Analytics tell me… or at least I’m told analytics tell me, most readers of Word on the Street live in Marquette. Not all. Most. Further, I know when I write about issues not pertaining to Marquette proper, some of those same readers show a little less interest in something not directly on their radar. I get it.
However, just because you’re not within arm’s length of a specific topic, doesn’t mean it’s something you wouldn’t find interesting, or even concerned about. Remember all that smoke in the air? That wasn’t a Marquette fire, not even close. Yet it had a tremendous impact on all of us. I’m pretty sure that got your attention, and deservedly so.
I’m not exactly sure how I got off on that tangent, except that I’m going to write about Negaunee and Ishpeming… mostly Ishpeming, and even though you may have no financial or social interest in either one of those communities, you should still care. Maybe that explains the tangent.
I’ve always believed the primary communities in Marquette County, the three mentioned, and also Gwinn, are actually one market. How many people do you know who live in one and work in another? Or shop, or recreate in another? Or actually do have a financial interest in another?
Neighbors Up the Road
With that in mind, let’s take another look at those two iron towns just minutes west of Marquette. Since I’ve written extensively about the incredible revival we’ve seen in Negaunee, I’ll preface my observations with… there’s been an incredible revival in Negaunee.
A combination of factors including competent leadership, a handful of business-minded entrepreneurs, and pioneering homeowners focused on maximizing their investments, has turned the tired mining settlement into something I didn’t see coming… a darn nice little town.
Leave Negaunee heading west and you’re immediately in its bigger sister city, Ishpeming. As we look at the home of the Hematites, it’s important to recognize its proximity to Marquette. It’s close, but not as close as Negaunee.
Why is this important? One reason Negaunee is thriving is due to the crowded and overpriced housing market in Marquette. Young people in particular are looking up the road for a place they can afford. Hence, a boom in Irontown unrelated to a stick of Cliffs’ dynamite.
As Negaunee’s housing market follows suit of what’s happening in Marquette, folks are looking even further west for housing affordability, and finding it in Ishpeming.
A Place to Live
According to Antonio Adan, board member of the Ishpeming Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and Executive Director of the Marquette County Land Bank, “The City of Ishpeming is in the process of acquiring roughly 1,100 acres of land from Cleveland Cliffs Iron Co. which will allow for future redevelopment opportunities within the city limits.”
That, along with what appears to be a fair number of units in need of some TLC, should be a boost to those searching for a house they can afford. My street-level observation is that a couple hundred thousand bucks and a willingness to take on a home improvement project might be enough to make a homeowner out of an ambitious young couple.
Adan adds, “Downtown Ishpeming is experiencing a revival and in need of additional activity and residential apartments in the Historic District. The goal of the Ishpeming DDA is to ensure there are more residents, businesses adding to a more vibrant corridor.”
Great. Now you can find your dream home that comes with a manageable mortgage payment, as well as a reasonable drive to work. But there’s one more thing to consider. How bad do you want to live in Ishpeming?
What to Expect in Ishpeming
David Aeh, owner of downtown’s inventory-heavy Main Street Antique Mall, and a vocal Ishpeming advocate thinks the venerable blue-collar outpost is an underrated gem. “Ishpeming has always been a throwback to earlier days. People are generally friendly, neighborly, and make living here nice. A somewhat live and let live Libertarian vibe seems the norm.”
And though Ishpeming often takes some lumps for an image of an unseemly but not uncommon drug problem, they’re tackling that the best way they can… with other things to do.
You may already be familiar with their Thursday Night Summer Concert Series, pictured above. They just opened a new skate park for the youthful shredders. They have a Farmers’ Market and, for the upcoming holiday season, they’re debuting a new Kriskindlemrkt, co-founded by Kevin Corkin and the DDA’s LSCP liaison, Diana Sundberg.
Sundberg gives the new attraction a serious shoutout… “This is going to be the U.P.’s first Christmas Market happening the weekends after Thanksgiving. Friday, Nov 27-28 and Dec 4-5. The Kriskindlmarkt will feature a sledding hill, a kids craft corner, a beer tent, Glögg/Glühwein, hot cocoa, cozy bonfires, musical entertainment, artisan vendors, delicious food options, and more.” There’s always more.
A Reason To Go There
Can’t wait for that to check out Ishpeming? You’re in luck, even if you’re not Italian. (Or Irish.) The St. Rocco – St. Anthony Society of Ishpeming is holding their 126th annual Ishpeming Italian Fest tomorrow (Saturday) at the Al Quaal Recreation Area. It’s a great opportunity to rub shoulders with the locals. By the way… 126th wasn’t a typo.
If that’s a little too laid back for your taste, vintage hot cars are all the rage at the Ishpeming Buzz The Gut Car Show on Saturday, August 8th at the Cliffs Shaft Mine Museum. Showing starts at 4 and concludes with a cruise to Negaunee and back at 7.
Aside from an ever expanding event schedule, there are a number of welcoming destinations worth your while. There’s the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame, a revamped Mather Inn, and a fresh produce stand at the Partridge Creek Farm, a non-profit educational effort founded by a guy walking the walk, Dan Perkins.
If a new owner could be found for the lifeless Butler Theater, someone with a rebirth in mind, we could envision a downtown anchor similar to what Negaunee’s trying to do with the Vista.
Words to REmember
A lot of words used to describe Ishpeming’s immediate future begin with the prefix “re.” As in rebirth, rejuvenated, renewed, repossessed… wait, not that one. I’ve used those kind of words because they describe how Ishpeming is hoping to get back to what it once was. A thriving, hard-working community known for good schools, good neighbors, and Davis Aeh’s live and let live philosophy. “I look at Ishpeming as an intentionally unpolished diamond in the rough. Very creative and unique people. Often underestimated, and we like it like that.”
It Can Happen
Positive and sustainable changes don’t just happen overnight. If Negaunee can turn things around… why not Ishpeming? All they need is city leaders and residents willing to chip away at the challenges with vision and patience.
No one is suggesting Ishpeming doesn’t have a lot on its plate, but that brings to mind the age-old question… how do you eat an elephant?
One bite at a time.