How bad do you think MI really is? (Detroit, Grand Rapids: relocating, hoa)

[mary_in_michigan]

I moved here to a suburb of Detroit (well...at least that's what I think it is,,,,,it's close to Livonia) almost 7 months ago from Central California. I had never lived anywhere else either, born and raised there. Of course, "love" is what made me come here, and for that, i'm thrilled to bits- he has a pretty decent job, which i'm also thankful for, because i'm not having an easy time finding one. That could also be due to the fact that unlike a native Michigander, i'm not completely sure where to look all of the time- but at this time, i've had one interview, which I was overqualified for (I work in various areas of the legal field). However...it doesn't seem a whole lot different here than it was in Cali- and I like the slower, friendlier pace of things here- not to mention they have actual seasons here, and....no smog! And green? Omg is it green here- i've never seen so many trees that AREN'T army/olive drab. We're looking to relocate to the Traverse City area, and the prices for housing are actually very good- the only thing I have to say about relocating, is I wouldn't do it unless I had family/friends in the place I wanted to move to- someone who knows the area, and the in's & out's of things.

Other than that....I like Michigan jussst fine, tyvm!

[jetsjoe]

Mary in Michigan-

Glad to hear the positivity! And glad things worked out for you. Do you miss Cali? Do you think you will go back and visit?

[cassy1]

My husband and I relocated to NC last December and it was the best thing we could have done. We were having problems paying bills! My grown children still live there so I have been back to Michigan, let me tell you I don't miss all of the negative news on the economy at all. Most of my husband's siblings still live in Michigan and they can barely make it. We got to a point that, yes we were depressed! The sun does not shine all that much, the winters are way too long and the economy stinks! We finally figured that it was time to explore the US, and we have found a wonderful state to live in! No NC is not perfect, is any state? BUT......we can live comfortably down here. My advice, ask yourself what you really want, then be sure enough to actually make the move if you are positive that you can deal with it. I left a lifetime of friends, the home that I planned on living in the rest of my life in. Would I do it again, you bet. Good luck and take my advice, do a lot of soul searching before you make that large of a decision.

[coldwine]

Originally Posted by cassy1

My husband and I relocated to NC last December and it was the best thing we could have done. We were having problems paying bills! My grown children still live there so I have been back to Michigan, let me tell you I don't miss all of the negative news on the economy at all. Most of my husband's siblings still live in Michigan and they can barely make it. We got to a point that, yes we were depressed! The sun does not shine all that much, the winters are way too long and the economy stinks! We finally figured that it was time to explore the US, and we have found a wonderful state to live in! No NC is not perfect, is any state? BUT......we can live comfortably down here. My advice, ask yourself what you really want, then be sure enough to actually make the move if you are positive that you can deal with it. I left a lifetime of friends, the home that I planned on living in the rest of my life in. Would I do it again, you bet. Good luck and take my advice, do a lot of soul searching before you make that large of a decision.

Hearhear! As a young person waiting to graduate from college, I can't wait to get the hell out of here. I hate Michigan with a passion, especially when you see all the basic things you have to give up just to live in this frozen wasteland.

[melis71]

I live in Michigan and want to move to Colorado. I used to live there years ago. Michigan is going down hill and I hear it's not going to get any better in 2007. In a year I will be out of school and I hope to be in Colorado in about 1 1/2 years. Good luck to you.

[Magnat68]

Good Luck to you! We would love to move out of MI and back to CO and would do it in a heartbeat, but we are lucky enough to have a great paying job here for the moment. We also have a quite a bit of debt.... so we can't take a pay cut just yet.

We loved CO but we lost our jobs out htere when the company we worked for was sold off and dismantled. So, we went where we had our first reasonable job offer and that was back here in MI....that was also almost 10 years ago now. We miss CO incredibly and when we lived there we felt like we were on a long vacation. Life was a vacation!! I must say though, that we did miss our families, and we thought moving back we'd see them more, they would see the children more etc. We'll not true. we moved back but still too far for "help" with the kids once they came along, but close enough for the family to be a hassle. We are constantly fighting for our time at home over the holidays etc. At least in CO we could do what we wanted. If we wanted to see the family for the holidays we came home if we didn't we stayed put. I want that part of my life back again.

Definitely visit the places first if you can! We're going to start vacationing in CO again next year...and hope to be moved their between 2009 and 2012. Sounds like a long ways off, but we have to get our "house" in order first and praying it doesn't take us "that" long!

Blessings

[flyinman]

Well, I have lived all but two years in Mich. and those two were in south Jersey across the river from Philly. But I travel the US extensively in my job including the "hot spots" like Phoenix, Las Vegas, Orlando, Jacksonville. It really depends on what your profession is. I think most of us are happy when we have a good job that pays well. Frankly, other than cheap housing I don't seee any attraction to AZ. South Jersey was much like suburban Det. If you don't have family you want to be near you can find nice areas in just about any big metro area in the country. Bear in mind that cheap housing sometimes means no yard and cheap construction methods as well. I did like Charleston SC very much but have only been there once.

[madrigalblue]

I moved to Michigan more than a year ago from Philadelphia. I was raised near Philly and went to school in rural Maryland, about an hour from Baltimore.

I've found some pros and cons.
Cons:
-The economy is the absolute worst thing in this state. It makes every other problem worse. I told my husband that when we have kids, we MUST take them out of state and encourage them to travel, because it's not fair to raise a kid in a dying state. Is it fair to your kids?
-Rampant racism: At least here in the tri-city area, it's a hardcore war of the races. Saginaw is unbelievable--completely segregated.
-Lack of diversity: less options for dining out, less opportunity to meet people from other places, etc. (again, I question whether this is fair to children as I think about having my own family)
-Higher insurance cost unless you have PLPD due to no-fault

Neutral/depends on your opinion:
Conservatism runs rampant. People don't want to change. If you are a liberal, no one will respect you. If you are white and you stick up when someone uses the "n" word, most other white people will think less of you.

Pros:
-Even around Detroit, the traffic is not NEARLY as bad as is in east coast cities.
-While you'll have more job/money stress, daily stressors are reduced
-People are friendlier because of less congestion
-If you know people, you might be able to get a job through them--people go out of their way to help you with jobs when they can
-Public services are much easier to use. Then again, if you make more money because you live elsewhere, this doesn't really matter
Here's the one that keeps me here because I have seen people do it:
If you do land a good job, cost of living is very low, even in good areas! You are SET if you get a decent job.
-Great place to live if you are a career military person or telecommuter due to low cost of living

In Philadelphia, people were nicer to each other on a general level--there wasn't much racism outside of gang violence that happened in the inner city, I had friends of various races, religions, and sexual orientations...and that was ok. Here there's less variety. People are also open to ideas in Philadelphia. Sweeping change is ok. Here, people don't want that...because last time there was one, everyone lost their job. Dining out was done every week, because it could be afforded, and the restaurant selection was better. In both places, the urban public schools are horrible, but in suburban Michigan vs. Philly, the high schools are less crowded and safer.

[tamvb]

My husband and I are leaving in the next few weeks. We have raised three children that are still in Michigan colleges. We both have lost our jobs this past year and we have done everything we can to try and stay but finding the job market impossible. We have cut back on everything and can no longer survive here. We will be moving to South Carolina which we have been to many times and we have jobs waiting for us. We hope that Michigan gets back on track so maybe we will be able to move back someday to the state we love. Chances are that our children will end up leaving after graduation and hopefully we will all end up together again. I guess I always thought being born and raised in a place that we really love and our children love that we would all stay and live in the same area for our entire lives the way our parents did. I have six brothers and sisters and they all still live here. I will be the first to move but maybe not the last. I never thought this would happen to us and it did double time. Good Luck to everyone whether you stay or leave.

[cassy1]

Originally Posted by tamvb

My husband and I are leaving in the next few weeks. We have raised three children that are still in Michigan colleges. We both have lost our jobs this past year and we have done everything we can to try and stay but finding the job market impossible. We have cut back on everything and can no longer survive here. We will be moving to South Carolina which we have been to many times and we have jobs waiting for us. We hope that Michigan gets back on track so maybe we will be able to move back someday to the state we love. Chances are that our children will end up leaving after graduation and hopefully we will all end up together again. I guess I always thought being born and raised in a place that we really love and our children love that we would all stay and live in the same area for our entire lives the way our parents did. I have six brothers and sisters and they all still live here. I will be the first to move but maybe not the last. I never thought this would happen to us and it did double time. Good Luck to everyone whether you stay or leave.

Good luck, I too left my children for the same reasons. I go home often enough to get my "kid fix" and then I am good to go....also lots of phone calls (bless cell phones). The Carolina's are great we are in NC, love the fact that there is lots of land with nothing built on it. People are nice and friendly and nothing on the news about the "negative" economy! Regards and have fun!