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I feel like Michigan gets alot of bad rep for cities like Detroit, Flint and Saginaw. As a lifetime resident of this state, I'd like to know how people from other places view the Mitt.
When I lived in Ohio most of the time whenever Michigan came up people not from there wanted to know how they managed the cold. The people from Michigan usually started by pointing on their palm where they were from. Oh and in Columbus they hate Michigan football.
Out west and in Miami Michigan was never really thought about unless the person was from Michigan. Most people thought it was like Idaho or some other "throwaway" state. In other words they knew nothing about it.
Personally speaking most of my friends from Michigan typically only say, "Here's the way to drive around Detroit and the bad areas."
I tend to get along really well with people from Michigan. Before I ever stepped foot in the state I thought of it as another Ohio (i.e. another Midwestern state). Although propaganda wise it was always football based and Michigan sucks because of the OSU rivalry. That's too bad since I probably would have liked living in Ann Arbor when I was younger, but I figure now I'd find I'd outgrown it.
After I wondered why there weren't more well known and cool cities in the state. A Madison type town
In the future I think Detroit will make a turnaround, but probably not before I'm too old to enjoy it.
I just don't think people think about Michigan very much outside of football.
When I lived in Ohio most of the time whenever Michigan came up people not from there wanted to know how they managed the cold. The people from Michigan usually started by pointing on their palm where they were from. Oh and in Columbus they hate Michigan football.
Out west and in Miami Michigan was never really thought about unless the person was from Michigan. Most people thought it was like Idaho or some other "throwaway" state. In other words they knew nothing about it.
Personally speaking most of my friends from Michigan typically only say, "Here's the way to drive around Detroit and the bad areas."
I tend to get along really well with people from Michigan. Before I ever stepped foot in the state I thought of it as another Ohio (i.e. another Midwestern state). Although propaganda wise it was always football based and Michigan sucks because of the OSU rivalry. That's too bad since I probably would have liked living in Ann Arbor when I was younger, but I figure now I'd find I'd outgrown it.
After I wondered why there weren't more well known and cool cities in the state. A Madison type town
In the future I think Detroit will make a turnaround, but probably not before I'm too old to enjoy it.
I just don't think people think about Michigan very much outside of football.
Being from Michigan, I might have to agree with you. When meeting people from other states, there really wasn't much of any perception, except the following (annoying) conversations:
Outsider: Well you better not wear any Michigan gear around here; we hate the maize and blue.
Me: I'm a Michigan State fan. I hate them too.
Outsider: Yeah I knew it. It's okay, we won't give you too much trouble for liking Michigan.
Me: I said I'm a state fan.
Outsider: Just know that you aren't winning this year, and no humming "Hail to the Victors."
Me: *sigh*
Wouldn't Ann Arbor be the Madison of Michigan? Also, though it is far north latitude wise, Michigan isn't as cold as its other Midwest neighbors. All of the water keeps it slightly warmer. What it is is snowy. I think it might be the snowiest state in the country if you include the UP.
Michigan though far north isn't considered a fully Upper Midwest state. Only the UP qualifies. The rest of the state is more similar to Ohio or Indiana to be a true Upper Midwest state. It also lacks the Scandinavian influence that is reminiscent of the Upper Midwest, which is why the Lower Peninsula people sound more like Chicagoans than Minnesotans. Culturally, the Lower Peninsula aligns itself with Northern parts of Indiana, Illinois, and Ohio than with most of Wisconsin or any part of Minnesota. The UP is of course a different story. I will say that major city centers have more of a Chicago/Cleveland feel culturally than they do Minneapolis. Rural LP Michigan is also a lot like rural Northern IL, IN, and OH.
Last edited by EddieOlSkool; 05-05-2015 at 05:48 PM..
The perception of Michigan often aligns with the perception of Detroit, no matter how wrong that may be. To many people across the country Detroit IS Michigan.
I feel like Michigan gets alot of bad rep for cities like Detroit, Flint and Saginaw. As a lifetime resident of this state, I'd like to know how people from other places view the Mitt.
When I hear the word Michigan, I always think "Pasties"
In spirit probably, but I think Madison has something like 100,000 more people in the city and anther 200k more in the metro.
Telling that story with numbers is deceiving. Madison is 76sq mi of land, Ann Arbor is 28. Madisons Urban Area has 401k people in it, Ann Arbor has 306k. There is no separation between Ann Arbors designated urban area and Detroit's. Livingston County MI has an urban area (Brighton-Howell-South Lyon MI) that also directly touches Ann Arbor and is closer to Ann Arbor. It is considered a commuter county for the Detroit MSA. The two cities are a lot more comparable in size that looking at those numbers alone would suggest.
Ann Arbor is one of those cities that doesn't fit well into any of those categories (City-MSA-Urban Area) because of census bureau accounting methods.
It is unfortunate that in a state covering 90k+ sq mi in area that the 145 sq mi that make up the city of Detroit dominate the impressions of people who have never been there.
Michigan has spectacular natural beauty and other great cities that are NOT Detroit. But as stated above, for the majority of people who aren't familiar with it, Michigan=Detroit=Michigan.
Especially since Detroit also sits in the extreme corner of the state.
It's just as far to drive from New York City to Detroit as it is from Detroit to the other side of Michigan...
Michigan is a state of decay. The 3rd world roads are trashy and a disincentive to visit the state. Being a No Fault car accident state doesn't help either
Are you joking, saying that as someone who hasn't been there, only talking about Detroit or basing things off a sports rivalry?
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