[KenInMA]

Hi all,

My wife and I are seriously considering moving to Traverse City or the surrounding area from Massachusetts, and we have some questions.

About us:

• Early 40s
• One young daughter
• I'm a software engineer, she's a SATM
• We like to eat out a lot
• I like beer (microbreweries)
• We like all 4 seasons
• We tend to be conservative on more things than we're liberal
• She's Christian (fairly devout), I'm agnostic

My questions are below... I've googled as much as I can, but some of these questions only have answers from local observations...

1. During the winter, what stays open in town? Do most restaurants stay open? In other words, is it a normal functioning city when the tourists are gone?
   
2. I noticed the crime is about 3x higher than where we'd be coming from, across the board, with Traverse City having about 1000 fewer people than our current town. Why is that? Is it because of the tourists?
   
3. Is it still a fun area in the summer for the locals, or do the tourists tend to be a necessary burden?
   
4. Is the city clean?
   
5. Are there a lot of out-of-state transplants who've settled there, or are the newer residents largely Michiganders?
   
6. There is a lot of political strife in our country these days. How has that affected the local community? Are there protests and such? Is there an undercurrent of division or do folks generally get along?
   
7. What's swimming in the bay like? Is the water warm? Is it clean?

Thanks!

[snoopygirlmi]

Yes, it's a normally functioning city when tourist season is over.

Traverse City is the "big city" for the surrounding communities. Some of my family lived south of there (Cadillac/Mason) and were always going into Traverse City to get things done or shop at the mall. I kept wondering why they didn't just move there because it seemed (to me) to be a pain to drive up there all the time.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by KenInMA

Hi all,

My wife and I are seriously considering moving to Traverse City or the surrounding area from Massachusetts, and we have some questions.

About us:

• Early 40s
• One young daughter
• I'm a software engineer, she's a SATM
• We like to eat out a lot
• I like beer (microbreweries)
• We like all 4 seasons
• We tend to be conservative on more things than we're liberal
• She's Christian (fairly devout), I'm agnostic

My questions are below... I've googled as much as I can, but some of these questions only have answers from local observations...

1. During the winter, what stays open in town? Do most restaurants stay open? In other words, is it a normal functioning city when the tourists are gone?
   
2. I noticed the crime is about 3x higher than where we'd be coming from, across the board, with Traverse City having about 1000 fewer people than our current town. Why is that? Is it because of the tourists?
   
3. Is it still a fun area in the summer for the locals, or do the tourists tend to be a necessary burden?
   
4. Is the city clean?
   
5. Are there a lot of out-of-state transplants who've settled there, or are the newer residents largely Michiganders?
   
6. There is a lot of political strife in our country these days. How has that affected the local community? Are there protests and such? Is there an undercurrent of division or do folks generally get along?
   
7. What's swimming in the bay like? Is the water warm? Is it clean?

Thanks!

Most stores and restaurants stay open year-round, although you'll find the pedestrian traffic in downtown TC drops off dramatically in the winter. But the downtown Front Street area is really cool, especially the old State Theater. They have a film festival in TC coming up this weekend I believe, with Michael Moore donating a lot of energy into the film community in Northern Michigan. Regardless of whether you like him or not, it's pretty impressive.

You'll find a great collection of breweries and locally owned restaurants. A lot have opened recently in the last few years. There are over 50 wineries in that area on Old Mission Peninsula and Leelanau Peninsula (Michigan is the 4th largest producer of wine in the country).

The bay is pretty clean, as clean as Lake Michigan (since it's a bay off the big lake), and it has a cool turquoise color at times. There's a tunnel that runs under 31 from downtown out to the bay parks.

There are places to kayak on the Boardman River and a lot of bike trails. There are a ton of outdoor recreational activities, year round. Skiiing, kayaking, hiking, camping, unbelievably beautiful golf courses, biking, you name it, it's pretty much what the area is known for.

If you're coming from a town that is similar in size, it probably won't be a culture shock. But there are NO large cities nearby for 100s of miles. You might like that?

I'm surprised by your finding on the crime. I can't really think of an area of Traverse City that I would consider "ghetto." There certainly is poverty but I can't think of a neighborhood that I'd be afraid to drive through. I'm not from there so maybe I've never seen them.

Oh and there are no expressways/highways in Traverse City. The residents up there are pretty vehemently anti-development at times, and like their slow pace of life for much of the year.

I don't know what the weather is like where you live now in MA, but winters are quite harsh in Northern Michigan with the amount of snow they get, even compared to lower Michigan. TC is a popular retirement destination, but a lot of retirees are "snowbirds," that leave after Thanksgiving for warmer climates and don't come back until early April.

Hope that helps.

[scorpio516]

Originally Posted by magellan

I don't know what the weather is like where you live now in MA, but winters are quite harsh in Northern Michigan with the amount of snow they get, even compared to lower Michigan. TC is a popular retirement destination, but a lot of retirees are "snowbirds," that leave after Thanksgiving for warmer climates and don't come back until early April.

Unless they are on the coast, snowfall amount is pretty similar. I've been here 4 winters, and only one of those did we have less than 100" of snow for the season Last year, only 80". Away from the ocean, Mass gets lots of snow.

But it gets a whole lot colder in Michigan, even on the lake. The record low in Boston is -18F. Traverse City will hit that every couple years, and more often further inland!

IMHO the best part about TC is how close it is to Sleeping Bear

[michmoldman]

What others said, but TC is a HUGE Wine and Microbrew town, and the vibe in each one is different. You'll never tire of these!
You'll find pretty much any store you need there including Meijers...this is where most people grocery shop, it awesome..but very busy!
Winter sports is BIG in the TC and surrounding area. I'm an hour East and snowmobiling is big up here. I can ride from here to TC and up to the U.P. if I wanted. TC is a close knit community. As far as crime, it is petty considering most bigger towns and a lot of that is because of the influx of people.
TC is part of a huge Northern Michigan area that is absolutely breathtaking year round. Up and down the coasts of Western Michigan are small, amazing towns that make driving up here a true adventure that NEVER gets old. Oh, and Michigan has the U.P. This is our true gem, unlike anything you will find in the lower states. Its more like a mini Alaska.
Like others said, Winter is a beast with LOTS of lake effect most years, but it is beautiful! Most of us live in Northern Michigan because we love Winter, if you don't love Winter...you won't make it very long.
Fishing is HUGE on the great lakes and inland lakes, along with hunting. We have deer, bear, and even Moose in the U.P. I'm in Gaylord, and just North of me is the biggest population of wild Elk East of the Mississippi. We camp in their territory and it is unreal to see and hear them!
Good luck!!