Climate
Actually, we don't have a climate in the U.P., we have weather. Do we ever have weather! There is no way to gloss it over: we have long cold snowy winters.

In order to survive and thrive here, you have to be able to find positive values in the lengthy white season. (Have you ever spent time looking—really looking—at snowflakes, or long blue shadows in January?) Finding joy in winter here also requires strong inner resources to use the time to learn and entertain oneself.

Insects
Black flies, wood ticks, mosquitoes, deer flies. These critters to send in hordes as soon as the snow melts. Don't expect massive spraying programs here.

Wildlife
There are bears in the woods (and sometimes in town), deer on the roads (and sometimes eating plants in your yard), a thriving population of Timberwolves and lots of other smaller animals. It's their home, too, and they were here first.

Roads
There is no interstate highway in the U.P., except for one shorter section from Mackinac Bridge to Sault Ste. Marie. Most of the roads are two-lane. There are many miles of gravel and two-track dirt roads to explore.

If you choose to build your home in a remote area, don't expect the roads to be paved, the school bus to trundle out for your children, water and septic service to be provided, electric wires to be strung to your new location or the snow plow to show up early in the morning after the big January storm. Rural living is what it is, and is likely to remain so.

Transportation
Some planes, no trains, mostly cars for moving about up here. Be aware the weather is a major factor in both flying and driving; it takes more time to get somewhere and sometimes you can't get there from here.

Phones
There are places in this region where a cell phone will not work. Many of us think that's a good thing, as we view the proliferation of tall, visible towers needed to carry those signals.

Emergencies
Keep in mind that the population is sparse and the distances are great, so it may take longer for a first responder corps or an ambulance crew to reach you in the event of an accident or sudden illness.

Consumer items
Although the region is well on its way to possessing every chain superstore known to Western civilization, there may be items or choices that frustrate the urban-dweller or longtime lover of gigantic malls.

Employment
The options for gainful employment you may have enjoyed in more populous areas will be more limited here. Even if you are lucky enough, or creative enough, to put together satisfactory work here, you may have to be willing to trade the high salaries of the cities for other values to be gained.

As a long time lover of this wondrous Superior Peninsula, I worry what the future may bring. The slower pace of life and the gentle rhymes of the land are part of our being. Will visitors or prospective immigrants embrace the whole experience of living in the Upper Peninsula and add their enthusiasm, creativity and skills to the community, or will they come with other, more material values and attempt to alter us as well as the land? Will we morph into a venue, not a place—a backdrop for activities and ways of living that one could do anywhere?

I offer only this plea:
Please don't come to the Upper Peninsula and try to alter the land or our way of life. Don't set about to change this place into the place you have just left (or fled).

It is what it is, and we like it that way.

Rather, approach our beloved north country with reverence and awe.

Tuck yourself in here and let the land change you.

I'm giving this guy my weekly pay

Th Daily Poor. Lol

> Be Dollar Tree
> Have ~6,000,000 stores in the U.P.
> Still don't put it on US map
> Based, they're aware that you shouldn't openly display secrets

Man, that $1,500 a month rent sure is "ridiculously low."

I take this as God telling us that skyscrapers are evil

So, I looked into this. $1500 is literally above 2022's average rent for a 3BR apartment by a bit.

Rent usually goes up by something like 2 or 3 percent per year. Consequently, this guy says a rent that's just a touch above the current expected average is "ridiculously low."

So, there's a bit of an issue in looking at small town data. That is, they usually only have 5 year estimates. So, we have to do a bit of guesswork.

The most recent data available is from 2021. From that dataset, the national average for a 3BR is $1301. 2022 nationwide data from the single year says $1449. Multiply that by 1.03 and we get an expected average of $1492 per month for 2023. As such, we can expect that the values for the 2023 would be about x value multiplied by 1.15. It's a guess, but an informed guess.

Will see what we can find regarding specific places later. But for now, I need to run to the market.

I wonder what the urban/rural split looks like on the rent price

Just ran this. Ran correlation between urban % of population on the county level and median gross rent total, for just studios, and for each BR count. All had about a 0.56 correlation, except studios, which was at 0.4.

Visual of correlation between urbanity of a county and its median rent price

Pretty funny that the U.P. place known for being expensive is still about $100 cheaper per month for a 3 BR than his dream $1500 scenario.

And note, also, that this is just 3 BR as a metric; meaning, it'll show up here whether you rent a 3 BR apartment or home. So, the reality is probably that this is overestimating the price when you compare it to his fantasy price for a 3 BR APARTMENT.

So true

Is it normal for people to label such ludicrously exorbitant spending as $1000 a month for vacations as tenants of the "middle class lifestyle"?

I bet the average Daily Poor subscriber can spend a tenth of that on vacations and still enjoy them a hell of a lot more

Happy Thanksgiving from The Daily Poor!