What's It Like Living in the Upper Peninsula? (Q&A)
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- Опубликовано: 28 янв 2024
- It's been three years since I moved to Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Here's what you wanted to know about how that's been going. Thanks to everyone who sent in questions!
If you're interested in more demographic info, here are a couple of sources I found useful:
1. This 2020 presentation, largely based on census data: milmi.org/_docs/publications/...
2. This census page: www.census.gov/library/storie...
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Original Pinned Comment: Like I mentioned in this video, I am definitely not the authority on all things Upper Peninsula, and I can only speak from my very limited perspective. So, if you also live up here and want to chime in about what living in the UP looks like for you, please feel free!
You're not the authority, but you _ARE _*_definitely_* their most charismatic spokesperson! 👍🌠👑
Great job newper yooper!
Ha ha, oh, man, I don't know about that. But I appreciate the very large compliment!
@@AlexisDahl Please keep doing what you do, exploring all the unique things about the UP and sharing the deep(ish) dives with us here on YT.
Some things I already had a geekish 'special interest' in (like vernal pools) and others, like the geology, forestry and mining up there kept my interest.
I've got no idea how I found this channel, but I look forward to every new installment.
Very good! Stay happy!
FU
My wife and I also moved up here from the Ann Arbor area about 5 years ago. We both went to Michigan Tech in the 80s and loved the area, coming back up at least once a year ever since. I had a job that was amenable to me working remotely (this was pre-COVID) so after the kids left the house we moved up. Now we've built a house near Eagle Harbor and wake each morning to a fantastic view of Lake Superior and, if it's clear enough, Isle Royale on the horizon. We even put a big picture window in the bedroom so we can watch the northern lights without getting out of bed.
I'm not really much of a winter person, but I like winters here better than Ann Arbor. Down there, a few inches of snowfall is a Big Deal. Close the schools, stock up on bread and toilet paper, we're all gonna die! Up here... It's Tuesday. No big deal, it's just a thing that happens. Shovel out and carry on.
I also lived in A2 for a bit over growing up in norther lower MI. She nailed the difference in the winters / snow between downstate and further north. My relatives used to laugh that I had a job in A2 where we cleared snow for a company every time an inch or more fell. *No one* would use that threshold up north.
I love the Upper Peninsula! The funniest description I have heard is "Nine month's of winter with three month's of bad sledding".
In the Lake Superior snowbelt the reality is usually six months of winter, but sometimes only five. Not that far off the funniest.
Or 6 months of winter and 6 months of construction.
@@markasiala6355 Roadwork never starts till fall, they just put the roadcones out to sunbathe for 3 months first.
I lived in the UP for years. I now live about 45 miles south of the bridge. My hope and dream is to return to the UP even though I am nearing 70. I loved the people, their kindness, their abilities, and their natural lifestyles and devotion to their lands, waters, forests, and wildlife. When living in both the Iron Mountain and Norway area, on multiple occasions someone left buckets of fish and venison on my doorstep, and I never knew who did these wonderful things. I love the UP above all places that I've known in my life. There is nothing more beautiful. Every season is stunningly beautiful. Winter is magical and somewhat difficult, and the people are simply the best of the best. I am grateful for your channel.
I spent 4 years in Marquette for college, and I didn't have a car. We walked everywhere, no matter the weather. And I was there in the late '70's / early '80's. I once tried to cut across an empty corner lot during a blizzard. I got halfway across and decided it was too hard -- I needed to retrace my steps and take the streets. When I turned around, there was no visible path behind me: the snow had filled it in. My thought at that moment was "this is how people die in a blizzard within sight of the barn." Fortunately the blowing snow hadn't packed like the rest of the lot, and I struggled out, and made my way to class. While I was walking, all classes had been cancelled.
The 70's and 80's were the best Marquette times!
Yeah I grew up in Montana and “locals” talk a big game about hating outsiders online, but as soon as they are face to face with them, you get a big smile and a wave.
I was born and raised in the U.P. Went to Northern after high school, moved away after college. I don’t miss the long winters. I do miss the peace and quiet in the woods. I go back a couple times a year to spend time in the woods. It recharges my batteries.
I am a genuine born Yooper. Escanaba, 1973. Unfortunately, I've been living in Metro Detroit for over half of my life. I graduated from Bark River-Harris high school, Bay in Esky, and Michigan Tech. I still own property in Foster City and my entire family still lives in the U.P. Being a "troll" now, I truly appreciate your videos helping me learn more about my homeland. Keep up the great work!
I am a proud Yooper and I was nervous when I saw this video. Too many people prefer to mock us up here. Your video was great! The reason we all look to see people coming through the door is to see if we know them. We’re a friendly bunch and once convinced that you, too, are proud to be here we’ll gladly welcome you to the clan. I do have on friend who, after ten years, doesn’t really like being here. And shows it. They are returning to the land down under soon and I think that’s better for her.
I hope you make a good life up here. Welcome.
Man that’s such a nice response. I hope something cool happens for you today.
Thank you! I'm so happy to hear that. I have a lot of love and respect for this place, so I'm glad some of that came through.
Yooper native of Iron County here. I've loved every video you've made about our wonderful region. Advice I'd give to people who might move here. If you feel you need more diversity in people, cultures and goods and servives try to locate yourself in or close to one of the college towns. If you are looking for something more peaceful and isolating well we have plenty of that as well. Just know that even in the college towns things close early. In some places not even a gas station will be open past 9pm. Not a lot of late night activities (even in college towns sometimes) unless it's with good people around a warm fire.
The thumbnail image is gold! I hate those aggressive moose in their Stormy Kromer hats! 😂
🤣 They're just the worst!
Having grown up in the lower peninsula, I've always assumed yoopers were like wildlings north of the wall. You live in cold snowy lands with dire wolves & giants. Hobbies might include moose wrangling, lumberjacking, ice fishing, taunting bears for fun and excitement, plus huntin/fishin/trappin anything edible :) Oh and trading furs with Wisconsin for cheese. ;-p
Does the WI Tavern League know about this??😂😂
@@gearheadgregwi I believe they were paid off with furs, which they traded for beerz. :)
@@Chris-ut6eq genuine Illnoian pelts!!🤣🤣
@@gearheadgregwi As long as cheese is gained, pelt location is secondary! :)
Dang right we do I ride my dire wolf to work lol 😂
We love the UP! Stayed in a friends cottage near Skanee over a Christmas New Year getaway and it was so so quiet. Super peaceful and no one around anywhere. Spent New Year’s Eve at Finns and it was classic UP, we were treated like a local!
As someone who spent 4 years in the UP while getting a degree, one thing I saw was the normalization of longer distance. In the lower peninsula, a 30 minute drive was something that was needed only for special items or activities. In the UP, it became 2 hours for a similar feeling.
Yes! I very much relate to that. In Ann Arbor, driving two hours to visit family was a weekend (or ideally, a three-day-weekend) kind of trip. Now, it's something I'm willing to do in a day for an important errand or a research interview.
@@AlexisDahl I just drove 2 hours both ways for a job that only took 2 hours. For half of the trip I probably only saw 20 cars (county roads). A couple years ago I drove an hour an a half for home supplies because the Lowes in Marquette has a nice snowblower for a couple hundred dollars off.
I think the up is beautiful but I left the year we got 38 feet of snow but I still miss it
Oddly enough, as a Yooper transplant I was delighted that my 30-minute daily drive went through forests and not armed neighborhoods. Well, deer hunters, but you know what I mean! In Detroit, everything was close and took a long time to access because of sheer numbers of people. Thanks for choosing us, Alexis. Good taste! Welcome!
EUP check-in. We can go to St. Ignace or Sault Ste. Marie, and they're both an hour away. Sometimes we go just to get off the island.
I really liked this most recent podcast. When my wife Nora and I first moved to the wilderness of the U.P. in 2001 (just after 9/11), we *definitely* went through a period of transition, lasting several years. Some of which involved:
1) moving from Chicago to a small town where everybody knows everything about everyone (example: we learned to be careful what we said to each other in public places, like at a restaurant),
2) adjusting to the Snowpocalypse we live in (we discovered the cure for cabin fever: have a sauna),
3) and the third thing we had to adjust to was the culture, which is most definitely not mainstream American. And yet, in a way, living in the U.P. is absolutely American in the tradition of moving to the frontier. LOL!
My wife and i sure enjoy watching your videos. I spent several years at Tech along with skiing, solo winter backpacking, some hunting, and fall fly fishing a few times. I love the U.P. and miss the magnificent winters. I am of the opinion that we could not possibly find a better, more refreshing person to represent the wonders of Michigan's North.
Thank you, and please keep it up. (Jerry, age 77)
Thank you so much, Jerry! It was lovely to get this comment from you, and I appreciate all the kind words. 🙂
Brief moments of warmth, otherwise covered in snow. Brief moments of tourism, otherwise isolation. Wouldn't have it any other way.
Amen.
I was in the UP last spring with some friends. We were staying at a rental that didn't have firewood. We drove over to the gas station looking for some where to buy wood and ran into a woman who told us to follow her to her home. She gave us a bunch of split wood and refused to take any money. Ill never forget that generosity . Love the UP and can't wait to get to the Porkies this year! 🇺🇸
My parents live in the far Western Yoop. (Lake Gogibic) As far as remote, when we go visit, it is about a 2-2.5 hour trip for groceries. The closest real store is about 50 minutes away in Ironwood. Ontonagon is about 25 minutes, but there's not much there. There's 2 restaurants in their town, so going out for dinner is either a drive to another s a town to a local tavern, or almost a hour drive to "the city." However, being on a 20 mile finger lake with the Mountains only a 20 minute drive north is incredible. That's why they moved there, specifically because it *is* so remote and peaceful.
From someone born and raised and still resides in the UP, Marquette to be exact. love your channel! You’ve showed me a lot of interesting things that I never realized were so close! Thank you
You certainly are one of my favorite creators! Keep doing what you're doing 🙌
Thank you so much! I deeply appreciate that.
@@AlexisDahl BTW, I told paetron that I would like to support you, I thought it would happen yesterday, but I got a notification that it starts March first. Regardless, I hope you see me as a contributor 😁
Being from East Central lower Michigan, my Bride and I get to the U.P. as often as we can!
I love the Keweenaw Peninsula and travel there from NE MN's Iron Range a couple times a year to visit my friend in Copper Harbor on Great Sand Bay. On my last visit we ventured up to the Hill Mine and actually climbed inside on of the smoke stacks and tool some interesting photos looking straight up. I've found Yooper Lites in the surf, added a Petoskey stone to my collection, I've climbed out on the dredge on Torch Lake, etc. I don't think you had to tell us that your a 'glass half-full, girl;' that is obvious! I've found myself welcomed everywhere I've stopped, but I am courteous and respectful almost to a fault. Thanks for the great videos; entertaining and educational.
Road noise funny story … when we lived in the middle of the state (near US 10) we went camping at Tahquamenon Falls park one summer. After a particularly restless night trying to sleep in the tent I commented to my husband that the “road noise from the highway” kept me up all night. He looked at me oddly and said … there is no highway nearby … that is the noise of the falls.😊
The UP truly is a unique place. I live in Northern Metro Detroit, in a town that keeps becoming more populated. I would love to live in the up or at least the northern lower
Ms. Dahl: Here are three question to help you determine if you’re now a yooper and no longer a troll.
First, can you make pasties with rutabaga so they're the real deal?
Second, do you have a stormy kromer that you bought in Ironwood on a factory tour?
Third, do you feel the urge to move to Fairport on the Garden Peninsula because Marquette is getting too built up and big-cityfied. Bonus question, is fresh smoked whitefish on you’re weekly shopping list
Congratulations!! A yes answer any one of these means that you’ve been de-trolled and you’re now a yooper. 🙂🙂Respectfully, W.S.
LOL I like the "you know you're a yooper when..."!
One year back in the last century (1991) I bought snowshoes at the factory store in Shingleton. Does that qualify me as an honorary Yooper? 😊
I’m just a troll from the Detroit area so I would be happy to get the honorary Yooper designation!
As a very newper Yooper, I have to say that I am really enjoying the feeling of community here. I also really love the amount of public-access woods within a short distance of my. house--and I live in town! I would definitely recommend getting a sunlamp for the winter if you move here, though..
Thank you ma'am for your work. My wife and I are earnestly looking into the area. Any information that you provide about the area are invaluable to us.
Happy Winter! Great video. All the best!
A wise person told me once,
"If you can't find Joy in the snow, you will have just as much snow and not as much Joy"
Amen!
I really appreciate your video, and your recounting of your time in the the UP. I was born and raised there, but had to leave for employment after High school (joined the Navy). I have always missed being 'back home", breathe a sigh of relief after going over the bridge every time, and definitely envy your opportunity to live in one of the places around. Keep the videos coming, always nice to see a 'bit of home' come across my feed. Thank you!
Another great video! Always great information delivered in a very enjoyable manner. Hello from A2!
I'm a Canuck that has driven around the Wolfs Head many times at different times of year. I LOVE the Marquette area and I would often stop and hike a few of the trails in the area. I have sat on the rocks featured in your Sudbury eject video, as that was a regular stop for me. I have learned so much more about the area via your videos! Thanks for that!
Makes me think its about time to take that road trip again! 😀
Thanks for the video. I have been going to the U.P. my whole life. My grandparents owned a large piece of property in Carney for many years. It always feels like going home when I cross the bridge. I love the U.P. in the winter and thank you for your description of the beauty of the winter up there. I am envious of all of you who live up there.
Great video! I was born and raised in Ann Arbor. I’ve been living on Drummond Island in the UP for a few years, but 100% off the grid. Started coming up here in the late 80’s. I LOVE it, even though it’s an incredibly difficult way to live. I love the reaction I get when I tell people it’s a 5 - 6 hour round trip just to go to a big box store! Even longer if the lines for the ferry are long. But again, I love it. We don’t have moose, but I do have many bear on the property, and they’re always coming by to say hi. I just started my own channel a few weeks ago to share my experiences, we’ll see how that goes!
Glad I found your videos!
Great video, Alexis. My first job out of graduate school was at NMU. I interviewed in early November (it snowed) started the job in January, and was there for 20 months, so I got to experience two UP winters. My position was temporary so we left for a job in Pennsylvania but have had a love of the UP since our time there. Your video resurrected a number of great memories.
Thanks for all your videos! A couple things which might be interesting to learn more about: the petroglyphs in the Keweenaw and Spider Cave pictographs on the Garden Peninsula.
I've lived here for 10 years now and it's great. I wouldd have moved here long ago, but my job at the time was incompatible. So many fewer people, and usually four seasons. Most winters they wind up closing our road (M28) due to whiteout conditions and we get to (have to) stay home at least a few days. Our first year the road was closed 8 days by mid January (not all in a row). I have only seen one moose in the UP which wasn't on Isle Royale (I've seen many there) and it was a mile from my house. I still look for moose driving past there.
Dad was stationed at KI Sawyer AFB (now closed) in the 90s, and of all the bases I lived at it is the one I have the fondest memories of
I always enjoy your videos!😊
My son is up to Tech. You did a video on the dredge in Torch Lake, so he took me out to see it while visiting. Accross the road there is an old mill that is cool to explore if anyone has the time. Just past the mill there is an old railway path that has tall sidewalls. It's all diffinitely worth the time. Thanks for taking the time to showcase the out of the way sights up there.
I love this channel! Alexis, you are an amazing researcher and presenter.
I was at Manistique and Escanaba talking with a realtor in Dec 2023. they knew of your videos! small world eh?
Aw, that's so sweet to hear! I'm always surprised about who ends up knowing about this series. Thanks for sharing that!
I just adore you! Thanks for your cheery insights and great UP info.
As a kid I would spend summers with my Dad who lived in Grand Rapids and we would rent a cabin in the UP on the Michigamme reservoir. It was so remote we wouldn’t see another soul for a whole month. We lived on fish and turtles supplemented by potatoes, cheese and onions we brought with us. If we were lucky we had frog legs as well. We bathed in the river which was extremely cold despite the warm summer temperatures. It was the bast time of my life. It’s a beautiful place for sure.
I enjoy your content and especially liked the geological productions. Happy 3 years…
You run a good channel. I hope you continue to enjoy living in the UP. Thanks.
Thank you for you dedicated interest with the UP. You truly are an asset with your relentless research on the areas history...All while being entertaining to watch.
Kudos on approaching 50,000 subscribers!
Thank you! I woke up this morning officially on the other side of the 50,000 marker, which is wild. I'm grateful that so many folks are interested in these videos!
@@AlexisDahl Congratulations!
As usual, you made a great video. I went to UP for my honeymoon, we learned to ski and how wonderful 10" of new snow was to ski on. Great information!!!! 👍
Very inspiring video! In 1999 we moved our family to Mid Michigan. At that time I was 44 years old, and all of those 44 years were spent in South Florida, on the Atlantic Coast side. I only witnessed the color change in the fall in my early 20’s on a trip to North Carolina. Only saw snow in the winter of 1978, in a Greek flurry, At which time I worked in ICU , and was driving to work at 6am. I was at that time driving by an Orange Grove (what is like an orchard in Michigan), there was a plane flying close to the tops of the trees spreading fertilizer ( called a “crop-duster” in the south). I thought it was funny looking fertilizer. I am part of the 4th generation of the Floridian’s in our family. One of my hobbies since a teenage is sewing, and crafting. Never quilted until I moved to the lower Peninsula. In 2002, I went to Novi to the American Quilters Society’s Expo and took some classes. When I moved to this state, there were bet’s on how long we would be here, and other things that could happen. People thought I was crazy. I proved everyone wrong. At this Quilt show, in one of the classes I took, I ran into someone I have known most of my life. A friend of mine, she was the Valedictorian of my graduating Class from High School, and she came “down” to the show. Interesting thing, she lives in Ironwood, in the UP. Now if I am crazy, she must really be dumb!
Crazy in a good way, right? Hopefully you’re enjoying your life in Michigan. 👍🏼
I just love your videos! I grew up out west on the plains and life brought me to southern Michigan. I really miss the small town vibe. Enjoy! Small towns an be great communities to live and grow in.
as a person from WI . I lived in small , large, and remote cities thru my life. I hear you about the UP .live near you and visit up that way often. Beautiful country! winters can be hard, but the beauty! Best way to sum it up is ... life moves slower, and you have to think ahead a lot.. Been stranded in my truck on a back road there overnight. was -30 outside.. lol made it thru with what I had along, till help came..the next day.
Thank you for the refreshing video. I've followed for a couple years having come over from SciShow (I think that's how you showed up on my feed).
I'm a troll, born and raised. For whatever reason, my accent does not reflect that, so I tend to take my acceptance in places like Houghton and Negaunee for granted. It's nice to see you settled in and enjoying it. As a troll born but Yooper at heart, cheers and enjoy the snow!
Thanks so much! I appreciate you making the trek over from SciShow. 🙂 It's been a wild (but lovely) ride since then!
It is my goal to move up there and have a little homestead at some point in my life. Thank you for this video it just made me want to move up there more!!!
You're my hero, Alexis!
Alexis..Good work...Seen your story on 9/10 news recently...Keep the momentum going!
I grew up in Canton so Ann Arbor & Detroit were equally my stomping grounds. Will always miss the diverse culture and having everything at my fingertips. Especially miss the array of ethnic restaurants and events. But will never live down that way again. Absolutely love visiting the UP, it’s a world of its own with its diversity of natural resources, especially our Great Lakes. If I were to ever live a self-sustaining lifestyle, I’d do it in the UP. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and POV! Loved this!
I just subscribed to your channel. Great content, very thoughtfully presented. I spent 10 years in the western UP near Lake Superior when i was growing up in the late 60's and 70's. I now live in the sunny south, but miss the beauty of the winter in the UP. If I could work from there, there's a good chance I would consider moving back, but I travel all over the US and Canada for work and without proximity to a major airport it would be quite a challenge and much more expensive. Thanks for creating this channel - it allows me to still feel somewhat connected to a beautiful place that holds fond memories for me.
I just moved back up here from Florida (grew up here until we moved at the end of the 6th grade) fell in love with it up here again! 😁
Your videos always make Michigan sound so magical! This one in particular sort of hits a different note though. Kinda like... stepping back from a beautiful canvas and just taking a deep breath while looking around the art studio. A magical place still, but with a sort of... relaxed mundanity that conveys the knowledge that things just are.
This is such a poetically phrased thought! 😊 I especially liked the phrase "the knowledge that things just are." There are a ton of fascinating stories to be told about this state, but ultimately, it's also a place full of lovely, ordinary people doing lovely, ordinary life things and trying to make the best of it all.
Something I've learned over the years is that there's drama, and wonder, and excitement everywhere. From one tiny microbe trying to devour another, to the way a ray of light refracts through a drop of dew, to the myriad of cars and people pulsing through the fractal-like streets of a city as though blood through a veins of the city itself, to one massive star trying to devour another. And all it takes is for one to seek it out.
But most wondrous of all is that in a universe so brimming with things to fascinate and delight the senses somehow human beings have managed to invent boredom.
@@C.Schmidt So well put. Thanks for expressing your thoughts on a topic that many people never even consider. 👍🏼
Love your channel spent 10 years in the (up) as a treeplanter working for a reforestation company. Great place to camp!😊
Great job with your videos! Including this one! I left when I was 18 and went to Ann Arbor for both of my degrees, so I know of the contrast! I moved back up here, and I’m taking advantage of Michigan tax offer that anyone who has lived in Michigan for a year and is over 60 can take two free classes a semester! so, it’s back to school at age 63!
I love that! I hope the classes go well!
Thanks for sharing your experiences. Our family vacationed south of Thompson on the Garden Peninsula for the entire month of August from 1956 to 1975 (I was 3 going on 4 when we started; I'm 70 now). It was magical. The remoteness didn't bother me one bit. The nearest town of any size was Manistique. It definitely changed me. It became harder and harder to return home for school (that was in Chicago 🤮). So, after high school I headed to New Mexico. The remoteness there made me feel right at home. And it was remote, too! Finished college, got a job, got married (45+ years later, we're still going strong!), finished a Masters degree and finally moved to Reno Nevada. Now, if you really want remote, go to Nevada! The West has me heart and soul. Now we live in Texas where it takes anywhere from 2 to 12 hours driving to get to another State and it's 812 miles from Texarkana TX to El Paso TX (we're only 590 miles from El Paso, so not too far 😉 😂). Still, the UP has a special place in my heart across the miles and years. It's not for everybody but it does leave it's mark on you. Y'all stay safe and warm (it was in the low 70s here today - thought it would warm y'all up a bit).
I spent 5 1/2 years living in a remote town in Alaska due to my job. My first year I really missed all the things available in a metro area. After I adjusted to the pace of life, and like you said, make the best out of where you are, I really enjoyed it. I recently moved back "down south" and I really miss that little town and the slower pace of life!
Grew up in Wisconsin border town. Like to scare people before they cross the bridge. 😂😂 UP is definitely Alaska-like. Wisconsin is sort of like New York state and Pennsylvania. All big cities are by Lake Michigan. Go west and you're in the piney woods.
With the Traverse City area getting more crowded, I may have to move further north for some peace and quiet 🙂. Thanks again Alexis.
even Kingsley's getting bad now lol
As you are speaking on the remoteness of the UP, I wanted to share something I learned last week while standing in line at Walgreens in Marquette. The nearest 24-hour pharmacy is in Green Bay!
I love it,been going there to camp for 45yrs,keeping tradition going.
Born and raised in a little town of Rexton. I lived in the area where you grew up in for 5 years. That time made me appreciate the UP more than ever. I love the remoteness of the area and am glad when winter comes because many snow birds leave. I have to say I am old 67.
my budd moved back to iron river from Columbia south carolina. they since moved to Escanaba. ive had the good forture to visit them on a few occasions and cant recommend the area enough. its so beautiful anytime of the year
Nicely done video! I went to Michigan Tech in the late 70's. Your UP observations still hold true from then. One note, there used to be a lot of commercial things available. For instance, if anyone was going from Houghton to Marquette (90 miles, one way!) they usually made a McDonald's or Burger King 'run' for friends and family because that was the closest. The only broadcast TV was also out of Marquette and I believe it was a CBS station with an ABC (or NBC?) affiliate - or you might get a Canadian station sometimes. But all that said, I and my family lived 'out of town', and driving around the copper country was the best free and natural enjoyment, except for gas! Thanks for listening!
When I was there in the early 90's Houghton already had BK and McDs. What my friends used to talk about was going to the nearest Taco Bell which was in Marquette. While I was there the city also got it's first ever 3 light traffic light. Before that there were only a couple of single light flashers. As for WLUC TV6 in Marquette, I know it switched affiliations when I was living up there but wasn't sure of the details. I looked it up, and in the 70's WLUC was a CBS affiliate with a secondary affiliation to ABC. The secondary changed to NBC in 1983. In 1992 it changed it's primary affiliation to ABC and had a secondary affiliation with Fox and NBC. Currently its both a Fox and NBC affiliate where NBC is on digital channel 6.1 and Fox is on 6.2. So WLUC is one of only a few stations to have been an affiliate to all Big 3 networks plus Fox. Confused? Join the club!😵
As a Wisconsinite who visits the UP every year, I'd be lying if I said I never thought about moving up there. The two things holding me back are the lack of jobs in my field and my girlfriend generally dislikes snow. It's such a magical place! Every time I leave I find myself planning next year's trip almost immediately.
Amen. Fellow cheesehead. Grew up on the Bay. I'd have to be near water.
I think you know what you have to do. There are plenty of women out there.
Lived here my whole life, like you on the north end. CAN CONFIRM. Great job explaining the many situational problems that we face.
P.S. Thank you for explaining our "local ignorance" lol!! In our area we all know each other, so we do turn and look!
Once again you made UP a place to visit, especially if you like scenic areas. You go, girl!!! 😊
I'm here with ya, third year just south of Munising. I recommend getting good snowmobile if you haven't already.
We've considered it! There are a couple of other "fun" vehicles on our list first, but there have been many winter days where I've looked outside and thought about how much easier commuting with a snowmobile would be, ha ha.
@@AlexisDahl Maybe a dogsled? Hahaha! 🐶
It's nice to see more Meijer's in the UP !! Nice Video😎
Moved from Texas to the UP. I love it here.
I have to say one of the most remote feeling areas I have ever been in was traveling down M 28 on a ride from Marquette to the Soo.
It's called The Seney Stretch.
I found your channel when my son decided to attend Michigan Tech and I began to explore all things Michigan. Your stories are fun and a bright spot in all the sad news around us these days. I lap up each story the day it appears, sometimes within minutes of its posting!
We have found Houghton to be friendly and welcoming to students and their families. There’s are community members like a certain lady who is often offering help to students of parents on the MTU family Facebook page. I love visiting to UP! Would I want to live there full time??? I’m not crazy about so much snow, so I’ll be happy to visit. 😂
Please keep the stories rolling, my friend!
I live in Wisconsin but love the U.P and remember driving on M-28 several years ago and stopped at a store and asked a few people in the store what it was like to live in such a remote place. They said this isn’t remote.
Hwy 141 between Crystal Falls and Covington is as remote as it gets as well. Have to add: US2 between Iron River and Ironwood…
I use the winter months to get caught up on indoor projects…because when summer comes, I spend as much time as possible outside!
We moved to Wright, Wyoming (pop 1800 +/-) in 2007 from Lansing. I love the UP and think every human on the planet should at least visit there once. I understand the changes you have had adapting to a much slower type of lifeatyle, smaller circle of friends the small town attitudes and the large distances between towns (distances between towns here are measured in time not miles).And the visual vista's here are such that I don't even miss tree's. I still marvel that I can see all the way to tomorrow although I do miss the hush of a pine forest. Glad your transition was as sucessful as mine.
Funny about he tourist question- we've trolled our way through the UP quite a bit. Maybe it's because I'm a Yooper by blood, but we've always had good interactions with people. A few years ago, we ate at a popular bar in L'anse, and this guy sitting next to us started talking- and in due time, he mentioned the tour of the area out to Big Bay- which was totally awesome. We go up for another couple of weeks this year.
I am from Brighton Michigan I would go to Ann arbor a lot. My dad is from Detroit and he went to college Norther he was a big hockey guy.
Funny and light hearted. Love your hair. Thanks for posting!........snow mobile bar hopping?
Ha ha, that is not something I can speak into, but seeing snowmobiles parked outside of bars and restaurants is very much on my list of "things that now seem perfectly normal." 😂
Very lovely and informative video Alexis as always. I don't live in the UP, but I really enjoy geography and learning about the positive quarks of specific regions. So kudos to you for doing your part to represent the UP.
I'm curious what are some of your favorite tourist attractions around the UP?
Hey, thank you! Also, oh man, favorite tourist attractions... There are a lot of spots I really enjoy. One of my favorites is the whole Pictured Rocks area, which is frequented by visitors. The Lake of the Clouds in the Porkies is also a highlight! There's a lot to learn about lava flows in that area.
I've been there quite a bit,every local I talked to said they went up there to visit and couldn't make it home.I love that place it truly is the final frontier.
The best part of traveling the UP is when you leave town you are in the forest. I love that part and it's so beautiful.
@AlexisDahl, moved to a remote island in LM in 2021 and very fun to hear your experience is almost identical to ours. No road noise, no light pollution, aurora alerts on the phone in the middle of the night, planning your trips to the store, etc. Its been a good change for us. And yes, this winter has not been great for snow sports.
Alexis, Nice job acclimating to your surroundings. I think the UP suits you perfectly. While I'm thinking about it, I worked with a retired USCG coast guarder several years ago and he told me of being stationed at the Huron Islands. He didn't mention for how long he was marooned. Keep up the great work.
I've always enjoyed your videos and have learned a great deal from the subjects you deep dive. However, when you threw in a clip of being at an Enter the Haggis concert...well...you went to the top of the favorite RUclipsr list. Thanks.
Ha ha, thank you!! I didn't expect anyone to catch that, so I especially appreciate this comment! Enter the Haggis has been a staple in our house since we were in college. 🙂
@@AlexisDahl I found them through their PBS special they recorded @ SUNY Plattsburgh in 2003. Now my daughter is a full on Haggis Head as well. If you ever make it to the NY Hudson Valley their is plenty of neat stuff to see. Keep up the good work.
I love winter camping in the bush of porcupine mountains.
Thank you Alexis....as a " troll " who lives below the bridge , we also make annual pilgrimages to the place we hold sacred in our minds and hearts....the magic of the U.P. and all the evidence of the retreat of the Glaciers....Thank you for sharing .Coming to you from Benzie County the smallest county in michigan
Thank you! Also, your county seems like such a joy. I made a couple of trips to the Beulah area the summer after high school and remember that area fondly!
Definitely a contrast to winter around the Detroit area where I am, where it's pretty much just grey, drab, and moist for 3 months.
As a person that moved to the U.P. 30+ years ago for southeastern lower Michigan, I would say you were right on just about everything you said. The only point that I disagree with is that you will watch this video years from now and realize how little you knew. You will be amazed at how uncomplicated life is in the U.P.. Is there still LOT'S for you to do, of course, but your vision for the people that live here and environment in which we go about our lives, is crazy accurate. In the end, that slower rhythm of life is what I love most. I am fond of saying, I might move somewhere else in the U.P. but I will never leave this place. This is my home, forever.
On a side note, the comment about your husband looking to see if he knows people now when they enter a restaurant is even more funny in that when we go downstate to visit family, I will be in some hugely populated location and find myself looking at nearly every individual to see if I know them. It's like, I know better but I just can't stop myself.
Oh and one more thing, "Do I know you?" extends to deer and bear and whatever wildlife I happen to run across. It's not super logical but I'll bet I'm not the only person around here that does it. And yes, at least when it comes to bear, we absolutely know each one personally as generations upon generations have grown up around our home and spend significant time around us. The deer are little tougher but... Anyway, thanks for wonderful content over the years.
Thanks for posting. I always enjoy your history videos . I graduated from MTU in 1998 and have lived in Texas the past 20 years. My 18 year old daughter shocked me when choosing a college and is a freshman at MTU now. This is a shockingly new world for her but she is so far really enjoying it. Of course, being a student keeps her busy but one of her few complaints so far has been how much less daylight she gets per day relative to Dallas Tx.
She should stay in the U.P. during the summer and enjoy the long light season.
@@boygirlandadad5814 Great suggestion! My wife and I have signed up our teenage boy to do one of MTUs summer engineering camps.
I just took daughter number two on a campus visit. Hoping so much that she’ll want to join her sister. I loved driving around hilly , snowy Houghton . Didn’t realize how much I missed UP winter. ( at least for a weekend )
@@GoldFoilDecendent during peak summer light there is still light in the sky at 11:30pm and in the morning around 5am. I think the actual sunset time is more around 10pm and sunrise is 6am but that sun skims the earth for quite a while before actually peaking.
This whole "Yooper " thing is really just a state of mind. Assimilate to local culture and customs and anyone can be a Yooper, or a Texan for that matter. I got to spend a little time in Texas going through Basic Training and spent a few months at Camp Bullis. Besides the crushing heat Texas seems really nice.
Very cool! I went to and lived at Michigan Tech for 2 years back in '99-01'
As a Canadian who lives in North Eastern Ontario (Sudbury), I can definitely relate to those who live in the UP. If I ever moved to the U.S, the U.P is definitely one area I would seriously consider.
I just spent a very long weekend in Ann Arbor at my son's frat for father's weekend. I live near Naubinway but I grew and worked for decades up in Metro Detroit. Yes, Ann Arbor, Detroit and Grand Rapids have a lot to offer. However, there is no way that I am moving back.
Looking good Michigan girl. Really dig your wall. You probably need to get in to hunting and fishing.
We used to stay at Trout lake for snowmobiling twice a year it is second to none for the rides and scenery just wow , We rode to every town in the UP i believe or most of them . Drove across the bridge to Mackinaw city in 1994 to the key hole bar and met Bob Segar there added bonus , Good video
Love your stuff, sometimes things I already knew about, sometimes bits of history I missed. I've loved this place since I was a kid (now 69, originally from Rochester) and when it came time to retire, I knew where I wanted to go. Been here nine years next summer solstice and love it more every year!
Something that resonates a bit from my time living in Yellowstone, the saying was "there's only three seasons, July, August and winter....". Not too far off the usual reality here, eh?
I live in the Escanaba area and i absolutely love it here. Sure it has its cons but it's best to appreciate the good
I've been up here in the U.P. Iron Mountain area for about eighteen years after seventeen years living in Chicago and spending all of my former life in the "Chicagoland" area: translation, the 'Burbs. The trade-off are the six month long winters and short, two month summers. There is no crime, almost no pollution unless you live near a mill, no traffic congestion, no political corruption, not an astronomical cost of living. The air is clean, the water is pure, the people are generally honest and helpful: if you have 'car trouble' on the road almost everybody will pull over to ask if you are OK and/or need help. It took me about five years to stomach the winter weather but that's what made me a true "Yooper"...I've discovered layering when I dress for the cold. But the Veterans Hospital here is rated number one in the nation due to the terrific, dedicated nurses and other support staff because they hire the local professionals. And I think my life expectancy has increased significantly the day I drove into town on March 18, 2002. btw, during the winter of '13/'14 the temperature at night was once down to minus thirty seven degrees Fahrenheit.