Thinking about moving to eastern Michigan after graduation.. (Flint, Lansing: apartment, rental)
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Thinking about moving to eastern Michigan after graduation..
Hello, depressed Michigan residents! I have a bit of a story to tell first.
Well, it goes like this. I've been in a long-distance relationship for more than five years now with a certain lady. She lives right across the Bluewater bridge in Sarnia. I've gone to meet her and have decided that there will be a point where I need to live as close as I can near her.
My two best options are moving straight into Canada or simply moving into a state where it would only take a couple of hours at the most to visit her. What are my expectations? I'm not buying a house or anything like that, so I'm fine with a one bedroom apartment. I'll be out of college with a bachelor's in about two years. I'm not picky about jobs or careers; just enough to stay in a place until I can gain some Canadian citizenship, so this isn't going to be a place I'll be living in for the next 10 years or anything (although that could happen and I'm not opposed to it).
Don't really care about town life all that much. Just don't want to die a horrible death. I'm originally from North Carolina but the cold doesn't really bother me.
All I really want to know is how feasible this is. Ideally, Port Huron would be the perfect place, but I'm open to most other places. I'm hearing a lot of doom and gloom from Michigan people I speak to about going there, but if it comes to that I may have no choice and will just have to grit my teeth. As long as I'm near the Canadian border and can live, I don't care what comes my way.
Can't be asking me, I'm FAR from depressed, don't even know anyone who is depressed about living here. Not even any Doom or gloom around.
Good Luck.
There are several things that don't ring true for this original post.
1) Starts off insulting
2) You can't "gain some Canadian Citizenship" kind of like being pregnant: either you are, or are not.
3) "die a horrible death" from living somewhere? Really? That is a concern?
4) Ends insulting.
Either this is a troll trying to rile things up, or a kid who doesn't have a clue. Either way: can't help you since you are looking for "depressed Michigan residents" and that in no way shape or form fits me.
No depression here either. We have a great life in SE Michigan. My dh and I are blessed with great jobs, we live in a quaint, small town with negligible crime, we live among friendly, down to earth people, and, most importantly, we live close to both of our extended families. When we lived in Phoenix for my dh's job a couple of years ago, we both HATED it and couldn't wait to come home. It was essentially the polar opposite of what I described above. It was one of those cases where we truly didn't realize what we had until we didn't have it anymore. Other than having a condo in SC for an investment and to use once in a while during the winter months, we are home and we are here to stay.
A good rule of thumb: don't form opinions on a place based on what others say. People's motives, experiences, and opinions are rarely going to be the exact same as yours. Wait until you actually visit a place to form an opinion of it. There are jobs in Michigan, and there is good quality of life here too. Michigan is largely rural and unspoiled, especially once you get north of the Flint/Saginaw area, although you will be surprised at how pleasant and safe even the more populated areas are. Nice towns, even nicer people. There are much worse places to hang your hat.
If I'm horribly wrong about something feel free to correct me. I kinda want to, anyway.
Read your first post. Horribly wrong about almost the entire thing.
First thing you NEED to do is check what is entailed to gain Canadian Citizenship it that is your long term goal. Part of that will be job skills and training. You can't just decide to move to Canada and have them throw open the border with open arms and a fruit basket... Make that a beer basket, we are talking about Canada after all. You need to have the skills to do a job that they cannot find a qualified Canadian citizen to do in the area. Work toward that goal. Don't forget to research EVERYTHING that is included for everyday living; taxes (way more than on this side), COL, wages, housing, schools (both to further your education as well as for future Geno's), etc.... It may very well be that the person you want to move closer to will want to live in the US and you end up staying here.
Don't assume that the views of those who moved away from an area are the representative views and feelings of everyone who still lives there. Don't believe everything you see in the media as well. If a story isn't sad, depressing, or horrifying, then it doesn't make the cut and isn't aired. Sometimes a story that would otherwise not meet those criteria is manipulated into "fitting", but isn't the whole truth.
Crime rate? a lot depends on the area, sometimes even the particular block in a neighborhood. Do you have a house key? Do you use it, and if so, how often? Car alarm? Do you even lock your vehicle? Living in Michigan I can truthfully say I do own a house key... but I have no idea where it is, or even if it actually works. No car alarm, don't lock the vehicles either unless I am on vacation and/or in an area I don't know well. I feel it is safe to say that most areas and towns here, are every bit as safe as what you are used to, and maybe safer.
I live between Flint and Lansing. In the 8 years Ive been here I hardly ever lock my house, truck or garage....except when were gone. We have never had anything happen here, and like Bydand said....I feel safe almost every place I go in Michigan. The only time I have ever had a problem or felt unsafe, was working at a rental company in north Flint, trying to collect money. Even then, I felt safe 90% of the time because I treated people with respect and didnt show fear.
Well, I didn't think getting Canadian citizenship was going to be easy. Hence why I'm considering the possibility of moving an hour away from her first.
Listen, I understand that I've stereotyped Michigan and some people far too easily but do understand that I did not mean it seriously. I'll edit some of it to help future posters.
As for now, I just want to know how feasible it is to move to Michigan in the way I explained.
Well, I didn't think getting Canadian citizenship was going to be easy. Hence why I'm considering the possibility of moving an hour away from her first.
Listen, I understand that I've stereotyped Michigan and some people far too easily but do understand that I did not mean it seriously. I'll edit some of it to help future posters.
As for now, I just want to know how feasible it is to move to Michigan in the way I explained.
Edit: .. Annd I can't edit the first post. Darn.
Most people will tell you different...but I say you can move anywhere, and make it, if you have the will. Most people think you need to make $70,000 a year to make a good living...not here. I say go for it.
If your eventual goal is to move to Canada...can you continue your education there instead of here?
I've done no research on this (that's your job LOL), but my brother went to grad school in Kingston and got some sort of student/work permit in Canada, then ended up marrying a Canadian woman.
I moved to Michigan from out west and now live a little north of Flint. Cost of living here (and in Port Huron too, I think) is very low. I am not too worried about crime. The crime you read about in the news is for the most part localized to just parts of the big cities - even Flint has many neighborhoods that are well-kept and low-crime. You just don't hear about them because nice quiet neighborhoods don't generate news stories.
The four seasons are wonderful, I've been working steadily ever since I moved here, and there is natural beauty in abundance. As long as you can find work, you could do LOTS worse than Michigan.
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