Can anyone recommend housing and car dealership in the Houghton/Hancock area of Michigan Upper Peninsula?

November 13, 2009 6:56 PM

Can anyone recommend housing and car dealership in the Houghton/Hancock area of Michigan Upper Peninsula?

I am moving mid-December to the Houghton/Hancock area in the Upper Peninsula region of Michigan from Mississippi. Housing search has not been very fruitful so far. A lot of the apartment complexes or property management companies don't have information on the Internet, so I am stuck with very few posting that are online. I can see that there are a number of apartment complexes, but I don't know which one to begin with. Can anyone recommend any 1 bedroom apartments to rent for a single person?

Also, can anyone mention any car dealers to go to or to avoid for a good used car?

posted by i2d2 to home & garden (7 comments total)

i2d2: I'm from the area. Let me contact some people I know who are still there and I'll get back to you on housing and such. Are you moving there because of MTU or Finlandia or something else?
posted by tragedy_and_comedy at 7:31 PM on November 13, 2009

Are you moving there to attend or teach at Michigan Tech? If so, I bet the University has people/program to help with relocation, housing, etc. Contact their Housing people and ask about referrals for off-campus housing. Many international students also seek off-campus housing rather than residence halls.

The local newspaper, the Mining Gazette, may have apartment listings.

Yooper Craigslist looks sparse, but you might get lucky. Check it daily.

I have many friends in the area. I can ask them for contacts (one is on staff at Suomi College) if you get stuck. Send me an email.
posted by mrbarrett.com at 8:17 PM on November 13, 2009

Here's the Daily Mining Gazette's classified section - scroll down to "Rentals". You'll have to search a little because there are listings from other area newspapers as well.

You can also use MTU's off-campus housing website in your search.

I love the Keweenaw. I hope you will too!
posted by warble at 10:46 PM on November 13, 2009

There's plenty of reasonably priced housing in the area, so don't worry too much about finding somewhere to live --- if you like old buildings with lots of character and some night life, consider an apartment in downtown Houghton, but if you'd prefer a newer place, several (student targeted) apartment complexes have been build over the past year or so close to campus.

No specific recommendation for used cars, but Dave's BP gas station and garage in Hancock, just over the bridge, was great for service, and Fine Line Tire in Hancock was good for snow tires. Given the amount of snow and the topography, you really want something with all wheel drive and snow tires (lots of Subaru cars in use, so probably also on the used market).

Check out Roy's on Sheldon for their pasties and desserts... Congratulations on the move!
posted by acro at 8:58 AM on November 14, 2009

I would not buy a car from the area. Michigan roads tend wreck cars in the winter months because of the over-use of salt and general winter conditions of the roads.

You're better off picking up a used car from the south. I've seen some staggeringly good deals on late-model used cars in Texas and Florida. Regularly check cars.com and Ebay Motors for listings.
posted by camworld at 11:31 AM on November 14, 2009

Thanks for all the answers. I'm a grad student transferring to Michigan Tech. I don't think I will have the time to shop for a car here, and I have to drive the U-Haul anyway, so I'll just leave that until I got there, but thanks for the warning, that's one more thing I know I need to look out for.

I have looked at the Gazette and the MTU website before, but it seems like there are still some apartment complexes that I can't get to online.
posted by i2d2 at 1:57 PM on November 14, 2009

Houghton and Hancock do not have apartment complexes as such. MTU has student apartments, The closest thing would be the Arbor Green subsidized housing. Some newer apartment buildings are available as well as many apartments in older buildings. Many MTU students who live off-campus join together to rent houses. So maybe you are not missing anything.

Due to Tech's many engineering programs, sublets for spring semester and summer session are often available. Students frequently list them on "Barkboard" which you should be able to access as soon as you have an mtu e-mail address.

If you are coming from a major metro area, you may be pleasantly surprised at what you can get for your rent money in the Copper Country.

As for used autos, Keweenaw Automotive has been in business in the same location for many years.
http://www.keweenawautomotive.com/index.html.

We've had major auto repairs done at Goodwin Motors and have been satisfied with the work and the customer service.
http://www.upautomall.com/dealers/goodwin/
posted by tragedy_and_comedy at 6:41 PM on November 14, 2009