[FutureNYER]

Just kidding. Michigan has a lot to offer. A few close friends of mine live there and I'm there all the time.

I would start out in Mackinaw City before you hike over the bridge into wolf territory. Take a tour of Mackinaw Island on some rented bikes for an adventure. It'll cost you about 20 bucks each for a ferry ride to the island, and there are some cheap B&B's on the island that you can catch a good nights rest in before you head out and explore. It's best around July, the fireworks are amazing. Mackinaw City has quite a bit to offer as well, it's by no means as exciting as the island but it's a great deal of fun in the summer. Again, I would go in late June early July...
Be prepared for a culture shock in upper Michigan. Things move at an extremely slow pace and most people enjoy this as opposed to the rest of the crazed world. But just know that nothing is on the cutting edge of tech.
Metro Detroit is a great deal of fun. If you work in retail, I would suggest looking into Somerset Mall in Troy. It's the best Michigan has to offer, and you can find some cheap rentals in the surrounding area. If you're going to work in a mall, that's the mall you want to work in.
The Somerset Collection
Hmmmmmmm. I would check out Royal Oak if I were you boys. It's full of art and life and it'll spark your giddy.

[deckgod77]

Hey fellow southerner! I just moved my family to Grand Rapids from a lifetime in Charleston, SC. We too got tired of the psuedo winter and the people, etc. We researched states for 3 years and settled on Michigan because they will be the first state to come out of the recession-like symptoms that many are experiencing.

In the meantime, real estate here is cheap, jobs are abundant, the weather is moderated by the lake (30 miles west, why houses are still cheap compared to on the lake!), people are AWESOME!! I have lived in this neighborhood for almost a month and my kids are now playing outside all day every day with tons of neighbors.

If you want fun at night, the city is awesome. If you want scenery, slightly north of us is perfect (I live near Rockford, Comstock Park, Plainfield Township, etc.). You have so many things to choose from, and we are looking forward to our first real winter with plenty of snow aided by the lake. If you have any questions, feel free to email me back at deckgod77@hotmail.com.

[maggie2003]

Michigan is not the place to be moving to right now. There aren't many decent jobs here. If you like to be bored, then move to the UP. Taxes are high here. We have a state income tax here, unlike Florida.
If you want to live in the Midwest, I would check out the suburbs of Chicago. There is alot to do there, but it isn't as busy as Miami. If you want to be stuck in the house about 5 to 6 months of the year due to the snow and cold, then come to Michigan; otherwise, I would check out some other states where the winters aren't so harsh, perhaps, Tennessee, or Kentucky. The cost of living is lower in Tennessee and Kentucky than in Michigan. Hope this helps.

Originally Posted by Sin7

Hello, residents of Michigan! A friend and I need some help...

A friend and I currently live in Miami, Florida, and we both share a strong hatred for this place. The people, the weather, we really don't like it here. We are fairly young. I'm 22, he's 23, and we've lived here our entire lives. Frankly, we're fed up with the obligation of living somewhere we hate, and something about your state makes us all giddy, and we would really love to move up there. Thing is, we don't know ANYONE up there (my entire family lives in Miami), so we don't really have the scoop on what's happening over there. We've been doing research on your state and it seems that the UP is a nice place to start.

Financially, we're planning on saving about 10k between the two of us before we take the plunge. Our plan is to be out of Florida before Winter of 2010. We work retail jobs, so we're not really in the money. I've read it's tough to get jobs out there, but we really don't plan on making careers out of it as I'm sure most of the bloggers are referring to.

We would be happy earning just enough to get by in a 2 bedroom apartment and go it from there. Down here in Miami, a 2 bedroom apartment goes for about $1200 a month. I've visited Rent.com and did some searches, but once again, it's hard to narrow it down to a city. We'd like to be in an area with plenty of nature.

We are pretty low maintenance people. We generally stay home and play video games or watch movies, no big deal, but we don't want to live in a city where there's absolutely NOTHING to do. Going out and watching a flick and enjoying some nice live music would be grand. And we want to be very close to the coast, because as much as I hate it here, I do love the ocean.

So yeah, that's our story so far. Hopefully you readers won't brush this off as some young stupid kids' aimless dreams. Any general feedback would be greatly appreciated! Please!

[maggie2003]

Are you crazy to move to Michigan? Have you experienced the kind of winters we have here? I am moving to Florida to get out of that. It is downright cold and snowy for about 5 months out of the year and it is cloudy. I have lived here off and on for 30 yrs and I am leaving this depressing weather for sunshine. Let me know what your thoughts are after experiencing your first winter here. I am willing to bet that after a couple of them, you will be ready to move away again.

Originally Posted by deckgod77

Hey fellow southerner! I just moved my family to Grand Rapids from a lifetime in Charleston, SC. We too got tired of the psuedo winter and the people, etc. We researched states for 3 years and settled on Michigan because they will be the first state to come out of the recession-like symptoms that many are experiencing.

In the meantime, real estate here is cheap, jobs are abundant, the weather is moderated by the lake (30 miles west, why houses are still cheap compared to on the lake!), people are AWESOME!! I have lived in this neighborhood for almost a month and my kids are now playing outside all day every day with tons of neighbors.

If you want fun at night, the city is awesome. If you want scenery, slightly north of us is perfect (I live near Rockford, Comstock Park, Plainfield Township, etc.). You have so many things to choose from, and we are looking forward to our first real winter with plenty of snow aided by the lake. If you have any questions, feel free to email me back at deckgod77@hotmail.com.

[Bydand]

Originally Posted by maggie2003

If you want to be stuck in the house about 5 to 6 months of the year due to the snow and cold, then come to Michigan;

Good one! Have you heard the one about the 3 guys who walk into a bar with a parrot on each shoulder?



This is joke time on the thread right, because everybody knows that the claims of 5 or 6 months stuck inside due to harsh winters is a joke and a tall tale.

[KMSFLA]

Originally Posted by maggie2003

Are you crazy to move to Michigan? Have you experienced the kind of winters we have here? I am moving to Florida to get out of that. ...

Guys, you have to remember that everyone if different. I can turn that quote above around to fit someone who is dissatisfied with Florida:

"Are you crazy to move to Florida? Have you experienced the kind of summers we have here? I am moving to Michigan to get out of that."

I have lived in Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Florida. IMHO, Michigan is the best of those four states. That is based on my overall personal experience that factors in schools, people, crime, housing, weather, etc...

Many of us enjoy the winter weather and cloudy days don't bother us...and some don't. To each his own. I visit Michigan 1 or 2 times a year, winter and/or summer, so it's not like I have forgotten what winter is like. In fact, I've canceled ski trips to Boyne Mountain because it just wasn't "winter" enough. I have friends that will go play golf on a 90+ degree, 90% humidity day. To me that is "crazy" and NOT enjoyable AT ALL. I'd be counting the minutes until it was over. But, they enjoy it and that's great.

Anyone who is contemplating a move to any state, needs to think hard and do research on their new home-to-be. You have to determine what is important to you. I feel it's important to give someone looking for information on a new place to live a balanced perspective. Just because someone can't understand at all, why another person would like heat, cold, rain, snow, <insert you own criteria here>, etc..., doesn't mean that the other person is "crazy". I could create two lists of what I don't like about Florida and Michigan, and my Florida list would be longer. Someone else's list may be shorter (or even empty).

Maggie2003, I don't mean to come across as criticizing your post - I'm not at all. It's just that I read a lot of these "are you nuts to move here(there)?" comments on this website. I wish you the best down here in Florida. Just realize that it may, or may not, turn out to be the paradise you had hoped for.

KMSFLA (currently waiting on yet another hurricane to hit - probably have my homeowners insurance doubled (or dropped) again)

[GinaJ]

I agree I have been to Fl,Ca,Nj,and mostly Mi. All have there issues. For ex if you have a lot of money then Ca is wonderful. If you move there though and are having to work all the time to afford a very small apt and commute long hours that can be a stress in itself. I will never get used to the cold and snow but like I said in my other response I wonder if people complain about NY or Chicago which are very popular places to live with there similar weather. Fl was not good for me and I love hot. This was a different hot though in the summer months like one can't breath. It would be nice to have a winter place down there. I think a huge reminder and I know most people are going to be like I know this but it is not a vacation. So days unless retired or rich will be spent working etc. Any move is a hard and stressful choice. I just moved back from Ca and wish I had not but had some issues where I needed to be by family. So in my eyes you need to look at the aspects in your life and what will be best in the long run and that is different for everyone. So many factors play a role past the weather

[stewey]

Originally Posted by maggie2003

Are you crazy to move to Michigan? Have you experienced the kind of winters we have here? I am moving to Florida to get out of that.

I agree with KMSFLA, not everyone loves 85°-95°F 365 days a year. I grew up in Michigan (metro Detroit) until I was close to being a teenager, have lived in Kentucky and Tennessee since. While these places are nice, I hate the winters down here, especially in Tennessee. Hardly no snow at all!! When there is a chance of flurries it is a big deal. Being raised as a kid in Michigan I developed a strong fondness for snow, and now in my 30s I get giddy whenever there is the rare chance of snow in the forecast down here.

And the summers down here are a bit too much for my taste. 95°F on a regular basis from June-August is unnecessarily hot in my opinion. I mean come on, there is no need for it to be that hot.

I would love to be able to move back up to Michigan to experience a true range in the seasons. I have my eye on the Grand Rapids area, have heard that the economy there is not so bad compared to the rest of the state. Plus I would love to be somewhat close to Lake Michigan, fun in the sun in the summer and lake effect snow in the winter. Absolutely perfect for me!!

[maggie2003]

No, it is not a joke to have to drive to work on icy, snow covered roads. I have also lived in Chicago, which is a wonderful city, but in the winters, it is downright cold especially when you have to wait for a bus for 25 minutes.

You must love Michigan because you probably have a good paying job or you enjoy the winter sports, which I do not care for. I don't like to be in cloudy weather for 6 months out of the year, especially in Muskegon. Muskegon is a great place to visit in the summers and there are lots of things to do. I know the economy is bad in the whole US; however, Michigan has taken a hard hit and I don't think it is going to ever rebound completely, due to the high costs of fuel, high taxes, etc.

Michigan is a pretty state and the lakes are beautiful, but if you can't find a decent job, then you are going to be stressed out much of the time.

The best of both worlds would be to be able to live in Michigan in the summer and Florida in the winters, but very few young people can do that as they have to work.

Originally Posted by Bydand

Good one! Have you heard the one about the 3 guys who walk into a bar with a parrot on each shoulder?



This is joke time on the thread right, because everybody knows that the claims of 5 or 6 months stuck inside due to harsh winters is a joke and a tall tale.

[Michigansnowflake]

Originally Posted by maggie2003

No, it is not a joke to have to drive to work on icy, snow covered roads. I have also lived in Chicago, which is a wonderful city, but in the winters, it is downright cold especially when you have to wait for a bus for 25 minutes.

You must love Michigan because you probably have a good paying job or you enjoy the winter sports, which I do not care for. I don't like to be in cloudy weather for 6 months out of the year, especially in Muskegon. Muskegon is a great place to visit in the summers and there are lots of things to do. I know the economy is bad in the whole US; however, Michigan has taken a hard hit and I don't think it is going to ever rebound completely, due to the high costs of fuel, high taxes, etc.

Michigan is a pretty state and the lakes are beautiful, but if you can't find a decent job, then you are going to be stressed out much of the time.

The best of both worlds would be to be able to live in Michigan in the summer and Florida in the winters, but very few young people can do that as they have to work.

That would be the best of YOUR world, not everyones. I have no desire to go to Fla.