We occasionally publish research by NMU students, and this article is an example of this student research. We wanted to give our readers some data on various issues related to poverty in the Upper Peninsula. These numbers change periodically, but this research is a reflection of data at the time we did this research. Jonah Sebranek is the student researcher for this collection of data. He is an Economics major at NMU. We hope you find this data useful and interesting. THE WHY? In an attempt to get a complete and rounded view of the situation in the Upper Peninsula,… Read More »

The population dynamics of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula are well documented. Its population, like most rural regions in the United States, is in decline. A falling birth rate, lack of in-migration, and drops in employment in forestry and mining are behind this decline. With fewer locally available jobs, people leave the region to look for work. In the past, this outmigration was offset by high birth rates, but this is no longer the case; birth rates are falling while an aging population drives up the number of deaths. The net effect of these processes is population decline. This article examines recently-available… Read More »

Many communities throughout the Upper Peninsula have developed their sense of place from the mining industry. On the Keweenaw Peninsula, copper mining dominated the local economy for much of the nineteenth and early twentieth century. When mines inevitably shut down, the affected communities must look elsewhere for economic development opportunities and a new sense of cultural identity. Keweenaw National Historical Park (KNHP) centered on Calumet was established in 1992, 24 years after the Calumet and Hecla mining company closed in 1968. The loss of jobs forced many workers to leave the region, leading Calumet and the surrounding region’s economy to… Read More »

Diversity is something that members of America’s armed forces inadvertently come to cherish and appreciate. You learn quickly that the color of one’s skin, religious preference, ethnicity, and socio-economic background are irrelevant. When the bullets start flying, your only concern is whether or not your buddy has your back–lifelong friendships are built and you embrace each other’s diversity. At Northern Michigan University, located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, student veterans continue to embrace diversity. The student veterans of NMU contribute immensely to the diverse demographics that the university has. Twenty-three student veterans at NMU recently participated in an online survey regarding… Read More »

Housing prices in the US have been increasing at an average rate of 7% over the last seven years. The Upper Peninsula has not been immune to this trend, with housing prices lurching higher across the region. This study looks at the pricing dynamics of housing across several counties in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, which have relatively large populations for the UP, and feature a significant population of students and/or tourists. Pricing dynamics are explored by looking at trends such as rental housing, general housing prices and how this compares with GDP, population growth, and other economic factors to set those… Read More »

NMU research student Elan Barber gives an overview of the history and structure of hotel taxes in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.