Station/Boat Location~
USCGC ACACIA (180')
Date there~
October 2001 - Summer 2003
Weather~
Cold. The best thing I can say about Winters up in northern Michigan is that they know how to clear it off the streets and sidewalks. I've never seen plows out so often and do such a good job. There may be huge snow banks, but the roads look great.
Summer was great and was a very tolerable warm. It never got terribly muggy humid and it was beautiful. We lived in MI during weird weather years (as we have been told by locals) and there was a very short gap between the last snow fall in Spring and Winter of 2002. We're told there is normally more of a visible transition of seasons.
Military facilities~
Traverse City, about 50 minutes from Charlevoix, is the nearest CG base. They have a very small Exchange.
Medical~
Most of us are on Tricare Prime up here, the crew being on Prime Remote. The health center the families all tend to use is in East Jordan, about 20 minutes from Charlevoix.
Housing~
There is no CG housing (for married that is, there is only some for the single guys). Rent is very varied. We live in Petoskey (about 20 minutes from Chx) and rent a house for $700 plus utilities. We're on the budget heating (gas) plan and so we pay $53/month. Friends live in rented houses in Chx and pay relatively the same amount. Cable internet is available in the area.
There are some great places to live up here considering the income levels of the down/out-of-stater's who come up for the summers and such. There are some mansions up here and that raises the property values.
Shopping~
Petoskey has a Super Wal-Mart which has the best grocery prices around. Both Petoskey and Chx have K-Marts. Each town has a cute downtown area with some great shops. Then there are also shops that are obviously geared towards the out-of-towners who visit.
For real shopping therapy, one needs to drive to Traverse City - about 50 minutes from Chx. There you'll find a big mall (Marshall Fields, Target, TJ Maxx, Pier 1, Borders)and a ton of chain restaurants.
Fun Activities~
If you like outdoor activities it's a great place! Or so I'm told. I have spent two winters up here and they seem to be rare in that there isn't a lot of good, consistent snow. DH and I like to cross-country ski and we've gone out a handful of times, but not nearly as often as we thought we'd be able to go.
There are three ski places Nub's Nob, Boyne USA Resorts - but the hills don't compare to the skiing on the east or west coasts.
The lakes up here are gorgeous. There are so many inland lakes, so if you're boaters, it's perfect! Many of them have public access.
Child Care/Schools~
We don't have children, so I don't know about public schools. But having worked for the Charlevoix Area Community Pool, I know they offer some great swim school classes. The instructors are wonderful with the kids. They have a lot of open swim times, too.
Adult Schools~
North Central Michigan College is in Petoskey and is a good school. I will graduate with my Associate's in May 2003 and have to say that I have been very impressed with the teaching staff and resources available to students. And you can't beat the tuition rates - I'm paying $53/credit for being an Emmet County resident. It's unbelievable.
Traverse City also has a few colleges, too, but I'm not too familiar with them. One is called Northern Michigan College.
Additional Info~
Restaurants! There are some really great places to eat up here. I'd recommend:
City Park Grill, Petoskey
Red Mesa Grill, Boyne City
Whitney's, Charlevoix
Gray Gables Inn, Charlevoix
The Fish, Harbor Springs
Chandler's, Petoskey (for when money is far from being an object)
American Spoon, Petoskey & Charlevoix. The Petoskey store has a cafe in which they serve lunch and dinners. They each have delicious gelato (a cross between ice-cream and sorbet) that I can't describe but you'll just have to taste.
Airports! Traverse City (code TVC) and Pellston (PLN) have a decent airports. Pellston only recently started offering commercial service and it a nice alternative to driving to Traverse City.
The Locals! We moved here from a larger city. Chx has about 3300 year round residents and Petoskey has 8500. It was a shift to get used to everyone wanting to know everyone's business. The Coast Guard is adored up here. In fact, Chx built the mooring dock for the ACACIA to lure it up here from Grand Haven (apparently it worked). There are many, many retired Coasties and they constantly ask if we know them all. The ACACIA is scheduled to be decom'd in 2005, but the station will remain. The town is less than thrilled that the "Ace of the Lakes" (the ACACIA's nickname) won't be replaced.
The people, though, are really friendly and there is definitely a warm sense of community.
Petoskey Chamber of Commerce
Petoskey News Review / Charlevoix Courier
Homeport MI
USCGC ACACIA (180')
Date there~
October 2001 - Summer 2003
Weather~
Cold. The best thing I can say about Winters up in northern Michigan is that they know how to clear it off the streets and sidewalks. I've never seen plows out so often and do such a good job. There may be huge snow banks, but the roads look great.
Summer was great and was a very tolerable warm. It never got terribly muggy humid and it was beautiful. We lived in MI during weird weather years (as we have been told by locals) and there was a very short gap between the last snow fall in Spring and Winter of 2002. We're told there is normally more of a visible transition of seasons.
Military facilities~
Traverse City, about 50 minutes from Charlevoix, is the nearest CG base. They have a very small Exchange.
Medical~
Most of us are on Tricare Prime up here, the crew being on Prime Remote. The health center the families all tend to use is in East Jordan, about 20 minutes from Charlevoix.
Housing~
There is no CG housing (for married that is, there is only some for the single guys). Rent is very varied. We live in Petoskey (about 20 minutes from Chx) and rent a house for $700 plus utilities. We're on the budget heating (gas) plan and so we pay $53/month. Friends live in rented houses in Chx and pay relatively the same amount. Cable internet is available in the area.
There are some great places to live up here considering the income levels of the down/out-of-stater's who come up for the summers and such. There are some mansions up here and that raises the property values.
Shopping~
Petoskey has a Super Wal-Mart which has the best grocery prices around. Both Petoskey and Chx have K-Marts. Each town has a cute downtown area with some great shops. Then there are also shops that are obviously geared towards the out-of-towners who visit.
For real shopping therapy, one needs to drive to Traverse City - about 50 minutes from Chx. There you'll find a big mall (Marshall Fields, Target, TJ Maxx, Pier 1, Borders)and a ton of chain restaurants.
Fun Activities~
If you like outdoor activities it's a great place! Or so I'm told. I have spent two winters up here and they seem to be rare in that there isn't a lot of good, consistent snow. DH and I like to cross-country ski and we've gone out a handful of times, but not nearly as often as we thought we'd be able to go.
There are three ski places Nub's Nob, Boyne USA Resorts - but the hills don't compare to the skiing on the east or west coasts.
The lakes up here are gorgeous. There are so many inland lakes, so if you're boaters, it's perfect! Many of them have public access.
Child Care/Schools~
We don't have children, so I don't know about public schools. But having worked for the Charlevoix Area Community Pool, I know they offer some great swim school classes. The instructors are wonderful with the kids. They have a lot of open swim times, too.
Adult Schools~
North Central Michigan College is in Petoskey and is a good school. I will graduate with my Associate's in May 2003 and have to say that I have been very impressed with the teaching staff and resources available to students. And you can't beat the tuition rates - I'm paying $53/credit for being an Emmet County resident. It's unbelievable.
Traverse City also has a few colleges, too, but I'm not too familiar with them. One is called Northern Michigan College.
Additional Info~
Restaurants! There are some really great places to eat up here. I'd recommend:
City Park Grill, Petoskey
Red Mesa Grill, Boyne City
Whitney's, Charlevoix
Gray Gables Inn, Charlevoix
The Fish, Harbor Springs
Chandler's, Petoskey (for when money is far from being an object)
American Spoon, Petoskey & Charlevoix. The Petoskey store has a cafe in which they serve lunch and dinners. They each have delicious gelato (a cross between ice-cream and sorbet) that I can't describe but you'll just have to taste.
Airports! Traverse City (code TVC) and Pellston (PLN) have a decent airports. Pellston only recently started offering commercial service and it a nice alternative to driving to Traverse City.
The Locals! We moved here from a larger city. Chx has about 3300 year round residents and Petoskey has 8500. It was a shift to get used to everyone wanting to know everyone's business. The Coast Guard is adored up here. In fact, Chx built the mooring dock for the ACACIA to lure it up here from Grand Haven (apparently it worked). There are many, many retired Coasties and they constantly ask if we know them all. The ACACIA is scheduled to be decom'd in 2005, but the station will remain. The town is less than thrilled that the "Ace of the Lakes" (the ACACIA's nickname) won't be replaced.
The people, though, are really friendly and there is definitely a warm sense of community.
Petoskey Chamber of Commerce
Petoskey News Review / Charlevoix Courier
Homeport MI
