Anyone Moving out of Metro Detroit?

[DaniellaG]

I am from MI in Oakland County. I moved to FL but between that was in CA. I will say the job market is bad everywhere. I have 2 family members that were in TX and had to move to places like Wisconsin due to job loss. I miss my family in MI but not those long winters but we do have pretty summers. Good luck all in your choice

[mimomof2]

My husband and I grew up in southeast MI. I am 37 and he is 40. We have been in Colorado for a year now. Work was our reason for moving. We have no family here but have made some friends. Most of our friends and family in MI are laid off and have been for some time. I don't know how they make it.

[FromMI]

My husband and I just moved from Michigan to Dallas. It was hard, because I grew up there and LOVE Michigan (it is beautiful - especially around the lakes area), but it's worth it. Michigan is like a black hole. Don't get me wrong, I am pulling for that great state to get out of the dumps. I left a lot of people I really love there.
The biggest difference between MI & TX is HOPE - they actually have it here! There's not so much negativity. There is crime - just like everywhere.
So far, it's been a great move for us. My husband lost his job in MI and couldn't find work there. He had offers in Virginal, Louisiana, and Texas. We choose Texas because my job could transfer. We moved to a fantastic area, with great schools. The real estate here is INSANE! We are buying a brand new home (it's not even build yet) for about $25k more than what we paid for our house in MI and it's 3 times the size. Our house in MI was built in 1965 by some guy (who didn't know what he was doing), we owe more than it's worth, and had to lease it out because we can't sell it in this crappy market.

[zthatzmanz28]

Originally Posted by FromMI

My husband and I just moved from Michigan to Dallas. It was hard, because I grew up there and LOVE Michigan (it is beautiful - especially around the lakes area), but it's worth it. Michigan is like a black hole. Don't get me wrong, I am pulling for that great state to get out of the dumps. I left a lot of people I really love there.
The biggest difference between MI & TX is HOPE - they actually have it here! There's not so much negativity. There is crime - just like everywhere.
So far, it's been a great move for us. My husband lost his job in MI and couldn't find work there. He had offers in Virginal, Louisiana, and Texas. We choose Texas because my job could transfer. We moved to a fantastic area, with great schools. The real estate here is INSANE! We are buying a brand new home (it's not even build yet) for about $25k more than what we paid for our house in MI and it's 3 times the size. Our house in MI was built in 1965 by some guy (who didn't know what he was doing), we owe more than it's worth, and had to lease it out because we can't sell it in this crappy market.

It is sad we had to leave...but there is sunshine ( literally and figuratively) outside the Wayne County area...

[grhtex]

Originally Posted by FromMI

My husband and I just moved from Michigan to Dallas. It was hard, because I grew up there and LOVE Michigan (it is beautiful - especially around the lakes area), but it's worth it. Michigan is like a black hole. Don't get me wrong, I am pulling for that great state to get out of the dumps. I left a lot of people I really love there.
The biggest difference between MI & TX is HOPE - they actually have it here! There's not so much negativity. There is crime - just like everywhere.
So far, it's been a great move for us. My husband lost his job in MI and couldn't find work there. He had offers in Virginal, Louisiana, and Texas. We choose Texas because my job could transfer. We moved to a fantastic area, with great schools. The real estate here is INSANE! We are buying a brand new home (it's not even build yet) for about $25k more than what we paid for our house in MI and it's 3 times the size. Our house in MI was built in 1965 by some guy (who didn't know what he was doing), we owe more than it's worth, and had to lease it out because we can't sell it in this crappy market.

FromMI,
Wow! I could have almost written an identical post about my family moving to Texas. We left in 2007 but were lucky enough to sell our house first before the market crashed. Good luck in 75002 we ended up about 20 miles from you in 75078 ;-0 If you play euchre and ever want some competition give us a holler!

[MTUCache]

Just like everybody else here.

Wife and I were laid off in Nov/Dec last year. She's an automotive engineer who's looking to reboot her career into something (just not sure what yet). I'm a civil engineer who was looking for a place where they actually build things.

This weekend is the big move to Chicago. I've been working here about a month while the family has stayed with extended family in Michigan. The condo in Sterling Heights is rented out. The townhouse here in Chicago is rented, and although our debts have mounted like crazy and we hate the idea of moving out of Michigan, we finally have a way to support ourselves and provide for our son.

We absolutley LOVE Michigan, and hope to get back there someday, but until we both have viable job offers there we're not going to be moving back. We're both pretty broken up about moving, but like everybody else has found, there's not many more opportunities out there elsewhere, but at least there's some jobs and some hope outside of Michigan.

Hopefully it won't take long for my wife to find a job here in Chicago, but at least we're a one-income family now instead of none. My real fear right now is that we didn't move far enough away from Detroit and the recession will continue to spread out from there and effect us here... but recent news has been at least a little encouraging.

[OneShinyface]

I was born and raised in mid-Michigan and until last October, lived in southeast MI since 1989. I worked as a manager in the auto industry for years then I was laid off in early 2008. I looked for new positions in MI to no avail and found that once I stopped looking there, the sky opened up.

I ended up with a few offers in Dallas (waves to other Michiganders who are down here too) within 2 months. Sadly, I owned a house and couldn't sell it, but my lender was great and worked with me. I found my hubby a job (he also worked as a salaried employee of a major auto company) within 3 months of my arrival.

We are LOVING IT here. We're in an area that's practically brand new with every amenity within one square mile of our new home, which is much larger and less expensive than the large home we had in the Detroit suburbs. Both have jobs with companies that are actually making money in this climate.

Yes, all of our families live in MI and we miss them dearly, but the atomosphere and lifestyle is so different here, we'll never go back.

I do wish/pray/hope things turn around there soon.

[krock1dk]

I moved from MI in 2005 to Phoenix, AZ to work at a major transportation company. I have very recently become laid off. But the job market in Phoenix is HORRIBLE and not hopefull I will find a job here that will make me stay. My family lives in E Lansing, so I will go back there as a last resort. With the way things have been going, that may end up happening after all.

[michigan83]

I moved from MI in 2005 to Phoenix, AZ to work at a major transportation company. I have very recently become laid off. But the job market in Phoenix is HORRIBLE and not hopefull I will find a job here that will make me stay. My family lives in E Lansing, so I will go back there as a last resort. With the way things have been going, that may end up happening after all.

The only thing worse than living in Michigan and being unemployed is living away from this awesome state and still being unemployed.