[bluebird39]

My vote would be Traverse City. I live about 1 1/2 hours drive from there in Northern MI. It's a very nice place. It does have a nice natural food co-op : Oryana Natural Foods Market , an award winning medical center: Munson Medical Center

It becomes very populated during the summer. That's a downside, as well as the lack of racial/cultural diversity. I love the winters up here, so that's not a negative to me. They have a great trail system: Traverse Trails // Boardman // Leelanau // TART // Vasa // Northern Michigan Trails // Grand Traverse County Trails . The economy seems to be doing better there than most places in Michigan. Their schools are good too. It's expensive to fly out of there though (negative), but they do have a very nice airport: Cherry Capital Airport, Traverse City Airport

So there ya' go. I have relatives in Dallas, and quite honestly hate going there. Good luck.

[suydam]

Because you're moving here without a job, you should be taking a look at cost of living and wages in your two cities.

Traverse City is a really tough place to make a go of it (I think). A few years ago I was looking at jobs in TC paying $44k when the comparable job in GR paid $65k and in Detroit $70k. That's a huge paycut to live in TC. The homes aren't going to be much cheaper in TC than GR either, so you're talking about a 40% pay cut, more expensive home. The trade-off of course is the scenery and location.

Traverse City and Marquette are about as good as it gets for outdoor enthusiasts who still need a little urbanity in Michigan. If outdoors is your must-have (you mentioned hiking and veg-friendly grocers...so you sound pretty granola...like me) then Traverse City will quickly become your favorite city in Michigan whether you live there or not.

If you work in GR, you'll be able to afford to travel to TC. If you live in TC, you're stuck...but you're stuck in a great spot. It's hard to decide in the end, but I ended up going with GR where there's an affordable airport, I'm only 2 hours from Detroit, 2.5 hours from Traverse City, 3 hours from Chicago and less than 4 hours from the U.P. Living here, I can earn a wage that lets me enjoy those places. Flipside: I'd still move to TC in a heartbeat if I had a job that made it feasible.

Good luck with your decision!

[YAZ]

I voted TC cuz it's so pretty.

We went to the AZ State Fair and, believe it or not, guess what greeted us at the entrance?

A Murdock's Fudge stand.

[Christoph83]

With my skills/job experience, would I be able to find a job if I moved to TC? And would I be able to find a [steady] job I could survive on? Also, remember that I will only have $3,000 to $4,000 upon arriving, and that has to last me until I find a job.

[djacques]

Grand Rapids is right-wing Republican territory. They probably think veganism is subversive, lol.

[HighlandsGal]

I thought I remember reading somewhere that P.F. Chang's was coming to GR......but really, that is not a reason to move someplace, is it?? Authentic Chinese is better

Now if only Denver had IKEA or Trader Joe's......(I moved here from GR)

By the way, EGR and Eastown are both veggie friendly

[Christoph83]

Originally Posted by HighlandsGal

I thought I remember reading somewhere that P.F. Chang's was coming to GR......but really, that is not a reason to move someplace, is it?? Authentic Chinese is better

Now if only Denver had IKEA or Trader Joe's......(I moved here from GR)

By the way, EGR and Eastown are both veggie friendly

I hope P.F. Chang's comes to GR! THey have some awesome veg* choices! It's one of my favorite restaurants.

[PFS123]

You haven't quit your job already have you? Ironic, I would love to be where you're currently at. But I'm headed to Michigan too.
What didn't you like about the Woodlands besides the heat?

[Christoph83]

Originally Posted by PFS123

You haven't quit your job already have you? Ironic, I would love to be where you're currently at. But I'm headed to Michigan too.
What didn't you like about the Woodlands besides the heat?

Nope, my last day of my job will be 31. October. Anyhow, I love The Woodlands, I just hate being in Texas and the South. Way too hot and humid all the time. The Woodlands is like a small oasis in the dirty, ugly, wasteland, which is Houston. I'm tired of never seeing snow here or having seasons. Plus, everyone speaks funny here... hehehe. ;-p I'm originally from MI, and just miss the Midwest too much.

[Cliffie]

I voted for Grand Rapids because there is a lot of growth in that area, i.e. you can get a a job. Traverse City would be number two.