[only ever lived in CA]

My husband and I are San Diego natives and soon to be empty nesters. He just accepted a good job in the Monroe area and will have a furnished place for 2 months until we make move. We both work (my company is open to keeping me in a working from home office capacity). Looking for a nice place to live either in Ohio or Michigan (within an hour of Monroe). We fully realize that we will be in for some big changes in weather and climate--but hopefully it will be doable. We are up for giving it a try and new job is offering great relocation assistance. Happy to give up high costs of living and heavy traffic in So CA. Any advice on best places to look? We may keep our home in CA and look to rent for the 1st year. We enjoy lots of city activities and the outdoors as well. We are used to the suburb life...but are open. Thanks for any info you can share!

[detwahDJ]

Originally Posted by only ever lived in CA

My husband and I are San Diego natives and soon to be empty nesters. He just accepted a good job in the Monroe area and will have a furnished place for 2 months until we make move. We both work (my company is open to keeping me in a working from home office capacity). Looking for a nice place to live either in Ohio or Michigan (within an hour of Monroe). We fully realize that we will be in for some big changes in weather and climate--but hopefully it will be doable. We are up for giving it a try and new job is offering great relocation assistance. Happy to give up high costs of living and heavy traffic in So CA. Any advice on best places to look? We may keep our home in CA and look to rent for the 1st year. We enjoy lots of city activities and the outdoors as well. We are used to the suburb life...but are open. Thanks for any info you can share!

If you like convenience and big city amenities, it's best to be near one. Though some people thrive in small towns, such places can be quite bleak in the wintertime. Cities tend to clear their streets of snow, but off of the main highways, counties often rely more on the winter driving skills of residents.

[teachbeach]

It's great that you'll have the 2 months to find a place. You might like either Toledo (big city, lots to do in the city and suburbs) or the Romulus/Canton area of MI (also close to Detroit) and even somewhere between Monroe and Ann Arbor might suit your lifestyle. You're used to high volume traffic, but that's definitely something you'll want to be cognizant of as you pinpoint where you'll be living. Do you want to be closer to a major airport (Toledo is smaller/more regional than Detroit). Sports? Arts/Museums/Culture/biking trails? Other hobbies or interests that appeal.

The weather in each is pretty similar, lake effect snow~Detroit just set a record for total winter snowfall accumulation, hopefully the weather won't be a brutal next season. Monroe might be a cute community as well, I'm not familiar with it's population/lifestyle~but it's in a great location with proximity to the opportunities for city life (with a drive) in Toledo, Detroit and it's suburbs or even Ann Arbor.

[canudigit]

I would consider Grosse Ile. It is literally an island situated in the Detroit River between Detroit's dowriver suburbs and Canada, connected to the mainland with a short bridge, and is very safe, picturesque, and generally upscale. It is about 1/2 hour north of Monroe, straight up I-75.

Grosse Ile Michigan - Safest Community in Michigan!

The Official web site of Grosse Ile Township Michigan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grosse_Ile_(Michigan)

I live in a small town in Monroe County. Monroe itself is a smallish city that is rich in history but does not offer a whole lot to do, and the rest of Monroe County, while safe and rural, is cornfield country that would be quite boring for someone coming from San Diego.

Grosse Ile is nice because it is safe and has a nice waterfront, but it is situated perfectly between the rural atmosphere of Monroe County and the big city amenities of the Detroit Metro area. There are some other great suburbs of Detroit that are safe and very attractive, but most of them would be quite a long commute from Monroe, especially in the winter.

If you look southward towards Toledo, I would recommend staying out of Toledo itself and focusing on the better suburbs, such as Perrysburg (upscale with new construction and beautiful historic mansions along the Maumee riverfront), Sylvania (typical newer construction subdivisions), and Ottawa Hills (rolling hills, large estates). Still, in terms of things to do, Detroit offers a lot more than Toledo, plus you would have access to a world class airport. Toledo's airport only offers a few daily commuter flights to Chicago and some low fare flights to Florida. Otherwise, it is essentially on life support.

[MS313]

Originally Posted by only ever lived in CA

My husband and I are San Diego natives and soon to be empty nesters. He just accepted a good job in the Monroe area and will have a furnished place for 2 months until we make move. We both work (my company is open to keeping me in a working from home office capacity). Looking for a nice place to live either in Ohio or Michigan (within an hour of Monroe). We fully realize that we will be in for some big changes in weather and climate--but hopefully it will be doable. We are up for giving it a try and new job is offering great relocation assistance. Happy to give up high costs of living and heavy traffic in So CA. Any advice on best places to look? We may keep our home in CA and look to rent for the 1st year. We enjoy lots of city activities and the outdoors as well. We are used to the suburb life...but are open. Thanks for any info you can share!

Then I would recommend the Metro Detroit area, based on it's sheer size alone, plus Ann Arbor. It has alot more of what your probably used to than Toledo. If you want a smaller city, less sprawly area than Toledo would be the way to go.

[ironlady]

I moved here from So Cal four years ago. I wish I could help with the specific area you're looking at, but I'm on the west side of the state. I will say it may be wise to stick closer to larger metro areas until you go through your first winter to see how you adapt. I say this because I used to climb mountains behind our house in So Cal on 80 degree January days and say, "God, I'd like to experience ONE real winter." I loved the cloudy days, loved June gloom. So imagine my surprise when I get to my first winter and experience an almost catatonic depression. I was beside myself, and since I'm not typically a depressed person, I had no idea what was happening to me.

Seasonal affect is a real deal, and you never know how much you'll be affected by it until you're in it. They say everybody is affected a bit, about 10% get it real bad, and about 2% really ought to be hospitalized. However, some of the seasonal affect can be mitigated by being sure you're around lots of activities and indoor places--my local gym (I'm a work at home mom)--provided the outlet I needed to get through the winters.

[RockChester]

As far as taxes go, Ohio and Michigan are about even but they're also, as you might expect, a lot cheaper than California. Also, since we are in a four-season climate, we have no bugs scurrying around a good part of the year. This past winter saw a good three months of persistent cold and a lot of snow, which was not normal and even those of us born and raised here were sick of it. Move close to a metro park and get cross country skis, that'll keep everyone in shape during the winter. During the winter months it's healthier in my opinion to be outdoors; you just have to learn how to dress for the cold. I ride my bike down to 35 degrees but that's because I have a full set of winter gear.

If you're progressive, Ann Arbor is a great place. If you're conservative, I'd concentrate on the western side of the state. Grand Rapids is a good choice, although housing there is more expensive than it is over here on the eastern side.

If you prefer a more urban setting, you may want to check out Berkley, Huntington Woods and Royal Oak. For a more bucolic setting, the Rochester area (Rochester, Rochester Hills, Oakland Township, Shelby Township and Auburn Hills) is great but I'm a little biased. Oakland and Macomb counties are well run and try to keep taxes as low as they can. I would steer clear of Wayne County but Plymouth and Northville are good choices. Sterling Heights is another good place to live and it has a HUGE retail and business area around M-59.

[canudigit]

Nice cities, all of them, except the OP said that her husband will be working in the Monroe area, not Metro Detroit. Most of those cities are not a reasonable commute to Monroe, especially in winter weather. For example, Rochester is 63 miles from Monroe.

Ann Arbor is about 40 miles from Monroe, and there really isn't a direct route unless you go way out of your way and take I-94 to I-275 or you take 23 South to M-50 and travel on a two lane state highway with traffic lights where the speed limit is 55.

Royal Oak would mean that he would have to drive directly across Detroit twice a day and then still have a good 20-30 miles to go to get to Monroe.

Perrysburg, Ohio would be closer, both in mileage and time,than any of those cities, because it is directly on I-75 and so is Monroe. That is why I suggested Grosse Ile, because it is beautiful, safe, close to the amenities of the Detroit Metro, and still along I-75 so that the commute to Monroe would be quick and easy.

[wgvernon]

Moving from the best climate in the US to Michigan? I hope they're paying your husband ONE MILLION dollars

[only ever lived in CA]

Thank you all so much--this is all really helpful information! The new company provided several options for a short term furnished place and we chose the option in Perrysburg. My husband will check out the commute and that area to start. He is heading out there next week to start his new job. Appreciate all of the recommendations and seasonal advice!

It sounds like living near a bigger city might be a good option for us in the winter months as we adjust. Ann Arbor looks lovely and some of the other cities you mentioned. We are pretty used to commuting and traffic--but would enjoy something less than 45 minutes each way. Already noticing that even gas prices are quite a bit less in MI/Ohio too. I do enjoy shopping at Costco/Whole Foods/Trader Joes and I see those kind of options in some areas. We hope to have lots of friends and family out to visit and would enjoy living somewhere that has some fun things to do on weekends.. I will fly out in June to start looking with my husband after he has been there a few weeks and has had a chance to explore. Thanks again--appreciate and welcome any advice!