The U.P. Struggling with Housing: Attracting Lifestyle and Business Enthusiasts

The original Escanaba Highschool
Was Junior High in my time.
Is now Middle School
Very nice building.

Housing is going to become a bigger issue for small towns in the U.P. We have a lifestyle that is very different than many others. It is smaller, rural, and more connected to nature. The tourist areas would get busy during the summer months and typically these towns would fall silent. There is a growing interest to the area by digital nomads, technology workers, outdoor enthusiasts that now think the Upper Peninsula is great place to live and invest. 

Take Escanaba for example. It has received new investments and is starting to grow quickly. The town will go through some changes in a way that increases revenue for the local towns and draws in new resources. There will be new visitors and people and that is helpful in an environment that has seen somewhat of a decline in young people. That is about to be changed into the positive. 

Culture is also an important thing and will likely adjust a little with new influx of people and ideas. They will become acclimated to the Yooper lifestyle but will also bring with them new ideas on how to do things. If the cultural aspects of influx of people are managed well it could lead to a more "outdoorsy" and entrepreneurial flavor to the current community based approach of life leading to future business and family retention. 

Wallet Watch: U.P. struggles to house a much-needed workforce