[Steve-o]

Michigan's western shores are indeed some of the most beautiful in the nation. Shhhh, dont let everyone in on the secret though.

[mkfarnam]

Ditto to all of you.
About the only time I truely enjoyed the ocean is when we took a trip to the Catalina Islands and stopped at ALCATRAZ. Catalina Island Lodging: Vacation Rentals Catalina Island : Avalon

I also miss the Mountains, I use to fish up in Silverwood, Arrowhead and Big Bear lakes. Mostly Silverwood.
Silverwood lake.

My home town in Mi. is in between 2 lakes(Cadillac and Mitchell). But I remember we had alot of fun at the Backwaters. Part of the Manistee River.

[littlebigman]

moved from Michigan and love the weather where I am, it is mid dec and 65 deg.
I do not want to move back but can tell you that I feel a bond to the place I grew up.
I read an artical in readers digest many years ago, It was about a Soviet pilot who defected to the west, after a year he started to miss home. People seem to remember the good and foget the bad, Even if the bad out weighs the good.
I think this is me now.
I miss the familiar, the lakes and streams I fished, even though there are many here.
I Moved partly because of weather but partly because of family, I was raised as a Jehovahs Witness and so was my extended family, This is a cult of the first order and the only religion that I can find that is close to it is the scientoligests.
I decided to leave the religion and when you do other JWs are instructed not to talk to you.
So I had to go get the mail in my small town and when I would see a cousin or member of the cult they would turn away like I had molested their child.
This religion tears apart familys like no other.
With out the support of family I felt I had to move. If I would have had a normal family I would have stayed in MI.

My wife and I could have survied the down turn with out to much problem.
My wife was in the same posistion I was, here parents lived 3 miles away and she had not talked to them in 2 years, donna [her mother]did not even call when her grandmother died. She found out by reading the new paper obits.

I will not miss the snow, but I miss the local antique fairs in the summer, music festivals, and the familiar.
I hope the feeling will fade with time.

[malamute]

I miss the snow -- it looks so beautiful in pictures and it's 65-70 where I am also --- but I guess I don't miss the snow that much. There are a lot of nice things in Michigan -- also in other places.

I think one can enjoy almost anywhere, it's a matter of looking for the good aspects, or for those who can choose, living where they're most suited.

Lack of jobs or wages that can get you ahead would be the killer. It's just too hard living where you spend any extra dime on trying to stay warm and have nothing left to enjoy.

I moved back for a while and found myself house-sitting for relatives who vacationed south or picking up extra work for co-workers who went south, while I didn't have that kind of money because jobs weren't that easy to get.

[HotSauce]

Originally Posted by mkfarnam

Ditto to all of you.
About the only time I truely enjoyed the ocean is when we took a trip to the Catalina Islands and stopped at ALCATRAZ. Catalina Island Lodging: Vacation Rentals Catalina Island : Avalon

I also miss the Mountains, I use to fish up in Silverwood, Arrowhead and Big Bear lakes. Mostly Silverwood.
Silverwood lake.

My home town in Mi. is in between 2 lakes(Cadillac and Mitchell). But I remember we had alot of fun at the Backwaters. Part of the Manistee River.

That is the one thing I wish we had here were some nice mountains.

We are a pretty musical family. We like camping at Interlochen State Park in the Summer so we can run across the street and listen to some really great music by pretty talented kids from around the world. One year we listened to the really awsome string quartet - 4 teenagers from Germany who were attending the camp. They were as good as any profession set of string players I've seen. Well maybe not quite as good as Isaac Stern, Itzhak Perlman, Yo Yo Ma, etc. But still they were awesome! My son attended the camp one year - the two-week all-state piano session they used to have there. He had a fantastic time there playing both classical and jazz.

Any way, the reason I mention that is we get off of 131 and drive west on M-55 that runs between Cadillac and Mitchell lakes on the way to Interlochen. We have talked about camping there by the lakes one summer. What is the state park there like? Is there any good shore fishing for bass? My daughter and I love fishing for bass. We don't have a boat, so we usually just fish from shore. I saw a bass tournament on TV on one of those lakes - forget if it was Cadillac or Mitchel. But of course they were in boats.

[tjay]

yeah michigan is pretty horrible.....who would ever want to live there??

[mkfarnam]

Mitchell State Park. There's a man mad canal going through the park connecting both lakes. You can fish at the canal.


I remember "Interlochen". That's closer to Traverse City isn't it?

[Michigansnowflake]

ugh! Mitchell State Park is right on 115. Too much traffic and noise for my taste, I love rustic, primitive camping.

[mkfarnam]

Originally Posted by Michigansnowflake

ugh! Mitchell State Park is right on 115.

I love rustic, primitive camping.

Then stay away from Ca.

[Newfreedom]

Nobody will stop you if you want to move. But beware...the grass isn't always greener somewhere else. Don't get your hopes up.

I live in Wisconsin and it gets pretty cold here too. But we just crack jokes like, "this is Wisconsin. If you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes and it'll change'. Yes, winters can be tough. But I'd rather bundle up in layers I can peel off as the weather changes before I decide to move somewhere that gets so hot in the summer that you can't take off any more layers and you are still sweltering. I love Wisconsin summers, even though they are too short. I'm hardy enough to tolerate the winters
So you don't like the midwest? Go ahead and move to the sweltering heat of Atlanta.
My daughter showed a lot of wisdom already at 5 years old. We encountered a crabby, complaining woman when we were grocery shopping. When we left the store, I said, "boy was she unhappy!" My daughter just said, "Yeah. But people are as happy as they choose to be." If you choose to be so unhappy in Michigan, don't expect your attitude to be any different somewhere else.
Good luck!