I posted this question in off season as well, but I'll give here a shot too.

The Northeast is getting developed a little too fast for my tastes and getting incredibly expensive as well. This has me looking at the possibility of life elsewhere. I'm curious about the northern midwest, from the upper peninsula of MI, northern MN, and northeastern ND. I notice that the cost of living is quite a bit lower, but it also looks as though jobs might be rare and wages a little on the low side. From the pictures I've seen, it looks like a lot of these places are an outdoorsman's dream.

Any info on areas to check out would be greatly appreciated. thanks in advance.