[westboundrambler]

I'd rather be a smartass than a dumbass.

[DONNIEANDDONNA417]

Originally Posted by westboundrambler

i'd rather be a smartass than a dumbass.

:d:d

[313Weather]

Originally Posted by MarvinStrong313

BTW I'm 19 years old.

[MS313]

Originally Posted by 313Weather

lol hey, living in west MI you start finding interesting things to do. Just happened to stick to this.

[Jfick1952]

Originally Posted by AppleSauceToss

YES I cant wait to get out of this state! ITS horrible!! UGH, Im originally from Nashville, TN and I HATE HATE HATE It here! ugh, next summer cant come soon enough when we get the hell out of here!!!

I haven't read all the posts, but this one caught my eye. Yes, we would leave Michigan in a heartbeat. But. Only if it was for the right place. The biggest draw, of course, is family. However, as we've all gotten older, family has spread out, moved away, or passed on. A couple of years ago my brother and family re-located to Nashville, and we started visiting. I have to say, I fell in love the first time I went. It still has four seasons, and although I know a part of the summer can be terribly hot, at least there is close access to water and the hills and mountains, and it is SUNNY. It is the Michigan winters that we can't take. Actually, as I write this, it is June 1, and the furnace is running, though a couple of days ago, it was hot and humid and AC weather. Beautiful areas to vacation, which is why TN would be in the running. We can get to Michigan in a day's drive to visit family, and vice versa. Planning in advance, you can get a decent price on an airline ticket with a short trip. I think we have access to great health care here, but so does Nashville, and it is a great mix of old and new, and has something for everyone. I guess the state of the economy depends on if you have a job. We are actively looking to move further south, but not too far south. Our kids have moved to Portland, OR, and I'm sure they won't ever move back here, there are so many places they could live and enjoy more. Being holed up for months on end because of lousy weather is just so depressing.

[JBums1028]

Ideally I'd like to stay in Michigan because I don't mind it here, but unfortunately I see myself probably leaving eventually. I recently graduated from college and I was lucky enough to find a job through AmeriCorps that I'll do for the next year. Then I'll return to graduate school. I'm only applying to one out of state school, so I'll probably be in Michigan for another few years. But the job market for the field I'm going into (Higher Education Administration) isn't too great right now. Not a lot of Michigan's Universities are hiring admissions or academic advisers (my two ideal jobs). So unless that changes in the next couple of years, after I'm done with school I'll probably be moving. I'd like to move to the West Coast (Seattle or San Francisco), but it all depends on where I can find a job. It's sad though. I hate to add to the brain drain that Michigan is experiencing but you have to do what you have to do.

[detshen]

Originally Posted by JBums1028

Ideally I'd like to stay in Michigan because I don't mind it here, but unfortunately I see myself probably leaving eventually. I recently graduated from college and I was lucky enough to find a job through AmeriCorps that I'll do for the next year. Then I'll return to graduate school. I'm only applying to one out of state school, so I'll probably be in Michigan for another few years. But the job market for the field I'm going into (Higher Education Administration) isn't too great right now. Not a lot of Michigan's Universities are hiring admissions or academic advisers (my two ideal jobs). So unless that changes in the next couple of years, after I'm done with school I'll probably be moving. I'd like to move to the West Coast (Seattle or San Francisco), but it all depends on where I can find a job. It's sad though. I hate to add to the brain drain that Michigan is experiencing but you have to do what you have to do.

Are there many openings in those states for those jobs? I would wonder why there would be fewer prospects for that in MI than elsewhere, that doesn't seem like the type of job where the prospects would be any worse in MI than anywhere else. I actually don't know, I'm just curious.

[JoulesMSU]

We are likely going to be leaving soon. I have a nice job where I work from home as an application developer, but my fiance is a teacher who went to the University of Maine and then basically moved here to be with me. She has found it difficult to find a decent teaching job here (her current school in Genesee county is on the verge of bankruptcy), and has many connections back in Maine (from her university). Therefore, it seems silly to keep trying to find a good job for her here, when there are plenty back in Maine. In fact, the schools in Maine pay much better and have better benefits too... so it just doesn't make sense to stay here.

[JoulesMSU]

Originally Posted by MarvinStrong313

I've heard of Jimi Hendrix. And the name "Foo Fighters" sounds somewhat familiar. But that last band in the first list has one interesting name lol.

lol, guy who wants to be a "musician" has never heard of any famous bands. I think I found your problem...

[JoulesMSU]

Originally Posted by weteath

I plan on moving, mainly because Michigan doesn't provide the urban experience I'm looking for and overall how long it takes to get around.

However, I see Detroit improving in maybe 10 years and having a positive impact on the state. Even if people don't want to live in a city, having a city with a positive image will draw people from other places.

Also having a lower cost of living doesn't automatically equal a higher quality of life in my eyes.

Okay, there are some fair criticisms about Michigan, but "how long it takes to get around" is NOT one of them.

Michigan is one of very few states where just about everything is fairly close. From Lansing you can get to Grand Rapids, Mount Pleasant, Flint, Ann Arbor, Jackson, and Battle Creek / Kalamazoo in about an hour. You can also get to Detroit, Lake Michigan, Bay City, Port Huron, even Toledo in less than 2 hours.

That is not possible in a lot of other states. Take Florida, for example, if you are in the middle of the state (like Orlando) then it takes over 3 hours to get to some of the other major cities like Miami or Tallahassee. In Maine, all the "big cities" are 2+ hours away from each other. Even in North Carolina, Charlotte and Wilmington are a good 2 hour drive from Raleigh. Seattle to Spokane, Washington's two biggest cities, takes 4 hours!

Michigan is one of very few states where all the major cities are practically right next to each other and easy to get to. At worst, you are looking at about 2.5 hours to get from somewhere like Detroit to Holland as the LONGEST trip here, and that is among the shortest time for lots of other states.