Making the North Shore Home By Eric Weicht
Kristin and Josh Englemann had spent the past 10 years visiting the North Shore to kayak, hike and fish, and were camping in Grand Marais when the property they ended up purchasing became available. | SUBMITTED
The North Shore has been drawing people to its community for decades, and in a time when population trends continue to be defined by urbanization and sprawling metropolitans, Cook County remains an exception. According to the 2020 census, Cook County’s population increased from 5,176 to 5,600 over the past decade—more than an 8 percent increase. It’s also no secret that carving out a life in a small, remote community where the per capita wage is just over $33k is far from easy. Housing has always been a challenge here, but as more and more people make the move north that problem continues to get worse. For a number of people (myself included), making life work on the North Shore can mean living without basics like running water, and juggling multiple jobs to make ends meet. Life on the North Shore is equal parts beauty and hardship, so why are so many people continuing to make the move north? For Colton Motschenbacher, a young guy in his twenties, the decision to move to Cook County had everything to do with access to adventure. Originally from Chanhassen, Minn., Motschenbacher was living out in Bozeman, Mont. working as the property manager at a large resort when he decided it was time for a change. 16
MARCH 2022
“When I made the choice to leave Bozeman,” says Motschenbacher, “I immediately set my sights on my home state of Minnesota.” “I missed being close to family,” continues Motschenbacher, “but wasn’t ready to sacrifice the easy access to the outdoors that I had living out in Montana.” According to Motschenbacher, Ely, Duluth and the North Shore were at the top of his list because of each place’s “adventurous energy.” So, when Motschenbacher was offered the job of room division manager at the Lutsen Sea Villas this past year, he jumped at the opportunity. “The more I thought about it,” says Motschenbacher, “the more I realized that I wanted to be as close as possible to the best skiing in Minnesota, which for me is indisputably Lutsen.” “My goal,” continues Motschenbacher, “is to spend as much time as I can exploring the outdoors in my home state, and living in Lutsen makes that easy.” Since moving to the North Shore, Motschenbacher has found life in Cook County even better than expected. Like so many others, he was inspired to move to the North Shore for the natural beauty but has stayed for the community. “I never expected to find so many young and like-minded people living in the area,”
NORTHERN WILDS
Rachel and her husband Mathew moved to Cook County two months before getting married at the Wunderbar in September of 2019. When asked what the biggest challenge has been since moving to Cook County, Rachel responded with one word: housing. | SUBMITTED says Motschenbacher, “and I definitely wasn’t expecting all of the community events. Live music, gear swaps, group bike rides/hikes, pickup basketball at the
YMCA; and those are only the things I have found in the few short months I’ve been up here.”
