[pdxtex]

What do you guys know about it. Im from the Lansing/Ann Arbor area but have been on the west coast for nine years. Im seriously considering a move back to the midwest now that Portland is starting to be overrun with Californians who are making the prospects of finding an affordable home close to nil. So yeah, what is Marquette like? It seems very pretty, has a university, some semblance of civilization, yet enough off the radar that gentrification is probably not going to be an issue. Crappy Michigan economy aside, what do you guys think of it?

[Evergrey]

Marquette is certainly an unusual place to consider relocation... and is certainly one of the most remote small cities in the eastern half of the US.

I visited Marquette for a week in July 1996... the temperature never reached 60... though it was an unseasonably cold summer... the last ice on Lake Superior didn't melt until July 3rd... Marquette had received over 300 inches of snow the previous winter...


Marquette has a constant and overbearing "1000 miles from nowhere" presence... but offers more than your run-of-the-mill city of 20,000... due to it being the cultural and economic hub of an enormous area.


Marquette has an attractive and vital downtown, a great park system, beaches, beautiful lakefront, the largest wooden dome in the world, Northern Michigan University, skiing within the city, tons of festivals, tons of trees, Finnish people, the ubiquitous Cornish pasty, the ubiquitous sauna, that crazy Yooper accent, Packer fans, and mining.

[pdxtex]

Marquette is certainly an unusual place to consider relocation... and is certainly one of the most remote small cities in the eastern half of the US.

I visited Marquette for a week in 1996... the temperature never reached 60... though it was an unseasonably cold summer... the last ice on Lake Superior didn't melt until July 3rd... Marquette had received over 300 inches of snow the previous winter...


Marquette has a constant and overbearing "1000 miles from nowhere" presence... but offers more than your run-of-the-mill city of 20,000... due to it being the cultural and economic hub of an enormous area.


Marquette has an attractive and vital downtown, a great park system, beaches, beautiful lakefront, the largest wooden dome in the world, Northern Michigan University, skiing within the city, tons of festivals, tons of trees, Finnish people, the ubiquitous Cornish pasty, the ubiquitous sauna, that crazy Yooper accent, Packer fans, and mining.


and i want everything that you just described, especially the remote part!! i've considered alaska but that is by no means an affordable place to live. my family lives in chelsea, mi so at least that would be "closer" then where i live now (portland, or).

[jpIllInoIs]

I was in the UP (Michigans Upper Peninsula) this summer and it was spectacular. Stayed in Munising, aboot 30 miles east of Marquette. Pictured Rocks National Sea Shore is great for hiking, camping, 4 wheelin and sledding (power kind, not 'rosebud'),
The beaches were pristine and quite warm. The giant dunes (400ft), especially Logslide are awesome.

Marquette had 2 radio stations that pumped in blues, folk, jazz and classic rock to the Munising area.

The UP is home to black bears, moose, gray wolves and much more.

From what i could see, the job market is limited.

Yooppers are independent, isolated, friendly and practical. The lifestyle is hard in the winter, most homes are heated by a combo of propane and firewood. It is a goal of some to live completely off the grid. One of the primary forms of transportation in the winter is by snow mobile. Some roads are never plowed.

For me it was a great place to visit.

[mind field]

You should be prepared to really, really, really love snow and winter. Marquette can get walloped with lake effect snow. You will freeze your ass off if you attempt to swim in the lake. If you love nature, wilderness, and outdoor activities, then Marquette, or any city in the UP, is your dream destination. I can imagine the winters would be very depressing, grey, and cloudy. I agree with whoever said Yoopers are independent, friendly and practical. I personally know many native Yoopers and they are very friendly, laid back, and you don't get that rat race feeling that comes with life near larger cities. Crime is practically non existant. They also don't seem to possess negative stereotypes of minorities that would seemingly pervade the population of a sparsely populated wilderness land. One thing the UP is hugely lacking is urbanity, but that is very refreshing and hopefully it stays that way for ages.

[-GR2NY-]

If you like a real city, dont even consider it. Carefully consider what you can and can't do there, before packing your things. Remember, its about 400 miles to chicago and Minneapolis or Milwaukee is approx-300. I personally don't like to be that far out. However if you are a nature guy who wants to feel engulfed by it, go ahead. Hope you like 11 months of winter. ;)

[bluestem]

I visited the UP over labor day weekend this year, and boy what a beautiful, isolated area of the country. I will definitely be returning. It was a shock to learn that the following weekend they got almost 2 feet of snow up there though!! Nobody's lying about the long winters thats for sure. The weather when we were there was absolutely ideal for me though, 60-65 day/ 40-45 night temps. Loved it!!

[Wheelingman04]

At least they get snow up there. We hardly ever get anything anymore.

[rstravis]

To quote Da Yoopers, "11 months of winter and 30 days of rain; if I didn't have my beer, I think I'd go insane."

Sounds like my kinda place!

[pdxtex]

Marquette's lack of urbanity and location smack in the middle of nowhere is exactly why its appealing to me. Yeah, I know I better like snow. Weathering lower peninsula winters is one thing, but being right next to Lake Superior is a whole other frosty part of hell that one must be prepared for.

[Michi]

If you like a real city, dont even consider it. Carefully consider what you can and can't do there, before packing your things. Remember, its about 400 miles to chicago and Minneapolis or Milwaukee is approx-300. I personally don't like to be that far out. However if you are a nature guy who wants to feel engulfed by it, go ahead. Hope you like 11 months of winter. ;)

Actually, if you want a real city, consider it.

Maquette is often ranked very highly among US small towns in terms of quality of life. Not only does it offer everthing of natural abundance, it is significantly cultured as well, given its distance between cosmopolitan areas. You have major cities within less than a days drive. Probably just as many, if not more than Portland.

America's Most Livable
http://www.mostlivable.org/cities/marquette/home.html

[pdxtex]

Actually, if you want a real city, consider it.

Maquette is often ranked very highly among US small towns in terms of quality of life. Not only does it offer everthing of natural abundance, it is significantly cultured as well, given its distance between cosmopolitan areas. You have major cities within less than a days drive. Probably just as many, if not more than Portland.

America's Most Livable
http://www.mostlivable.org/cities/marquette/home.html

see, maybe i am not so crazy. thanks for the link.

[Wheelingman04]

^ There are a lot of people who love long, snowy winters away from large cities.

[Bruin Brain]

Canada's probaby not on your radar, but seriously. Consider Thunder Bay. :D

[pdxtex]

Canada's probaby not on your radar, but seriously. Consider Thunder Bay. :D

i'd love to live in canada but securing legal immigrant status and job stuff has always been a mystery to me. i'd give my left nut to live in Toronto. no not small, but my favorite city on the planet.

[mind field]

Here is an email i recieved from a family member who lives in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.


Hi Mikey,
I will give you an opinion about MQT thru hearsay as I haven't lived there either. Ranked as one of the best small cities to live in. The college has a very diverse population that affects the town. The OSC (Olympic Training Center) attracts world class athlete (Apollo Ono was there speed skating earlier this year). They are probably the most liberal of the Yooper city's, have banned smoking in bars etc I think. The Yoops is actually more liberal than most think, as the idea of live and let live thrives here. Mqt has more entertainment venues because of NMU. Most of the UP votes Democratic (Damn) if you can believe that!
MQT would be a good location for someone not obsessive about instant access to "culture" whatever that means. It's there just not as often!
Living in the Yoops in general is good, you have to enjoy the lifestyle. I am trying to think what we are missing here, only things I have thought of are shopping and entertainment venues. OH and crowds! People have allot of misconceptions about Yoopers. Most are well educated and friendly. Pre-judged on the accent thing, like the southerners. Driving in winter is easy for a couple of reasons, 1 that the roads are cleaned quickly and 2 that the traffic is less. 12" of snow doesn't stop us. We also think nothing of driving greater distances to do things. Flying out of here is a problem, I would love access to an airport for cheap last minute weekend getaways.
I will admit that when I was young I was bored but kids are bored everywhere. Thought I wanted to live in a city. That desire has left.
WINTER IS LONG! although right now we have NO snow and it rained (poured) today.
Well there I have rambled on for a bit. The UP is not for everyone and we hope to keep it that way LOL!

[MotorCityDave]

More importantly, let's see some pics!! :)

[Wheelingman04]

^ Yeah, I have never seen that city before.

[hudkina]

I don't think the actual temperatures are vastly different from the lower peninsula. The biggest difference is the amount of lake effect snow. Granted, the average high stays below 40° for 1/3 of the year. (November 18th until March 24th) But you have to look on the bright side. That's 1/3 of the year that you can spend skiing, snow-mobiling, ice-skating, playing hockey, ice-fishing, building snowmen, and everything else that comes along with winter.:)

The average high for each season is:

Spring: 56° (early half: 47°, late half: 65°)
Summer: 73°
Fall: 45° (early half: 55°, late half: 35°)
Winter: 29°



The average high stays above 40° 238 days out of the year (65%)
The average high stays above 50° 191 days out of the year (52%)
The average high stays above 60° 146 days out of the year (40%)
The average high stays above 70° 82 days out of the year (22%)

[pdxtex]

here is what my friend april told me about marquette. she grew up there and as far as i know, her folks still live there.

"Marquette is God's Country, you know that, right? No, really, I think it's a great place if isolation is what you're after. It was voted in the top 5 or something for people who ride bikes...it's got a great reputation for rock climbing...you can't beat the swimming (crystal clear water everywhere you turn) and the beaches...fishing is abundant...camping is huge...there's skiing...snowmobiling...hunting...sailing...everything you can think of to do outdoors. However, it's small. About 20,000 people and that can get more claustrophobic than you might think. NMU has some great programs, though, and that brings a lot more diversity than most small towns. Also, it's as liberal as it gets, nearly. Even the pro-life Catholics are all Democrats. It's like if Ted Nugent was more educated and less Republican. I love it in many ways but it's also the place I grew up so there's a lot of sentimental value for me. You can definitely drop off the radar there. In fact, I have friends from high school who've never found it necessary to do much more than wait tables or tend bar to pay for their outdoorsy thing. And that's totally possible. What else would you like to know about it?"

[Buckeye Native 001]

Marquette is for lovers.

[wrabbit]

Marquette's a beaut, and you're on the footsteps of the Huron/Porcupine Mountains to boot. Lots of fluffy lake-effect snow in the Winter, but the Yoopers do a good job of keeping the main roads plowed. Also a ton of skimobile trails. Cold, yes! - but Lake Superior moderates the super-duper cold air you'll find in upper Minnesota or the Dakotas.

God's Country!

[softee]

Marquette sounds like a smaller (and more isolated) twin of my city of North Bay, i could probably live there quite happily.

Someone should post some pics.

[LMich]

I'd say significantly smaller and less dense than North Bay.

Marquette

Aerial
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/83/234707931_0fca2c060c_o.jpg
Clayton Busbey - http://www.flickr.com/photos/claytonbusbey/

County Courthouse
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/99/255740861_4d417a0612_b.jpg
I Am Jacques Strappe - http://www.flickr.com/photos/i_am_jacques_strappe/

Upper Harbor Ore Dock
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/112/283798042_382caa819d_b.jpg
I Am Jacques Strappe - http://www.flickr.com/photos/i_am_jacques_strappe/

St. Peter Cathedral
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/121/288071389_3544f87cec_b.jpg
e.rabior - http://www.flickr.com/photos/robillardphotography/

Another View
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/100/294258758_616bf31178_b.jpg
fastbird232 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/fastbird232/

Upper Harbor
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/151/335724077_f09c3c30db_b.jpg
fastbird232 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/fastbird232/

Superior Dome
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/160/331105942_5890cc8e09_b.jpg
fastbird232 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/fastbird232/

Interior
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/86/232304847_6d54ff5b77_b.jpg
I Am Jacques Strappe - http://www.flickr.com/photos/i_am_jacques_strappe/

Terrain
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/125/335725148_2595d3ed66_b.jpg
fastbird232 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/fastbird232/

State Savings Building
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/41/92858916_3980aa7314_b.jpg
I Am Jacques Strappe - http://www.flickr.com/photos/i_am_jacques_strappe/

Lower Harbor
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/12/17819347_e743f7952d_o.jpg
Jowo - http://www.flickr.com/photos/jowo/

Lower Harbor 2
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/103/300552322_c4f7568d9b_b.jpg
fastbird232 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/fastbird232/

Lower Harbor Ore Dock (now mostly dismantled)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/35/68490451_de364ebf5e_o.jpg
Jowo - http://www.flickr.com/photos/jowo/

Presque Isle Breakwater Light
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/42/110976845_b16c2d4259_o.jpg
Jowo - http://www.flickr.com/photos/jowo/

I can't really seem to find anymore comprehensive shots of downtown, but then again, I think the natural setting is probably the most stunning part of the city.

[minneapolis03]

Looks like Duluth, but smaller. (That's a compliment.)

[Michi]

Yah, sadly, the ore dock has been demolished as of a few years ago. I remember when I was younger though, how cool it was and now inspired I was to see the old elevated railroad viaduct sweep through the city on its way to the dock over the lake. It really was an amazing structure and I wish it could have been saved.

I had the opportunity to march in the Superior Dome in high school band when our football team made the playoffs held in the dome. It's a neat structure to say the least. But most, if not all, of Marquette is pretty neat! :)

[DallasTexan]

It looks cold. I don't approve.

[Jeff_in_Dayton]

I remember that cathederal when i was there..it was set on a hill, and they had a crypt and small chapel for Bishop Baraga. When i was there there was these native american women in the chapel praying a devotion for the Bishop.

It was all pretty interesting up there.

[detroit_alive]

Michi,

The lower ore dock is not demolished, at least it was still standing as last summer. It is not used nor is it being preserved as a cultural icon that it could be, but it is definitely still there.

[detroit_alive]

Photos of the lower ore dock:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v124/etlchow/mar4.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v124/etlchow/mar3.jpg


Photos from downtown:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v124/etlchow/mar1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v124/etlchow/mar2.jpg

[LMich]

Yes, the support structure is still there, but the actual working parts, as well as the ramp to the dock, have been dismantled. It's no longer operational, and the city is still trying to figure out what to do with it. It would be one cool adaptive reuse, that's for sure. Imagine a "Nazy Pier" UP style.

[Robert Pence]

Dang! I never gave this place a thought, but I sure am thinking about it now!

[Michi]

Thanks for clarifying that. Indeed, I thought the whole thing was demolished. I haven't been to Marquette in quite awhile. It's about time I repay it a visit. :)

[LMich]

Dang! I never gave this place a thought, but I sure am thinking about it now!

I'm not sure why not. I've yet to find a horrible lakefront town/city. And, no, Benton Harbor doesn't count because it barely has any lake frontage. :)

[Patel]

If you have not looked yet.

The prices for real estate look like a great value.

http://www.marquettecountry.org/request_information_relocationinformation.php

http://www.relocate-america.com/states/mi/cities/marquette.htm

http://cheryljackson.mostreferred.com/relocating.html

http://www.imagesmarquette.com/current/ataglance.html

http://www.erelocationprofessionals.com/php/relo.php


Other useful sites for general info.

http://www.city-data.com/city/Marquette-Michigan.html

http://www.mqtcty.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marquette%2C_Michigan

[pdxtex]

alas, my michigan pipe dream. *sigh*

[LMich]

Are you really going to leave us hanging like that?

[StevenW]

I lived in the UP for over 5 years, from 1981 to 1986. It was very very unique. Very different. Unlike any other place I've ever been or ever experienced before or after. Not just the weather. The people and the place is really different. But, a "good" different. Crime seemed to never happen. If you're into the wild, man-o-man, what a place to be. I often fondly wax nastalgic when I think of the UP. I lived in Newberry, Michigan, about 105 miles east of Marquette. Been to Marquette many times though. Also Houghton/Hancock, Iron Mountain, Escanaba and the 'Soo" are worth looking into, as well as Munising with it's "pictured rocks". :yes:

:)

[Exodus]

Looks like a wonderful place.

[jpIllInoIs]

Today's Temparuture at 7:45am -17

National Weather Service Wind Chill Warning


WIND CHILL TEMPERATURES ACROSS NORTHERN MICHIGAN THIS MORNING
WILL RANGE FROM 35 TO 45 BELOW ZERO...THEN IMPROVE TO 25 TO
35 BELOW ZERO BY THIS AFTERNOON. WIND CHILL TEMPERATURES WILL
AGAIN BE COLD TONIGHT...RANGING FROM 25 TO 40 BELOW ZERO...WITH
ONLY SLIGHT IMPROVEMENT EXPECTED BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON. IF YOU MUST
GO OUTSIDE...COVER AS MUCH EXPOSED SKIN AS POSSIBLE...AND DRESS
IN SEVERAL LOOSE FITTING LAYERS. IN ADDITION...BE SURE TO WEAR A
HAT AND LOOSE FITTING GLOVES.