[anticloud]

My husband is a bicycle enthusiast and I am a very artsy, creative type. We're both outdoorsy, heavily tattooed people who like coffee shops and camping. We have a six year old son as well. We're looking for a new home and we are both from up north (Chicago and Akron), but currently live in SC and have had enough of the heat. We love small towns and slow paced living. I narrowed down a large list of small bicycle friendly towns in our price range and arrived upon Marquette Michigan, which is funny because my husband works for the University of Michigan. Anyway, I was just kind of curious what the "vibe" is there? What's it like living there? What are the locals like?

[danielj72]

I've never lived there but it is a beautiful place, in fact it's one of the most beautiful places in the entire Midwest IMO. If your outdoorsy then you would find it to be a paradise. I also remember there is a nice walkway along the lakefront, and there is a super nice park ( preusqe isle or something like that). I doubt being tattooed and hanging out at coffee shops will be a problem in a town full of millenials going to NMU.

You will face a climate shock coming from SC. It is very cold and snowy there, snow by the FOOT. if you move there be prepared for the very long cold time of year. It can snow there late September thru may. Winter is serious business up there. Winter issues aside I love Marquette Michigan, it is a very unique and beautiful place.

[leebeemi]

Marquette is...hipster heaven, artsy to a ridiculous degree, and a foodie's delight. We have several breweries and a strong small business community. We are friendly, open, and quirky. Tattoos? Absolutely! Coffee shops? Oh, yeah, and more coming. Bicycle friendly? 12 months of the year.

I love it here. Full disclosure, I don't bike. But it is huge here.
There are trails for every kind of biking. It's a thing. We have an abundance of great camping in close proximity (even in town). We have so many recreational opportunities-- downhill & Xcntry skiing, paddleboarding, hiking, kayaking...

While we are a small town, we have amazing restaurants. We even have amazing food trucks. There's a great farmer's market from May to Oct.

Yes, our weather is a challenge for some. Winter isn't the worst, actually. I think the worst was today--rainy & 53 degrees, with a stiff wind off the lake. We have had a chilly summer, and likely means Lake Superior will not warm up enough to swim in. That gets a little hard to take! Hopefully, August will be nicer.

All in all, this is a really nice town, with really nice people. Weird, but nice.

[anticloud]

Originally Posted by leebeemi

Marquette is...hipster heaven, artsy to a ridiculous degree, and a foodie's delight. We have several breweries and a strong small business community. We are friendly, open, and quirky. Tattoos? Absolutely! Coffee shops? Oh, yeah, and more coming. Bicycle friendly? 12 months of the year.

I love it here. Full disclosure, I don't bike. But it is huge here.
There are trails for every kind of biking. It's a thing. We have an abundance of great camping in close proximity (even in town). We have so many recreational opportunities-- downhill & Xcntry skiing, paddleboarding, hiking, kayaking...

While we are a small town, we have amazing restaurants. We even have amazing food trucks. There's a great farmer's market from May to Oct.

Yes, our weather is a challenge for some. Winter isn't the worst, actually. I think the worst was today--rainy & 53 degrees, with a stiff wind off the lake. We have had a chilly summer, and likely means Lake Superior will not warm up enough to swim in. That gets a little hard to take! Hopefully, August will be nicer.

All in all, this is a really nice town, with really nice people. Weird, but nice.

This all sounds really great! Thank you for taking the time to answer. I was curious, do you know anything about rock picking on the beaches? I have been looking around online and see you have some beautiful rocks and even "sea" glass. I make jewelry from various recycled and natural materials including rock. Are there many beaches close by to do this at?

[leebeemi]

Originally Posted by anticloud

This all sounds really great! Thank you for taking the time to answer. I was curious, do you know anything about rock picking on the beaches? I have been looking around online and see you have some beautiful rocks and even "sea" glass. I make jewelry from various recycled and natural materials including rock. Are there many beaches close by to do this at?

Yes. Many. I have a good friend who picks for sea glass & has started making jewelry. I think every one of my windowsills is filled with beach stones! I love finding quartz, and am particularly jazzed when I find a nice fossil.

[Jay_F]

I'm considering Marquette as well for a new home (I'm retired), and would like to ask about the tourist season. This one issue has me wondering about its effect on the quality of life for year round residents -- Heavy traffic, crime spikes, obnoxious tourists, DUI's, noise levels, etc. Not knocking tourists per se, only that I lived nearly on a very popular lake in NW PA, and there was a very definite vibe change to the area/town, during the heavy influx of tourists. Thank you.

[homeschooldad1]

Even when the tourist invade its generally not a big problem except for the 3 big holiday weekends of the summer. Otherwise traffic is up a bit but I can still relax and have the entire beech to myself during the summer, especially on a weekday. The UP is quite basically all year because its so remote. But be prepared for the brutal winters which help make this paradise so quite.

[leebeemi]

Originally Posted by Jay_F

I'm considering Marquette as well for a new home (I'm retired), and would like to ask about the tourist season. This one issue has me wondering about its effect on the quality of life for year round residents -- Heavy traffic, crime spikes, obnoxious tourists, DUI's, noise levels, etc. Not knocking tourists per se, only that I lived nearly on a very popular lake in NW PA, and there was a very definite vibe change to the area/town, during the heavy influx of tourists. Thank you.

Well, traffic does get heavy during tourist season. And it gets harder to get a seat at restaurants at peak times. But there are some factors that are a little different.

We are a tourist destination, but also a university town. So our population ebbs & flows pretty regularly. We've got the Hiawatha Music Festival coming up, and things will get a little crazy around here. I'd happily leave town during that time of year! But we have the amenities we have because of these tourists. I had company this weekend, and we ate out 3 times. We chose our times carefully (early for dinner 2 nights, late for lunch the 3rd day), and were able to be seated right away. Finding a parking spot right downtown can be tricky, too. But there are lots all over, even if it means you have to walk a block to your destination. My biggest problem is dropping my daughter off for dance class--there's a loading/unloading zone outside of the building, and there are cars parking in it, so I have to drop her off a block away. Not a huge deal, but it irritates me. BTW, those cars do end up ticketed, so Marquette is definitely a place to heed "no parking" signs.

But there are always places to go to get away from the crowds. If I need peace & quiet, I can find it.

One thing about noise levels--there is no one area in town that is for student rentals. They are all over. We've had a few run-ins with very disruptive students. Some of those were resolved easily. Others took a little more involvement, but we live in a very stable, quiet neighborhood now. After an experience with a bad bunch of renters, the guy who owns the house across the street from us turned his place into a duplex that is a vacation rental. MUCH nicer now!

There are a couple of weeks in the year when the university is closed, and it's not big tourist season--between Xmas & the New Year, for example--when it is quiet, quiet, quiet in town. It's sort of eerie!I prefer a little bustle!

[michikawa]

Marquette is very nice, and all different types of people get along well. It's a live and let live place where people rely on their neighbors, partly because the place is so isolated that people need to patronize one another to keep the market alive, and partly because the weather can be so brutal that people wouldn't last without aiding each other.

As long as one does their fair share and doesn't go around pushing an agenda, the community will welcome them.

There are extensive road and mountain biking resources in Marquette and the UP, and they're usually allied with the snowmobilers and cross-country skiers with regards to trail development.

Originally Posted by Jay_F

Heavy traffic, crime spikes, obnoxious tourists, DUI's, noise levels, etc.

Traffic seems to be up this summer as the community has been on a PR campaign the past couple of years trying to draw more tourist (and potential new residents) up; the old mining economy is slowly dying, and they're trying to pick up some of the telework economy - The city has petty drug crime due to the transient student population, but 95% of the neighborhoods are so safe that most people don't even think about crime; the communities outside of the city have had their issues with meth over the years and one can find trouble if one tries hard enough - Tourist are tourist, and the hospitality industry in the city is mature and knows how to handle them; most parts of the city don't have tourists, but your favorite out-of-town shoreline spot in peek summer might - You're more likely to get run over by a drunk local than an out-of-towner, yoopers are notorious alcoholics - Marquette is a city, and there is noise at night in the city proper; the residential neighborhoods lacking corner stores and curbside parking are quiet; the people that want silence have millions of acres of forest around the city to live in if they so choose.

[michmoldman]

My favorite place in Michigan. Just drove through a few days ago and love it more and more each time! We are actually thinking of moving there when my daughter graduates in 4 years. The vibe is amazing, and the beauty of the area unmatched. The only thing that I'm not crazy about is the loooong Winters. I love Winter, but not into June...lol It was actually 35 degrees there this morning I heard. BUT...the rest of the year makes up for it, and I do love to snowmobile! If you love camping, you cannot beat the U.P!!