Dom and I spent a nice day hanging out in Mackinac Island last summer. Dom enjoyed it so much that he has mentioned multiple times since how he would love to move there. Since he first mentioned it, I knew that getting a home there would be a pipe dream. Home prices in the island according to Zillow range from the upper 6 figures to several million dollars.
The main case for choosing Mackinac Island for living is the weather. But that would only be during the summer and maybe fall. The island temps tend to be cooler due to being surrounded by Lake Huron. I imagine that island living would be quite peaceful (if away from the touristy area). But that's where the positives end.
There are several negatives. Weather is the biggest one. The winters can be especially harsh. Heaven forbid your furnace decides to go out, like ours did a few months ago. You'd have to hope that the HVAC guy lives nearby or has a horse and carriage that he can use to get to you and the roads aren't treacherous that traveling to your home may be delayed. This brings up the next negative (though it's also a positive in other ways).
Cars are not allowed on the island. That's a good thing for air quality. It's one less thing polluting the air. But with that it limits your mobility around the island if you're not able to walk, ride a bike, or have a horse. Dom himself is not able to walk like he used to and it takes longer for him to get around.
Getting in and out of the island is another negative. Being isolated means getting out of the island is only possible by boat. If the weather is bad, that means you're pretty much stuck there. Depending on the circumstances that may not be a bad thing but it could also be dire if you have an emergency.
They do have a hospital there but you have to hope the roads are passable that a horse carriage can pass through. If you're of a certain age, getting to the hospital can be a challenge.
You can still get Amazon deliveries but it's by boat and horse ultimately. That I imagine is an added cost and time. Food of course would be more expensive on the island as well since a lot of that needs to be shipped by boat.
All of those reasons make a weak case for choosing to live in the island full time. There are options to buy land on the island for cheaper but then that means having the added cost of a builder to prep the land for a new home assuming I chose to build. Theoretically I could buy some land and just pay the taxes and not build but that doesn't make any sense either. I don't have any kids I can leave the land to and even if I did, there's no guarantee that they would be interested. Case in point, Mama was willed a piece of property in the island of Guadeloupe where our extended family is from. But my sisters and I have no desire to move back there as our lives are in the United States (though with this Agent Orange regime...LOL). I believe Tasha was trying to work out something with our Kiss and Tell cousin Chrissy to try and possibly sell it but that has stalled.
Another reason Mackinac Island isn't possible is that Dom himself has zero savings to help offset the cost. He literally has no cash to his name. Some of his collection has value but that would require selling it and finding someone willing to pay for it. So any costs on moving to Mackinac Island would fall on me and would likely wipe a lot of my current savings. I just can't justify the associated costs of living there. Dom of course has been preaching to other folks about wanting to move there as well. But unless we win the lottery it just doesn't make financial sense.
I've told Dom if he really wants to live in the island, the next best option would be to live closer to the island like in Traverse City or Gaylord, MI. But I'm not feeling those areas either.
For me I would love to retire near Las Vegas though that may not make much sense either. I'd sooner move to London (which is another dream of his) than Mackinac Island. I am gravitating towards warmer areas whereas Dom wants cooler areas.
I told Dom that the most logical place for us to move would probably be Fort Wayne, IN. It would put him slightly closer to his Mom and much closer to my sisters in Detroit. The cost of living there would be cheaper as well and there are plenty of hospitals if needed.
Ideally since I am close to paying off our current mortgage (currently only $4000 left...woo hoo!), I feel it would make sense for me to increase my savings and investments for the next 5 - 7 years so we have a decent cushion and hopefully still find a place that is smaller (he would need to sell off his dolls) and affordable so we can enjoy more trips, including ones to Mackinac Island. I do worry about Dom since he is not as strong as he used to be and he would be close to 70 by the time the five years come. I want to make him happy but it has to be realistic too.
I still would like to retire in January 2033, assuming I still have a job for all that time. But what will life say to that? We won't know but life goes on.
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