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This is my favorite thing you have said. As I sit here in western Kentucky a place which is known for its oppressive May-September humidity, and it's 2 degrees colder here vs. Grand Rapids. Clearly this cool front is Michigan centric.
Michigan isn't even the coldest state in the Midwest! I swear, some people are never happy
Honestly, when I think of Michigan I think of the cold weather, Diana Ross, General Motor, 1960s culture, population decline of Detroit, crime rate in Flint & Detroit, gospel legends, and whether or not if people live in the other land of the state that borders north of Wisconsin.
I lived in Michigan (Detroit area) for 10 years, but am originally from the Northeast. Before I moved to Michigan, my impressions/assumptions of it were:
-Lakes/outdoor activities/natural beauty
-Automotive industry/blue collar
-Midwestern (friendly people/easier to make friends, tolerant)
-Relatively diverse population
-Sports-loving population (Red Wings devotees!)
-Flat lands
-Wide open spaces
-Educated population (lots of colleges/universities)
-Motown, Henry Ford, large cities, good freeway infrastructure
I didn't really have any negative stereotypes of the state or its residents before I ever stepped foot in the state. I found the people/state more progressive than I expected when I moved there and really enjoyed living there; unfortunately had to move when my job went away due to the automotive market crash--otherwise I would have stayed.
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.
It is only temporary and I fully expect change in all of those places. All that needs to happen is that those cities start to make a change. It can take a visionary who starts the ball rolling. But, it takes action and commitment on the part of the people who live there. If they can begin to cause change to occur, excitement starts to build, crime begins to be subdued because the people, first of all, want a better place to live. Then property values begin to increase. You can feel it happening in Detroit. Dan Gilbert is the visionary who got the positive attention of the community and the nation. People that live in Detroit want and need a better quality of life and are demanding it. Right now the focus is on the schools and the infrastructure of the city, which have suffered for 40 years.
Windsor, ON is excited that Detroit is coming back, because they stand to benefit, as do the cities on both sides of the Detroit River. Saginaw and Flint, because they are so distressed, are taking notice and they will follow. But, it takes a village to accomplish change for the better. No one can do it for them.
Has anyone checked out the progress in Bay City? OMG! The Riverfront, since 2014, has been completely redone. They have put in a Marriott, a Real Seafood Co., a Black Pearl. Every time I visit, it looks nicer and more inviting. This was an initiative that began by a group of civic leaders in the city. They met with community members several times and built a strategy, then a plan and obtained funding to accomplish it. I think that all leaders of cities on rivers through out the nation should visit Bay City just to see how nice it has become.
The worst thing that Michiganians can do is talk their state down, or any place in the state, for that matter. It only creates a negative impression and it makes whoever says it sound like a rube (like, "why do you live there at all, if it's that bad?")
The second worse thing you can do is leave. That has always been at the heart of destruction of cities.
I know exactly what you mean. I once passed through Amarillo, Texas. There was a boarded up KFC and it was raining. I knew then and there that I could never, ever, live anywhere in the entire state of Texas. I'm sure parts of Texas are very nice, but I'm basing my opinion of the entire state on that one experience.
I had an "otherworldly" experience rolling through Amarillo, Texas. Maybe I was tired by the 1000 or so miles I had just driven, or blinded by the sun, but I briefly bumped into Amarillo and had a very good impression of it. There was something welcoming--well I hadn't seen a city for some time, but, the vast, clear horizon, the blue sky were so refreshing, even in the heat of April. Stopped and ate, and everyone was so very friendly. Thanks, Amarillo. You seem like good folks!
This is my favorite thing you have said. As I sit here in western Kentucky a place which is known for its oppressive May-September humidity, and it's 2 degrees colder here vs. Grand Rapids. Clearly this cool front is Michigan centric.
Yeah but it will feel hotter in KY by far. 80s in Michigan is heavenly. 80s in Kentucky has most gasping for air and water.
Yeah but it will feel hotter in KY by far. 80s in Michigan is heavenly. 80s in Kentucky has most gasping for air and water.
That post was in response to someone complaining about how cold Michigan was at the beginning of the summer. My point was that it was cold everywhere at that time and not just Michigan centric.
I'm not really qualified to answer this question because I've been married to a native Michigander for 10 years and have been there a million times, but if I recall correctly, I didn't really associate "Detroit" with "Michigan" prior to meeting her. I always viewed Detroit negatively, but very much as a separate entity -- I think I had a pretty neutral view of the state of Michigan in general. Just sort of thought of it as bland Midwestern suburbia, for the most part.
Today, of course, I know that Michigan has a ton of natural beauty and a bunch of fun towns and small cities.
I definitely wish Michigan had true mountains, but there are some really pretty areas throughout the state.
Washtenaw County, in S.E. MI has a mountain--Peach Mountain!! It's a real one, meeting the height requirement by about 30 feet or so. It's short and you don't realize it's a mountain when driving by it. Lol.
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The "Bad Rep" begins at home
