leaving the city one day.
I'll keep you all posted as to my decisions and how easy the move turn out to be if it happens at all.
Once again thanks for the feedback and I'd be curious to see how Alex's decision turned out.
You sound like you have your head screwed on right, plan ahead, am a self starter.?......I say you are ready to make the move. Go , now before you change your mind.! Marquette is on ther edge of becoming a boom city, Investors are dumping millions into Marquette, for long range returns mostly , but not all. Service businesses are in demand, skilled workers can name their place to work, every field is short on skilled workers.
Soon Marquette will become a destination City, a goal all places want, especiallly in less populated parts of the country. Interest rates are at an alltime low, have been for a long time, and that is about to change, as the Fed WILL up interest rates....then away we go, and fast !! In the meantime Investors ,especially in Chicago, have found Marquette ! There is a 900 million Mall,water park, condos, hotel, and gaming comming, that alone is set to transform Marquette into that destination City they have been hoping for for a long time. Right now is a good time to be here, especially for young, skilled, self starters like yourself.....Pack your bags !!.
While I respect darstar's advice of sticking it out in Chicago and moving up here later in life, I can also respect your hatred of big city living. I've lived in Nashville, Tn. and a couple other big cities, and it wasn't for me. Yes, it's true that there are (typically) better options when it comes to employment in the big cities, but it also all depends upon exactly what field it is that you are currently in, or what field you would like to end up in.
I think a person's personal life/happiness is equally as important as their career path. There's also the whole "big fish in a little pond" versus the "little fish in a big pond" thing to consider. Again, better opportunities in a city like Chicago can be a pretty relative thing.
As for myself, my wife and I just moved our family up here from Florida and it has been the best decision we've ever made (at least so far). We were sick and tired of the endless summers and unmerciful humidity of Florida. After 6 years of planning a BIG move to "SOMEWHERE up North" (we had been considering Rapid City, SD, Caribou, Maine, and ANYWHERE in the U.P.), we finally decided on the U.P. So, on April 1st of this year, we arrived up here.
By the way, we COMPLETELY ignored the advice of pretty much EVERYBODY and took a gamble on K.I. Sawyer (the former Air Force base near Gwinn), and as I said, we are absolutely thrilled with our decision. We heard all the horror stories about crime in the area (ranging from drugs and gangs to petty theft and vandalism), but we took them with a grain of salt. Why? Because we are second amendment exercising Americans. We figured we would simply clean this neighborhood up OURSELVES, if push came to shove. Then we got up here and saw for ourselves that, while there are sporadic characters who look fairly shady, the worst ones we have seen (at least so far) don't look like they would pose much of a threat to just about ANY fairly fit person (man or woman, armed or otherwise).
To say that the reports of the criminal element here on base have been greatly exaggerated would be a tremendous understatement. In all fairness to the people who have made such claims, I guess I can't really speak for the entire base. I can only truly vouch for my street, and a couple other streets that some of our new friends live on. I can also say this for our new neighbors/friends...they are very respectful of the fact that my wife and I don't drink. That's more than I can say about some of our former friends in Florida. We've actually lost friends over such a stupid and trivial thing as that.
All in all, Yoopers are some of the most genuinely nice people you could ever hope to meet. The majority of the people we have been fortunate enough to meet up here would bend over backwards to help a complete stranger.
Oh yeah, on a side note: If you haven't researched K.I. Sawyer, you probably should. It's only 18.6 miles from Marquette, and the average rent here would blow your mind. You can get a 3 bed, 1 1/3 bath townhouse for UNDER $400 a month! Also, every place here comes with a full basement and at least a 1 car garage for that incredibly low price.
Depending on the type of car you have, it may or may not be super economical to drive into Marquette on a daily basis. As for me, I have a Suburban with a 350 Chevrolet engine and a 44 gallon gas tank. I only get between 10-15 miles per gallon, so it's not exactly the most practical vehicle for commuting, but then again, I don't have to drive into town every day, either.
I hope my comment will be of some kind of help to you. Take it for what it's worth, but from one very recent transplant to a potential transplant to the area, if you're looking for a peaceful place to call home, and you prefer that place to be "outdoorsy", you really can't go wrong ANYWHERE in the U.P. Good luck to you! Let me know what you decide, one way or the other. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. That's what I'm here for.
You've only been there a month and haven't experienced one winter. I'm glad you've had a good experience so far and hope it continues. But its a little early in the game to be so sure.
While sticking it out in Chicago is sound advice, and the OP should probably heed it. However, the heart wants what it wants. While it may look like a good decision to wait on paper, if there is an opportunity (a real, concrete, actual working offer of a job that will pay the bills, etc.), why not now? If you are essentially wanting to work to support a lifestyle that is all about being outdoorsy-like, then I would investigate it--look at how much it will actually cost to move, how much adequate housing will run you, where you will want to live, what commuting in a UP winter might involve, whether you really want to give up the convenience and amenities of city living, if the climate is something you can live with, etc. It may sound great, but you need to evaluate practical information. This is a beautiful place, and I love living here. But it's not for everyone, and it can be harsh both weather-wise and for the isolation-averse.
You sound like you have your head screwed on right, plan ahead, am a self starter.?......I say you are ready to make the move. Go , now before you change your mind.! Marquette is on ther edge of becoming a boom city, Investors are dumping millions into Marquette, for long range returns mostly , but not all. Service businesses are in demand, skilled workers can name their place to work, every field is short on skilled workers.
Soon Marquette will become a destination City, a goal all places want, especiallly in less populated parts of the country. Interest rates are at an alltime low, have been for a long time, and that is about to change, as the Fed WILL up interest rates....then away we go, and fast !! In the meantime Investors ,especially in Chicago, have found Marquette ! There is a 900 million Mall,water park, condos, hotel, and gaming comming, that alone is set to transform Marquette into that destination City they have been hoping for for a long time. Right now is a good time to be here, especially for young, skilled, self starters like yourself.....Pack your bags !!.
Daystar - Do you believe Marquette is going to become the northern version of Traverse City?
Last edited by ravennorth; 05-24-2016 at 12:48 PM..
Daystar - Do you believe Marquette is going to become the northern version of Traverse City?
No, Marquette has tried to plan its future , starting the last 30-40 years. Quite different than TC which gave up most of its lake shore to development. Only one road in and out of town, I know spent a week there 2 years ago, much prefer Marquette. Forty plus years ago, Marquette was a real dump.Dirty, polluted , run down , just too many years of being an industrial city and a major seaport on the Great Lakes. Tourist was far from anyone's mind, the income for most people came from the mines, then the Medical , then NMU. ...and KI Sawyer Air Force Base. When the base closed they lost 10,000 jobs, somthing had to be done. The city started on a plan for the future, with cleaning up the lakefront, building more bike trails than anywhere in the US , lots of protected parks and wild areas for hiking, biking , and just outside the city , snow machine trails. The city has won eight many, many awards for what was done and what was created. One of the big things was the restoration of downtown, it's got national fame, winning the title as best restoration city in the Country. ....yet, Marquette was still not a destination city unless you were delivering coal by freighter and exporting ore from the mines. The good bones were here to build on , it just took lots of fortitude and time to make the Queen City , the capital of the UP , into a place people want to move too, retire too , and now , become a destination city on the Northern Tier. The days are gone when you could compare TC with MQT. Apples and oranges.
No, Marquette has tried to plan its future , starting the last 30-40 years. Quite different than TC which gave up most of its lake shore to development. Only one road in and out of town, I know spent a week there 2 years ago, much prefer Marquette. Forty plus years ago, Marquette was a real dump.Dirty, polluted , run down , just too many years of being an industrial city and a major seaport on the Great Lakes. Tourist was far from anyone's mind, the income for most people came from the mines, then the Medical , then NMU. ...and KI Sawyer Air Force Base. When the base closed they lost 10,000 jobs, somthing had to be done. The city started on a plan for the future, with cleaning up the lakefront, building more bike trails than anywhere in the US , lots of protected parks and wild areas for hiking, biking , and just outside the city , snow machine trails. The city has won eight many, many awards for what was done and what was created. One of the big things was the restoration of downtown, it's got national fame, winning the title as best restoration city in the Country. ....yet, Marquette was still not a destination city unless you were delivering coal by freighter and exporting ore from the mines. The good bones were here to build on , it just took lots of fortitude and time to make the Queen City , the capital of the UP , into a place people want to move too, retire too , and now , become a destination city on the Northern Tier. The days are gone when you could compare TC with MQT. Apples and oranges.
Very well put. We lived in TC before coming back to Marquette. TC is lovely, but I can say I enjoy visiting more than I ever liked living there. One thing I love abt Marquette is that I literally cannot get through the day without seeing the lake. It is here for everyone. All the most beautiful places in Marquette are open for us to enjoy. We have most of the amenities of a larger town. Not all, certainly. But it's worth what we don't have.
Interestingly, a few years back Marquette looked closely at the development in TC with the express purpose of not becoming the TC of the north. With a couple of exceptions (most notably the condos on the south side of downtown), things have been handled well. There's also an understanding that development managed well is necessary to sustainable growth.
Development will at some point be a pressure even for Marquette. People want it, you see it here and everywhere - we want more people, more businesses, more places to live. Sure it can be done well, till the wealthy want what the wealthy want. Marquette's day will come.
Ach, didn't mean to get off track....
I struggle with the TC vs. Marquette thing.
Curious - When I look at snow and daylight maps There is a half circle with TC in the center that is like the worst. If blue is the least amount of sunlight in the country - TC is the same color as the PNW. Also pretty up there for snow.
So what is the difference in sunlight etc btw the two?
I would think
1) length of winter, longer in Marquette
2) more than the 80-100" of snow that TC gets? IDK
3) Sunlight - i.e. fewer cloudy days - what say you all? (and if there is more sunlight are the days significantly shorter? by being further north)
And one last thing that gives me pause - bug season. Btween winter, black flies and mosquito I keep thinking the only time I'd really enjoy being outside is Jul, Aug, Sept, Oct.
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Boom City?
