As the title says, just looking for advice for a dude moving from TX to be Yooper

#1) Buy a full suspension mountain bike.  The trails in Marquette are some of the best in the Midwest.

#2) Mentally prepare for a winter that will humble him.  Snowmobiles will be a part of his everyday life in the winter.

#3) Don't underestimate Lake Superior.  


That's a hell of a move.  What's he planning to do for work?  Will he be moving downtown or scooping up some property outside of town?  

I freaking love the UP, completely different than the liberal bullshit that's consuming Oakland County (Metro Detroit).  

Oh shit almost forgot...

#4) Prepare for black flies and mosquitos capable of carrying a small dog.  Spring UP is best UP.

I moved from Westland to Traverse city. Winter SUCKS.

My advice is......DON'T.

Remote work till he retires in a couple years

This documentary will teach him everything he needs to know.  


https://s09.eplayvid.net/vids/escanaba_in_da_moonlight_2001.mp4

Every bit of this is true.

I moved here a year ago from SoCal and love it.

The winter weather is serious. My heating bill for the winter was over $4000 between propane and wood for my boiler. Electric rates are more expensive too. Internet wasn't the problem I thought it might be.

The fine Americans that live in the UP are some amazingly strong, hard working, honest, and dependable folks.

Marquette is a college town and one of the two in the UP not shrinking as the older population dies off and the younger ones head off to the big cities of California and the east coast for opportunities.

If he's an outdoorsmen nature has blessed Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the UP with an incredible forest that provides recreation year-round. Hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, biking, birding, wheeling or just chillin' I love the forest that I live in. I ride my ATV on the extensive trail system up here consisting of hundreds of miles of repurposed railroad right-a-ways. This is the land-o-lakes region and there are dozens of lakes within a handful of miles that I've taken my kayak on. Hunting is among the best in America with everything from deer to bear wandering around my property. Fishing is world class and there are several of America's finest trout streams in the UP.

That said it's more isolated than many places. Marquette is the big city of 20,000 so it has the Walmart/HomeDepot/Tractor Supply/Menards and the auto dealerships. Folks drive in from around the area to shop Marquette.

My daughter usually goes to Marquette or Houghton to shop. She's right between them, up on Huron Bay north of L'Anse.

There's going to be a new store to shop in Marquette next year. L&M Fleet Supply has purchased the old Shopko stores in both Escanaba & Marquette. Escanaba should open early spring, Marquette sometime next year or early 2024. They have 3 stores in northern WI, 8 in northern MN. Their newest store is in Rhinelander WI (not too far from Watersmeet, about 50 miles). I go there several times per month. Guns, ammo, reloading, hunting, fishing, tools, auto parts, Cub Cadet/Husquvarna/Stihl dealers. I was even able to buy small pistol primers there when they opened back in April. If you've ever been to a Fleet Farm store in WI/MN/IA/ND, it's very similar.

https://www.landmsupply.com/

From Ashland WI store.

4WD is not the same as WD40

Is he bringing his own full time night woman?

I give him 2-3 winters.

Diary of a Snow Shoveler

December 9: We woke to a beautiful blanket of crystal white snow covering every inch of the landscape. What a fantastic sight! Can there be a more lovely place in the Whole World? Moving here was the best idea I've ever had. Shoveled for the first time in years and felt like a boy again. I did both our driveway and the sidewalks. This afternoon the snow plow came along and covered up the sidewalks and closed in the driveway, so I got to shovel again. What a perfect life.

December 12: The sun has melted all our lovely snow. Such a disappointment. My neighbor tells me not to worry, we'll definitely have a white Christmas. No snow on Christmas would be awful! Bob says we'll have so much snow by the end of winter, that I'll never want to see snow again. I don't think that's possible. Bob is such a nice man. I'm glad he's our neighbor.

December 14: Snow, lovely snow! 8" last night. The temperature dropped to -20. The cold makes everything sparkle so. The wind took my breath away, but I warmed up by shoveling the driveway and sidewalks. This is the life! The snowplow came back this afternoon and buried everything again. I didn't realize I would have to do quite this much shoveling, but I'll certainly get back in shape this way. I wish I wouldn't huff and puff so.

December 15: 20 inches forecast. Sold my van and bought a 4x4 Blazer. Bought snow tires for the wife's car and 2 extra shovels. Stocked the freezer. The wife wants a wood stove in case the electricity goes out. I think that's silly. We aren't in Alaska, after all.

December 16: Ice storm this morning. Fell on my ass on the ice in the driveway putting down salt. Hurt like hell. The wife laughed for an hour, which I think was very cruel.

December 17: Still way below freezing. Roads are too icy to go anywhere. Electricity was off for 5 hours. I had to pile the blankets on to stay warm. Nothing to do but stare at the wife and try not to irritate her. Guess I should've bought a wood stove, but won't admit it to her. God I hate it when she's right. I can't believe I'm freezing to death in my own living room.

December 20: Electricity's back on, but had another 14" of the damn stuff last night. More shoveling. Took all day. Goddamn snowplow came by twice. Tried to find a neighbor kid to shovel, but they said they're too busy playing hockey. I think they're lying. Called the only hardware store around to see about buying a snow blower and they're out. Might have another shipment in March. I think they're lying. Bob says I have to shovel or the city will have it done and bill me. I think he's lying.

December 22: Bob was right about a white Christmas because 13 more inches of the white shit fell today, and it's so cold it probably won't melt till August. Took me 45 minutes to get all dressed up to go out to shovel and then I had to piss. By the time I got undressed, pissed and dressed again. I was too tired to shovel. Tried to hire Bob who has a plow on his truck for the rest of the winter; but he says he's too busy. I think the asshole is lying.

December 23: Only 2" of snow today. And it warmed up to 0. The wife wanted me to decorate the front of the house this morning. What is she...nuts??? Why didn't she tell me to do that a month ago? She says she did but I think she's damn well lying.

December 24: 6". Snow packed so hard by snowplow, l broke the shovel. Thought I was having a heart attack. If I ever catch the son of a bitch who drives that snowplow, I'll drag him through the snow by his balls. I know he hides around the corner and waits for me to finish shoveling and then he comes down the street at a 100 miles an hour and throws snow all over where I've just been! Tonight the wife wanted me to sing Christmas carols with her and open our presents, but I was busy watching for the goddamn snowplow.

December 25: Merry Christmas. 20 more inches of the #$%ing slop tonight. Snowed in. The idea of shoveling makes my blood boil. God I hate the snow! Then the snowplow driver came by asking for a donation and I hit him over the head with my shovel.

December 26: Still snowed in. Why the hell did I ever move here? It was all HER idea. She's really getting on my nerves.

December 28: Warmed up to above -50. Still snowed in. THE BITCH is driving me crazy!!!

December 29: 10 more inches. Bob says I have to shovel the roof or it could cave in. That's the silliest thing I ever heard. How dumb does he think I am?

December 30: Roof caved in. The snow plow driver is suing me for a million dollars for the bump on his head. The wife went home to her mother. 9" predicted.

December 31: Set fire to what's left of the house. No more shoveling.

January 8: I feel so good. I just love those little white pills they keep giving me. Why am I tied to the bed?

^  Yeh, exactly that.

I see quite a few that romanticize a "life up north" then Traverse  City is too much of a shock for them, and they make it till spring and move.

Think about it a lot before ya do it.

I live in Traverse city, Grayling, and Charlevoix, and thats far enough north for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeZ0BUc3kMw&t=123s

Lake Superior is my favorite of the Great Lakes. You can get seasick standing on the shoreline watching it in November!

Buy world class winter/mountaineering clothes, you are going to need them. Your vehicle needs to be reliable and equipped with emergency supplies. Learn to cross country sky, snowmobiles break down sometimes. You will want a snowmobile trailer as well; grocery shopping can be limited by your ability to haul the things you need.

State roads get cleared pretty well, main county roads do too. If your home is off the beaten path, it may not get plowed at all. You are going to enjoy some of the cleanest air and water in the nation. Good fishing. The trip around Lake Superior is amazing, especially North from Sault St. Marie to Wawa. You can camp right on the beach in Canada.

Long effing winters

Tell him to buy a new snowmobile and then the winters won’t bother him. Seriously though, I am a bridge troll trying to get up there every weekend of the winter to ride.

It's a bit different when you live and work in it EVERY DAY.

That it is......

If you tolerate winter this isn't the place to live, you had damn well better love winter to live here.

That is great news. Wish one was in Houghton The ones in MN are awesome.

August is best because all those bugs take a hit in the dry weather.