[robman123]

My wife and I are thinking about moving to Fenton ealry next summer. We live in Florida now but are tired of the long, hot summers and astronomic housing costs. Not to mention it seems like everyone in the world is moving to Florida. My wife was born in Saginaw and has alot of family there as well as some in Linden. We have two children ages 5 & 8. Every time we visit Michigan we keep telling ourselves how nice it would be to live there. My wife really misses the change of seasons and I can't stand the Florida summers (which last about 10 months). I own my own business so finding a job is not a concern as I will work from home and travel. We would appreciate any insight that might help us out regarding the area. We are planning on coming back up the first week of October. We like the small town feel that we get in Fenton yet it still offers some of the comforts that we have become accustomed to such as Target.

Everyone thinks we are crazy to want to move from Florida to Michigan. I guess it is supposed to be the other way around. I know we will have to deal with the winters, but the summers here are so hot no one wants to go outside and do anything from June through October because it is absolutely miserable (and it gets worse at night).

Thanks for any advice.

[chiroptera]

I live about 20 miles north of Fenton, and do a fair amount of business down there. As a matter of fact I am working down in Linden this week.
Why Fenton, specifically? It's a nice little city - almost like it's got two parts, the old downtown Fenton and the new strip-mall-and-subdivisions Fenton (with the brand new Target!) You have your choice of housing; everything from McMansions on the lake or in brand new subs, to nice little Victorians and older homes in the older part of town or more rural properties. Several lakes ringed with homes, if you want and can afford that.
I don't have children, but I imagine the schools are good. Fenton is a fairly upscale area, for the most part and many people live there & commute closer to Wayne/Oakland counties.
Two other towns in the area with the same demographics, and small town/close to big box stores are Holly and Clarkston. Both are a bit east and closer to I75.

[robman123]

We have visited the Saginaw area several times and still wanted to be fairly close to her family there, however we liked the small town appeal of Fenton, and it seemed to be a nice area. The area we would be leaving is Sarasota and you can not get a decent home here for less than $350,000, and that would be rather small with not much of a lot. I have lived in Sarasota my whole 39 years and it has certainly changed.

At one point we were considering Saginaw, but Fenton seemed more appealing when we visited. When we come back up in October we are going to do some more thorough investigating.

We will also check out Holly and Clarkson.

Thanks for your help.

[chiroptera]

If you want to be a bit closer to family, check Grand Blanc - you can certainly get decent homes for well under
350K. GB is another upscale small city in southern Genesee county. Excellent schools too, large newer hospital, lots of golf courses (the Buick Open is held here) and large inventory of homes.
Doesn't quite have the "small town" appeal of Fenton, but is regarded as quite the desirable zip code.
Given a choice between MI and FL, I'd pick Michigan too (and I'm not a native, don't particularly love it here) so I don't think you are crazy! Seems the half of Michigan who can afford it does winter vacations in Florida, though.

[mich2fla]

Be sure to get a job lined up before making the move! Welcome back!

[abhimulamalla]

Welcome Back.....! All the best with your move......!

[WendiG]

Originally Posted by robman123

My wife and I are thinking about moving to Fenton ealry next summer. We live in Florida now but are tired of the long, hot summers and astronomic housing costs. Not to mention it seems like everyone in the world is moving to Florida. My wife was born in Saginaw and has alot of family there as well as some in Linden. We have two children ages 5 & 8. Every time we visit Michigan we keep telling ourselves how nice it would be to live there. My wife really misses the change of seasons and I can't stand the Florida summers (which last about 10 months). I own my own business so finding a job is not a concern as I will work from home and travel. We would appreciate any insight that might help us out regarding the area. We are planning on coming back up the first week of October. We like the small town feel that we get in Fenton yet it still offers some of the comforts that we have become accustomed to such as Target.

Everyone thinks we are crazy to want to move from Florida to Michigan. I guess it is supposed to be the other way around. I know we will have to deal with the winters, but the summers here are so hot no one wants to go outside and do anything from June through October because it is absolutely miserable (and it gets worse at night).

Thanks for any advice.

Good luck!
We are moving in April to Florida from Michigan. The economy here is in terrible terrible shape. Michigan is #1 in unemployment, bankruptcy, and forclosers.
I wish you and your family the best of luck - way to many ppl here now are hurting.

~ Wendi

[xlabel]

I moved up here from Clearwater and there is not a day that goes by that I don't think about getting out of here. So you don't like the 10 months of summer? How about 5 months of winter? Forecast for the rest of the week up here High 30 Low mid 20's, except Thursday ,Fri,Sat ,Sun the low will be around 15-18,high winds put the wind chill in the single digits. Plenty of snow on the way, and things are just getting started. Good luck.

[brokerdave]

Originally Posted by robman123

Everyone thinks we are crazy to want to move from Florida to Michigan. I guess it is supposed to be the other way around. I know we will have to deal with the winters, but the summers here are so hot no one wants to go outside and do anything from June through October because it is absolutely miserable (and it gets worse at night).

Thanks for any advice.

the summers are exactly the same. its very hot and humid, but its not sunny. its gloomy for weeks at a time, then it will rain for a week or 2 straight. the sun is only out for 2 days per 2 weeks. you will greatly appreciate those days. the winters are mild. its hot and cold constantly forming black ice everywhere. its windy and cold and never enough snow accumulates till around jan. all the mean while its gloomy everyday. everything is run down and old. you will see a huge difference. oh yeah, all the roads are falling apart and have huge cracks and holes. g/l not blowing a tire. and watch out for the blown ones, people run over truck tires all the time and you/your insurance get to take care of the bill.

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by brokerdave

the summers are exactly the same. its very hot and humid, but its not sunny. its gloomy for weeks at a time, then it will rain for a week or 2 straight. the sun is only out for 2 days per 2 weeks. you will greatly appreciate those days. the winters are mild. its hot and cold constantly forming black ice everywhere. its windy and cold and never enough snow accumulates till around jan. all the mean while its gloomy everyday. everything is run down and old. you will see a huge difference. oh yeah, all the roads are falling apart and have huge cracks and holes. g/l not blowing a tire. and watch out for the blown ones, people run over truck tires all the time and you/your insurance get to take care of the bill.

Wow. Fenton must be very different from the rest of S.E. Michigan. OUr summers are wonderful. Rarely gloomy. Fall and spring are even more beautiful. Winter is also often clear sunny (and cold) It is only Late Novemeber/early December that we get really gloomy we weather. March can be nasty muddy yuck too. The road system is incredibly well designed and generally free of signifacant traffic. The air is clean. Rivers and streams actaully have water in them. Swimmable lakes are everywhere. In most areas outside of Detroit and the innner subrubs crime is inconsequential. Real estate is cheap and you can obtain a considerable amount of space for very little money. Detroit has dozens of suburbs that are more than a match for suburbs of any other city. Some suburbs are a bit run down, but there is no need or reason to go there.

In three years I can remember having black ice maybe three or four times. I have never seen a truck tire ont he road, but I certtainly must happen. It happens everywhere. The roads are getting in rough shape. Winter is hard on roads and the State no longer has the budget to maintain them. However I have never lost a tire or had other damage from potholes. It is undoubtedly tough on your suspension, but we have not had any problems yet.

What you will miss is great places to eat (there are a few, but nowhere near So Cal.) Possibly mountains and beaches (although Lake Michigan Beaches are nicer, the water is cold). Old Friends.

the economy here is rough. The USA has been in a recession for about a year. Michigan has been in a recession for about three years. There is no liklihood of an immediate recovery, however eventually the need for water will make Michigan an attractive place for many industries. We just need to get rid of hte union stranglehold on labor and get some of the restrictions and taxes on businesses loosened up.

Beyond that it is a beautiful place. We are often glad to be here rather than in So. Cal. It is great to be out of that bee hive of non-stop rushing streed out people. However that is not true every single day.