About Our Community

Live and Work Here

Next time you’re fighting rush hour traffic, imagine a place with easy commutes, pollution-free air, and trees instead of billboards. The Upper Peninsula combines outstanding business opportunity with the best of small-town living. Walk-able neighborhoods and traditional downtowns. Friendly neighbors, unlocked doors and low crime rates. Toss in the region’s top-ranked schools, a lower cost of living, and more than 16,000 square miles of natural recreation space, and you’ve got a lifestyle that gives you room to breathe and innovate. People who live in the Upper Peninsula have access to everything great!

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Key points to consider about the Upper Peninsula:

• 4 national parks
• 1,700 miles of rugged shoreline
• More than 200 waterfalls
• 8 ski hills
• 3 great lakes (truly, inland seas!)
• Thousands of miles for hikers, bikers, cross-country skiers and snowmobilers
• Brightest northern lights in the continental United States 3rd snowiest region in America (according to Weather Channel)
• Pollution-free fresh air
• 4 universities and 5 community colleges
• Midwest’s top-rank public schools
• America’s safest communities – very low crime rates
• 2 national healthcare systems
• 3 SmartZone’s, 3 business incubators and 4 co-working spaces
• 9 airports

Schoolcraft County alone has:

• 47 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline
• 202 inland lakes
• World-class fishing
• Kitich-iti-kipi (the “mirror of heaven” to the native people)
• The most photographed lighthouse on the entire Great Lakes (the Manistique East Breakwater Light)
• More than 150 miles of trails for hiking, biking, snowmobiling, ATV riding, horseback riding
• One of the largest river basins in the State (the Manistique River/Indian River system)
• Seney National Wildlife Refuge
• The only naturally open (ice-free) port on the Upper Great Lakes
• A county airport that can land any aircraft (5000-foot paved runway)
• Centrally-located…about an hour from the major attractions
  If you love the outdoors, Schoolcraft County is the place you’ll call home.

Looking for a job?

We have easy-to-access online job and career portals that list opportunities throughout the Upper Peninsula.

WorkLiveUP
Michigan Works
Michigan Talent Connect

Arts & Culture

From Sault Ste. Marie to Ironwood, the Upper Peninsula is jam-packed with events, art classes, and cultural experiences. Local art is present in our communities, shops and landscapes. The people who live and visit here have access to:

• 73 Museums
• 32 Galleries
• 12 Movie theaters
• 15 Performing arts centers
• 7 Community arts centers
• Hundreds of events, fairs, and festivals

Location and Climate

Average High Temperature: 57.3F
Annual Low Temperature: 39.1F
Average Temperature: 48.2
Annual Rainfall: 31.73”

The Upper Peninsula is the largest and most scenic rural region in the United States, consuming 29% of the Michigan’s landmass. People who love living here have access to 16,377 square miles of scenic landscape, 4,300 inland lakes, 12,000 miles of streams, and 1,700 miles of shoreline and yes…more than 220 inches of snow along Lake Superior.

With the highest national snowfall records in the continental US, snow has actually become an industry for the region.

Communities like Houghton are recognized throughout the world for municipal snow management.

We test ground vehicles, tires, and snowmobiles for government and businesses.
Tourists and locals have access to thousands of miles of cross-country skiing and eight ski hills.
Snowmobilers flock to the Upper Peninsula to ride America’s most consistent wintry trails and back-country.

High-Ranking K-12 Schools

The Upper Peninsula’s public schools are recognized statewide for high math scores, strong readers, outdoor programs, and hands-on learning opportunities. Upper Peninsula high schools earn top marks, year after year, within the state and in rankings like those published by US News & World Report.

Upper Peninsula students grow up in communities where education is highly valued, with access to world-class universities and skilled trades programs. In addition, the rural nature of the Upper Peninsula allows teachers, parents, and students to form caring, compassionate, collaborative relationships.

Manistique has three great school systems:

• Manistique Area Schools
• St. Francis de Sales Academy
• Bethel Baptist School