[LP10]

my brothers house hunting in central mich and i was with him, we went thru this town called Palo, which is between Ionia and carson city, we drove down this street where this cheap house is he wanted, and there were like 3 boarded up houses and almost every car was older than 1999, and saw pit bulls in yards and we went down the main street, only one or two buildings werent vacant, has anyone ever been to Palo, why did palo ever end up like this, its like the country version of detroit

[Cliffie]

A lot of the state looks like this right now -- whole neighborhoods are being abandoned by people who can't find work any closer than Arizona. Buy a place you like, for crying out loud -- prices are incredible -- and open a business!

[darstar]

Originally Posted by Cliffie

A lot of the state looks like this right now -- whole neighborhoods are being abandoned by people who can't find work any closer than Arizona. Buy a place you like, for crying out loud -- prices are incredible -- and open a business!

Not the UP, the other Michigan. That's where I live, proud of it!

[michigan83]

Originally Posted by Cliffie

A lot of the state looks like this right now -- whole neighborhoods are being abandoned by people who can't find work any closer than Arizona. Buy a place you like, for crying out loud -- prices are incredible -- and open a business!

Um, no. There is not "a lot" of the state that looks like Palo. Heck, even the area surrounding Palo doesn't look like Palo. I've been through there... Palo is a weird little anomaly in an area that otherwise looks like your typical midwestern rural area (which is not a bad thing in the great scheme of things). I'm not sure why it's so ugly, but there must be some sort of strange circumstance that made it that way.

[michmoldman]

No...a lot of the state does NOT look like this...wtf! Do you even get around????

[magellan]

Any town that is outside of an hour's drive from a "big city" in Michigan looks like this, unless it's a tourist town that gets by on Summer visitors. Shoot, anywhere in this country small towns are like this. Drive through rural Indiana, Illinois or Ohio and you'll see what I mean. There's no employment in these small towns anymore. Poverty and unemployment in some of the Northern counties is about on par with the poor inner city areas in lower Michigan. And why not? Where the heck do people work? Except on government subsidized corn farms?

Seriously that whole area between Greenville, St Louis, Alma and Chesaning is probably one of the most depressing areas in the world, lol. There aren't even any hills, lakes, or large forests to make it beautiful at least. Just friggin corn and falling down mobile homes with strange additions on them covered in tarps. The only redeeming value is the large collection of Amish people, who at least have really clean properties.

[darstar]

Originally Posted by magellan

Any town that is outside of an hour's drive from a "big city" in Michigan looks like this, unless it's a tourist town that gets by on Summer visitors. Shoot, anywhere in this country small towns are like this. Drive through rural Indiana, Illinois or Ohio and you'll see what I mean. There's no employment in these small towns anymore. Poverty and unemployment in some of the Northern counties is about on par with the poor inner city areas in lower Michigan. And why not? Where the heck do people work? Except on government subsidized corn farms?

Seriously that whole area between Greenville, St Louis, Alma and Chesaning is probably one of the most depressing areas in the world, lol. There aren't even any hills, lakes, or large forests to make it beautiful at least. Just friggin corn and falling down mobile homes with strange additions on them covered in tarps. The only redeeming value is the large collection of Amish people, who at least have really clean properties.

I beg to differ, Marquette County ( Michigan's largest county ) has one of the lowest in the state, while Mackinac county is the lowest in the UP with 5 per cent.Menominee might have the demand for the most jobs, there are plenty if you are skilled, due to Shipbuilding and support businesses.

[michigan83]

Seriously that whole area between Greenville, St Louis, Alma and Chesaning is probably one of the most depressing areas in the world, lol. There aren't even any hills, lakes, or large forests to make it beautiful at least. Just friggin corn and falling down mobile homes with strange additions on them covered in tarps. The only redeeming value is the large collection of Amish people, who at least have really clean properties.

I don't mind driving through there. Some people like farmland scenery. I think it can be a nice change of pace from some of the more wooded parts of the state... something about the openness of the land and being able to see for a mile or two. And it's not all destitute, there are some decent little towns that are managing to survive somehow. Not every town can be Rockford.

Going back to the OP... again, the specific town he is mentioning (Palo) is an extreme case. I mean... it is butt ugly. I don't think it's fair to say that "most" of the remote small towns in Michigan look like Palo. In fact... Next time I get remotely close to Palo, I'm going to take a few pictures! It might make for an interesting thread on here.

[thepastorsson]

I'm in Palo pretty frequently due to my job. It's a sad, ugly little town. There are a few properties that are pretty, but most of the town is a junkyard.

[detwahDJ]

Many small towns were dependent upon a single industry. Check out Mentha, a town which once grew and processed menthol.