Weekend Edition Sunday

Often Left Out, U.P. Ducks Michigan's Worst Woes

By Liane Hansen

Published September 26, 2009 12:01 AM

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If there's a Michigan map in your mind, it probably looks like a mitten. The Upper Peninsula — separated from the rest of the state by the Great Lakes — often gets left off the map entirely.

While that can be irksome, the remote nature of Michigan's northern section can also insulate it from the rest of the state's economic distress.

"You ask anybody from the U.P., 'Have you ever seen a map of the state that cuts out your part of the U.P. or the whole U.P.?" State Rep. Mike Lahti says. "They all would say 'Yes.' "

Lahti stands up for the U.P. in Michigan's Legislature. Earlier this year, Lahti was appalled when a Michigan Economic Development Corp. ad left the Upper Peninsula out.

"There was a MEDC ad that was shown nationwide, with Jeff Daniels, which promotes Michigan as a place to come for good business, good high-tech industries and also some tourist industries," Lahti says. "They finished the ad just showing the Lower Peninsula on it."

Lahti introduced a resolution to require all official maps of Michigan to include the Upper Peninsula, a land mass that makes up 30 percent of the state but only 3 percent of the population. The bill passed this summer.

"It just happens a lot. MEDC does a tremendous job for Michigan promoting business here," Lahti says. "But this is just something that was a chance to make sure that at least the state gets it right and puts us on the map."

While the U.P. now legally shares the map with the rest of Michigan, its economy is decidedly different. For example, it's not as tied to the auto industry as the Lower Peninsula.

"We have been somewhat protected from the woes of the Lower Peninsula because we're a more diversified economy," says Tawni Ferrarini, director of the Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship at Northern Michigan University. "But then, we have some interesting issues."

The Upper Peninsula's economy "is struggling, like most economies, especially when you put it in the context of the Michigan economy as a whole. Michigan leads the nation in unemployment," Ferrarini says. "We've got Baraga County, where one out of every four people are unemployed, but then you look at Mackinac County and you see we have about 2 percent there because of the tourism surrounding the island, Mackinac Island, a beautiful place."

Although there are pockets of high unemployment on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the economy there is relatively stable despite the recession. Lahti credits the diversity of industries, including minerals, forestry, tourism and agriculture.

"We've got three good universities — Lake Superior State, Northern Michigan University, Michigan Tech — and private school Finlandia in Hancock," Lahti adds. "So education is big, and because of education we're getting some companies moving in and utilizing the knowledge around the university."

In Marquette, home to Northern Michigan University, a drive through town shows more open signs than closed on the doors of local businesses. There are unique shops, too, including a bingo supply store and a historical photography place. Ferrarini says the remoteness of the U.P. has helped these sorts of mom-and-pop shops to survive.

"Because we're so remote up here, many people have relied on the technology to communicate with people all around the globe," she says. "So you'll find, not so much with the bingo store, but the historical photos, trophies or even safety shops — the Internet is our friend. And so we're able to market not only to the people who reside in the area, but people who live outside the United States as well as in different parts of the U.S."

Joe Esbrook is one of the people promoting that aspect of the U.P. economy. He's the director of business and community development for a work force development program called Michigan Works.

"If you look at the Upper Peninsula, even though we are a sticks-and-stones economy — sticks meaning logging and stones meaning mining — we do have a lot of hidden secrets up here," Esbrook says. "One of them is that we're probably one of the most wired rural regions in the United States."

Esbrook agrees that the U.P. is also more diversified than its lower neighbor, and says that's one of the issues in Michigan. "The Lower Peninsula gets all the excitement, and it's bad excitement right now because of the auto industry and all the pain and suffering that's going on there," he says. "But we do have an independent organization up here of forward thinkers that are coming together and becoming more regional. We realize that's probably the way we're going to combat the global economy and everything that's going on outside the Unites States."

But while high-tech developments and creative use of computers are essential to the economic survival of the Upper Peninsula, at heart, this is still a mining community.

"We've had mining there since 1847, a couple years before the gold rush," Lahti says. He says the area boomed around 1900, when thousands worked the copper and iron mines around Marquette, Hancock and Houghton. And mining still has prospects today, he says.

Economically speaking, however, Ferrarini says the mining industry doesn't contribute all that much to the Upper Peninsula's economy. "Surprisingly, it only accounts across the entire peninsula for about 4.5 percent of the total jobs here," she says. "But we have to take that within the context of the history of the U.P., because mining basically created the fabric on which all of us are moving today."

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LIANE HANSEN, host:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Liane Hansen.

(Soundbite of water)

HANSEN: Today, you're going to hear some stories from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Chances are if there's a Michigan map in your mind, it looks like a mitten. Well, the U.P. is actually separated from the rest of the state by the Great Lakes and is sometimes left off the map.

State Representative MIKE LAHTI: You ask anybody from the U.P., have you ever seen a map of the state that cuts out your part of the U.P. or the whole U.P.? And they all would say yes.

HANSEN: State Representative Mike Lahti stands up for the U.P. in Michigan's legislature. Earlier this year, Lahti was appalled when he noticed that a Michigan Economic Development Corporation ad left the Upper Peninsula out.

Rep. LAHTI: It was a MEDC ad, which is shown nationwide, with Jeff Daniels, which promotes Michigan as a place to come for good business, good high-tech industries and also some tourist industries. And they finished the ad with just showing the Lower Peninsula on it. And the commercial, he says, come to Michigan, the green peninsula. Well, don't forget we've got two.

HANSEN: Lahti points out that the U.P. makes up 30 percent of the state even if it's only 3 percent of the population. So, he introduced a resolution to require all official maps of Michigan to include the Upper Peninsula. The bill passed this summer, and newer versions of the ad include both parts of the state.

(Soundbite of ad)

Unidentified Man: Two peninsulas surrounded by great endless seas of freshwater. A place called Michigan.

HANSEN: Although, the U.P. now shares the map with the rest of Michigan, its economy is decidedly different. For example, it's not as tied to the auto industry as the Lower Peninsula. There are pockets of high unemployment in the U.P., but the economy there is relatively stable, despite the recession. Representative Lahti credits brain power.

Rep. LAHTI: We've got three good universities. We start with Lake Superior State, Northern Michigan University, Michigan Tech and a private school, Finlandia in Hancock. So, education is big. And because of the education, we're getting some companies moving in and utilizing the knowledge around the university.

HANSEN: Northern Michigan University was one of our first stops in the city of Marquette, Michigan. There's a Starbucks in the student union, one of the company's founders went to NMU. It's a good place to meet several Marquette business and economic leaders.

Ms. TAWNI FERRARINI (Director, Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship, Northern Michigan University): We have been somewhat protected from the woes of the Lower Peninsula because we're a more diversified economy. But then, we have some interesting issues.

HANSEN: That's Tawni Ferrarini, director of the Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship at Northern Michigan University.

Ms. FERRARINI: It is struggling, like most economies, especially when you put it in the context of the Michigan economy whole. Michigan leads the nation in unemployment. We've got Baraga County, where one out of every four people are unemployed, but then you look at Mackinac County and we see that have about 2 percent there because of the tourism surrounding the island, Mackinac Island.

HANSEN: It is surprising to come up and drive through Marquette and see more businesses open than there are closed. But there are unique businesses. There's a bingo supply store, for example, a historic photography place. What is it about mom-and-pop shops that are able to survive?

Ms. FERRARINI: Well, one of the things, because we're so remote up here, many people have relied on the technology to communicate with people all around the globe. So, you'll find, not so much with the bingo store, but with the historic, you know, photos or trophies or even safety shops, the Internet is our friend. And so, we're able to market not only to the people who reside in the area, but people who live outside of the United States as well as in different parts of the U.S.

HANSEN: The university has played a major role in developing that aspect of the economy, bringing in jobs in research and training a high-tech workforce. Northern Michigan University was one of the first in the country to mandate laptops for all of its students, and the university has been leading the effort to bring WiMax to Marquette - that's a wireless Internet network for the entire community.

Joe Esbrook is one of the people promoting that plan. He's the director of business and community development for a workforce development program called Michigan Works.

Mr. JOE ESBROOK (Director, Business and Community Development, Michigan Works): So, if you look at the Upper Peninsula, even though we are a sticks-and-stones economy — sticks meaning logging and stones meaning mining — we do have a lot of hidden secrets up here. And one of them is technology. We're probably one of the most wired rural regions in the United States. We are more diversified than the Lower Peninsula.

And that's one of the issues in Michigan is that the Lower Peninsula gets all the excitement - and it's bad excitement right now because of the auto industry - and all the pain and suffering that's going on there with the global economy. But we do have an independent organization up here of forward thinkers that are coming together and becoming more regional. And we realize that's probably the way we're going to combat the global economy and everything that's going on outside of the Unites States.

HANSEN: While high-tech developments and creative use of computers are essential to the economic survival of the Upper Peninsula, at heart, this is still a mining community. Again, Tawni Ferrarini.

Ms. FERRARINI: Surprisingly, it only accounts across the entire peninsula for about 4.5 percent of the total jobs here. But we have to take that within the context of the history of the U.P., because mining basically created the fabric on which all of us are moving today.

HANSEN: Representative Mike Lahti agrees. He says you can't write the history of the U.P. without mentioning the mines.

Rep. LAHTI: You know, we've had mining there since 1847, a couple years before the gold rush. And it was really booming around 1900, where there were thousands of people working there in the copper mines and iron mines around the Marquette/Ishpeming area and copper mines around Hancock and Houghton, where I'm from. And it was really a big producer. And they still have solid mining and iron mining. Copper mining is looked at again as prospects are happening again. But because of that past history and that past success, there are a lot of people here and they've moved away because of jobs left and they moved to Lower Michigan, so there's still a strong connection with people there. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio.

Source: NPR

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