Applying for housing assistance in Michigan. Which counties suck least?
April 24, 2018 3:11 PM Subscribe
I was born in Novi, but left when I was two, and haven't been back. There are several counties with open Section 8 waitlists. Deadline: tomorrow. Please help this Portland/Seattle native choose which counties I can survive a year in without wanting to kill myself.
My choices:
Antrim
Cheboygan
Chippewa
Crawford
Houghton
Mackinac
Manistee
Marquette
Missaukee
Roscommon
I'm not absolutely opposed to rural areas. (Which is a good thing, according to my brief Google Maps browsing session. These are probably all rural.) I just don't want to get Matthew Shepparded or run over by a tractor.
Like I mentioned, deadline: tomorrow. Please help in as rapid a fashion as you can muster.
Thanks, homeys!
My choices:
Antrim
Cheboygan
Chippewa
Crawford
Houghton
Mackinac
Manistee
Marquette
Missaukee
Roscommon
I'm not absolutely opposed to rural areas. (Which is a good thing, according to my brief Google Maps browsing session. These are probably all rural.) I just don't want to get Matthew Shepparded or run over by a tractor.
Like I mentioned, deadline: tomorrow. Please help in as rapid a fashion as you can muster.
Thanks, homeys!
Response by poster: Also: For those having trouble making sense of this, let me elaborate briefly: A Section 8 housing voucher allows the vouchee (generally, a disabled person experiencing financial hardship) to live anywhere one chooses, paying a third of his/her income for rent. However, one must first live for one year in the county to which one initially applies. Very few waitlists in the country are accepting new applicants at a given moment. Which is why: Michigan. (My other choice is Idaho. Tough choice, but I prefer tractor pulls to neo-Nazi sock hops.)
posted by t(h)om(as) at 3:25 PM on April 24, 2018
posted by t(h)om(as) at 3:25 PM on April 24, 2018
Yeah, they're pretty much all rural. A lot are the UP, if you're into that.
The only one I've ever been to is Manistee, but the good news is that it's an absolutely beautiful town. Right on the lake, nice public beaches, with a little boardwalk along the river into the charming downtown. Among other things, there's a nice bookstore, some good restaurants, and a delicious ice cream shop. There's an airport, too, although there's only one flight out every few days to MDW. I'm not sure about living there, but it's a fun place to visit.
In general, I'd suggest coastal areas over inland ones. The coastal areas at least have tourism to support their economies, and to make them a bit more cosmopolitan.
posted by kevinbelt at 3:54 PM on April 24, 2018 [2 favorites]
The only one I've ever been to is Manistee, but the good news is that it's an absolutely beautiful town. Right on the lake, nice public beaches, with a little boardwalk along the river into the charming downtown. Among other things, there's a nice bookstore, some good restaurants, and a delicious ice cream shop. There's an airport, too, although there's only one flight out every few days to MDW. I'm not sure about living there, but it's a fun place to visit.
In general, I'd suggest coastal areas over inland ones. The coastal areas at least have tourism to support their economies, and to make them a bit more cosmopolitan.
posted by kevinbelt at 3:54 PM on April 24, 2018 [2 favorites]
Marquette is a college town. But how do you feel about snow and being a five hour drive away from the nearest major airport (Green Bay)?
posted by elsietheeel at 3:54 PM on April 24, 2018
posted by elsietheeel at 3:54 PM on April 24, 2018
Hey, I'm another Michigan escapee to the west coast. I'll try to focus on which counties I think are good vs disparaging the others as "bad," but generally speaking I doubt you'd like any of the counties that I-75 runs through south of the bridge (look at the Wikipedia page for "list of counties in Michigan" - they have little map icons for all of them). Probably no "neo-Nazi sock hops" there, but you could run into the occasional Klan rally or whatever the current incarnation of the Michigan Militia is calling itself. So.
I think 3 of your best bets would be Houghton, Marquette, and Antrim. Mostly this is for the availability of small cities. All of your options are really far north in MI, and in the winter the nights are so long and dark and the weather is so snowy that you're going to need some kind of community. Also car ownership is going to be pretty much mandatory in any of these areas, and your car ought to handle decently in the snow, too.
Houghton county has Houghton town and Hancock, which together form kind of a college town, or what passes for one in far Northern Michigan. There's a small restaurant and bar district, though I don't know if you're of an age where you could hang out with the college crowd. Aside from that, it's otherwise quite isolated.
Marquette county has the city of Marquette, which is the main city in the Western UP. There's also a university there, and a decent downtowny area with cafes, shopping, good food, etc. Much more lively overall than Houghton.
Antrim would be a good option mainly for the proximity to Traverse City, which I assume you know is one of the main tourism hubs in northern Michigan and the biggest metro area you have access to in the listed counties. There's not a lot going on in Antrim county proper, though the Grand Traverse Bay beaches are quiet, isolated, and quite pleasant 6 months of the year. Due to the proximity of Traverse, this is probably the best place to look for jobs. It definitely has a midwestern lake town tourist vibe, but that's definitely tolerable given the other options.
I assume there's also something going on around the Soo Locks (Chippewa cty) too, but I don't know anything about it so I'll let others speak to that.
posted by Joey Buttafoucault at 4:09 PM on April 24, 2018 [5 favorites]
I think 3 of your best bets would be Houghton, Marquette, and Antrim. Mostly this is for the availability of small cities. All of your options are really far north in MI, and in the winter the nights are so long and dark and the weather is so snowy that you're going to need some kind of community. Also car ownership is going to be pretty much mandatory in any of these areas, and your car ought to handle decently in the snow, too.
Houghton county has Houghton town and Hancock, which together form kind of a college town, or what passes for one in far Northern Michigan. There's a small restaurant and bar district, though I don't know if you're of an age where you could hang out with the college crowd. Aside from that, it's otherwise quite isolated.
Marquette county has the city of Marquette, which is the main city in the Western UP. There's also a university there, and a decent downtowny area with cafes, shopping, good food, etc. Much more lively overall than Houghton.
Antrim would be a good option mainly for the proximity to Traverse City, which I assume you know is one of the main tourism hubs in northern Michigan and the biggest metro area you have access to in the listed counties. There's not a lot going on in Antrim county proper, though the Grand Traverse Bay beaches are quiet, isolated, and quite pleasant 6 months of the year. Due to the proximity of Traverse, this is probably the best place to look for jobs. It definitely has a midwestern lake town tourist vibe, but that's definitely tolerable given the other options.
I assume there's also something going on around the Soo Locks (Chippewa cty) too, but I don't know anything about it so I'll let others speak to that.
posted by Joey Buttafoucault at 4:09 PM on April 24, 2018 [5 favorites]
Response by poster: elsietheeel: Pacman, cat scratch, saturday night, cabin: I'm down with all the fevers. All work and no play makes t(h)om(as) a... wait. I'm already a dull boy.
posted by t(h)om(as) at 4:14 PM on April 24, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by t(h)om(as) at 4:14 PM on April 24, 2018 [2 favorites]
Houghton, Marquette, and Sault Ste. Marie (Chippewa) are all college towns. And Marquette is only 3.5 hours from Green Bay.
Have never seen Klan or neo-Nazis anywhere in this state. No doubt they exist, but if so they are well-hidden. The Michigan Militia essentially evaporated twenty years ago.
posted by yclipse at 4:21 PM on April 24, 2018
Have never seen Klan or neo-Nazis anywhere in this state. No doubt they exist, but if so they are well-hidden. The Michigan Militia essentially evaporated twenty years ago.
posted by yclipse at 4:21 PM on April 24, 2018
My votes are Marquette and Manistee in that order. Of that list, Marquette county has the biggest city in it, Marquette. Although biggest is relative in this case as Marquette's population is about 20,000.
The snow is no joke so really consider whether you will be able to handle winter when there a couple feet of snow. Manistee is only slightly better in that they get less snow, but it's still ALOT.
I generally agree with Joey Buttafoucault about avoiding the interior of the lower peninsula.
posted by thatquietgirl at 4:26 PM on April 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
The snow is no joke so really consider whether you will be able to handle winter when there a couple feet of snow. Manistee is only slightly better in that they get less snow, but it's still ALOT.
I generally agree with Joey Buttafoucault about avoiding the interior of the lower peninsula.
posted by thatquietgirl at 4:26 PM on April 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
I lived in Marquette as a(n assigned-)gender non-conforming and visibly disabled kid and people were far more decent to me than in any other rural MI area we lived. Some I'd even describe as having been kind.
posted by teremala at 4:37 PM on April 24, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by teremala at 4:37 PM on April 24, 2018 [2 favorites]
Marquette is nice (I have family there) but there are no jobs, and that goes double for outsiders. The few service industry jobs go to friends and family of the people who already live there.
posted by rockindata at 5:01 PM on April 24, 2018
posted by rockindata at 5:01 PM on April 24, 2018
Could you give us a little more guidance on what your requirements/preferences are?
Like, do you need a job to go along with this housing? Because you are going to have a hard time finding work in some of the more rural counties (and some of the cities as well). If you need a job, can you tell us what you would be looking for/what your skills are?
Is the Section 8 voucher only good for certain places? Certain rental price ranges? It doesn't help to recommend someplace like Houghton or Marquette if the only place you are eligible to live is 30 miles out of town.
Is there anything in particular you like/dislike? Do you enjoy/tolerate well quiet living and few neighbors? Or do you crave the energy of city life? Will you have a reliable car that can accommodate snow tires, or do you need a walkable community? Do you want to be near the water, or in the middle of a forest? Maybe you still have family in lower MI and you'd like to be nearer I-75 so you can get downstate easier?
Yeah, some rural areas of MI are pretty conservative. You're unlikely to run into issues unless you show up in drag to a redneck bar where they politely ask you to leave your guns at the door. But in general people in rural areas are there because they appreciate neighbors not poking noses into their business, and are likely to extend you the same courtesy.
As others have noted, you're going to be dealing with a lot of snow in any of these places. Areas like Houghton/Hancock and Marquette get FEET of snow in a typical winter and it sticks around. But...they also know how to deal with it, and life is geared around snow. So if you prepare for it and look at it as an opportunity to enjoy the experience for one winter, you should be okay.
posted by Preserver at 5:39 PM on April 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
Like, do you need a job to go along with this housing? Because you are going to have a hard time finding work in some of the more rural counties (and some of the cities as well). If you need a job, can you tell us what you would be looking for/what your skills are?
Is the Section 8 voucher only good for certain places? Certain rental price ranges? It doesn't help to recommend someplace like Houghton or Marquette if the only place you are eligible to live is 30 miles out of town.
Is there anything in particular you like/dislike? Do you enjoy/tolerate well quiet living and few neighbors? Or do you crave the energy of city life? Will you have a reliable car that can accommodate snow tires, or do you need a walkable community? Do you want to be near the water, or in the middle of a forest? Maybe you still have family in lower MI and you'd like to be nearer I-75 so you can get downstate easier?
Yeah, some rural areas of MI are pretty conservative. You're unlikely to run into issues unless you show up in drag to a redneck bar where they politely ask you to leave your guns at the door. But in general people in rural areas are there because they appreciate neighbors not poking noses into their business, and are likely to extend you the same courtesy.
As others have noted, you're going to be dealing with a lot of snow in any of these places. Areas like Houghton/Hancock and Marquette get FEET of snow in a typical winter and it sticks around. But...they also know how to deal with it, and life is geared around snow. So if you prepare for it and look at it as an opportunity to enjoy the experience for one winter, you should be okay.
posted by Preserver at 5:39 PM on April 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
I have family in Marquette. They are very progressive and have found a community for themselves in Marquette. I can’t comment on any of the other counties in your list, but Marquette ain’t bad if you can tolerate the winter.
posted by coppermoss at 5:52 PM on April 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by coppermoss at 5:52 PM on April 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
(Sorry, it seemed like 5 hours when I was driving it a few years ago. Although now that I think about it, we were coming from Milwaukee and I was misremembering, my apologies!)
I'm a Californian who had never been to Michigan before and I was absolutely delighted by Marquette (but please note that I went in August). My only winter Michigan experience was Lansing in January, which was not at all unpleasant.
posted by elsietheeel at 6:21 PM on April 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'm a Californian who had never been to Michigan before and I was absolutely delighted by Marquette (but please note that I went in August). My only winter Michigan experience was Lansing in January, which was not at all unpleasant.
posted by elsietheeel at 6:21 PM on April 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
I grew up in Manistee the city. Or should I say "city." County seat but single-digit-thousand residents.
Tolerable to me, but like I said, I grew up there. I'd consider living there again, if the economy supported jobs befitting my education and training. Granted, I'd probably decide against it because I like the culture and sport the big city offers, but I could do it without going nuts. You can swim, you can hike, you're only 1-2 hours from places actual touring acts visit (Traverse, Grand Rapids), and the community theater does somewhat interesting work. More than you might expect in a town that size, anyway.
The lake effect can pile up in Manistee but it's nothing like the U.P. Lotta natural beauty up there, covered in snow for many month of the year.
And try the Blue Moon ice cream at House of Flavors. Trust me, not your lyin' eyes. It's delicious.
posted by stevis23 at 7:05 PM on April 24, 2018 [2 favorites]
Tolerable to me, but like I said, I grew up there. I'd consider living there again, if the economy supported jobs befitting my education and training. Granted, I'd probably decide against it because I like the culture and sport the big city offers, but I could do it without going nuts. You can swim, you can hike, you're only 1-2 hours from places actual touring acts visit (Traverse, Grand Rapids), and the community theater does somewhat interesting work. More than you might expect in a town that size, anyway.
The lake effect can pile up in Manistee but it's nothing like the U.P. Lotta natural beauty up there, covered in snow for many month of the year.
And try the Blue Moon ice cream at House of Flavors. Trust me, not your lyin' eyes. It's delicious.
posted by stevis23 at 7:05 PM on April 24, 2018 [2 favorites]
And try the Blue Moon ice cream at House of Flavors. Trust me, not your lyin' eyes. It's delicious.
Yummmm....and either Manistee or Antrim County would mean easy access to Moomers.
posted by Preserver at 7:46 PM on April 24, 2018
Yummmm....and either Manistee or Antrim County would mean easy access to Moomers.
posted by Preserver at 7:46 PM on April 24, 2018
OP, do you need access to specialised medical care? Are you hoping to find a job in this time? I feel like we could better answer and recommend if we knew if you have work/healthcare needs and what they might be. Access to both of these could be difficult in many of these counties of you have specific needs.
posted by Kalmya at 3:35 AM on April 25, 2018
posted by Kalmya at 3:35 AM on April 25, 2018
Marquette or Manistee is where I'd go if those counties were my choices. Jobs are gonna be hard to come by anywhere though.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 8:08 AM on April 25, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by misanthropicsarah at 8:08 AM on April 25, 2018 [2 favorites]
Coming from a Seattle/Portland sensibility: Marquette, hands down. Houghton would be a reasonable second choice. Good luck to you!
posted by kelborel at 2:52 PM on April 25, 2018
posted by kelborel at 2:52 PM on April 25, 2018
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posted by t(h)om(as) at 3:14 PM on April 24, 2018