Manistique, Michigan
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1/28/2021
We moved up here 27 years ago for my husband's job. I had lived in several other cities-Denver, Ann Arbor, East Lansing, and Massachusetts. This would be the smallest town ever lived in. I was so willing to give it a chance. Nature is a big draw up here. The hunting and fishing culture is firmly entrenched. Not very much in the way of culture, but Marquette is about 90 miles away and has some cultural events. The main problem here is the local's close mindedness. I am a friendly person, we found out people are friendly but only superficially so. YOU must make all the overtures and plans. People in this town were told to me , to be very "cliquish" and it is true. Most here are related to each other because the gene pool is so small and people have relatives going back a century .I had always heard that "Yoopers" were hard workers. Well, not really. When they work their 6 months or 24 weeks, they do work . But the other 28 weeks, they play , living on unemployment. They consider that their due entitlement. There is a lack of openess, well roundedness & acceptance of others up here. We were accused of being "from Detroit" when I went to vote for the first time up here (?) We are not.
Mostly the older people are friendly maybe because of more life experience. The younger people are solid drinkers, it is in their genetic makeup because the alcoholism goes back generations. Getting a minor in possession ticket, is a rite of passage for the high schoolers. I was told drugs were a problem, and it is true, our neighbor sold cocaine right out of his parents' house. He went to prison. Meth is a steady problem here too. Pot is legal so really nothing has changed in that respect, those who smoke it are still doing so, only legally now. Another problem is that the Sault tribe of Chippewa Indians gives LOTS of freebies to their tribal members. They get free medical care, free medicine, FREE tuition, books, and living expenses, tax refunded on any gas or oil they buy, 1% loan for homes, bonus checks for age 60 and up, and more and more. That does not make for ambitious , or go getter people. They also receive a hiring preference for state and federal jobs, added 10 points to their test scores. There was a mistake made in a consent decree 20 years ago, which allowed tribal members to fish WAY more than is wise , which would ensure fish population to replenish itself. Law has caught several extremely large fish poaching rings. The Indian Casinos have led to many bankruptcies and several suicides in this little town. The winters are L_O_N_G and if you work a real job, not seasonal job, you must be prepared to drive in bad snow a lot of the wintertime. Summer is the truly beautiful time here, about mid May to end of September. Growing season for flowers plants and vegetables is Zone 5, and they say we are in the "Banana Belt" ,mild winters, but that is not true anymore. Weather has changed so much up here in the past 27 years we have been here. Beach erosion, big windstorms, has made the shore of Lake Michigan diminish. The main expenses here are heating cost, groceries and gas for your vehicles. Meijer and Wal Mart are in Escanaba about 54 miles away. There is a rural hospital here with visiting specialists. Many little bars and not very many restaurants. Small businesses have to make their bank in the tourist season, which was cut off last year due to Covid. Definitely hope things open up and the small businesses can get going again.
Nancy | Manistique, MI