Saginaw anyone? (Grand Rapids, Flint, Lansing: real estate, houses, rental)

[Freeland]

Originally Posted by svsu hopeful

Thanks for the info about the part of Saginaw out by SVSU. I just applied for a position with the university, and was wondering what that part of town is like. I have done research on the web, but there's only so much you can find out about a town from the internet.

I currently have a 2 hour daily commute because I'm at a university in a town which has a serious crime problem (but which has nice suburbs and surrounding towns). If I do end up moving to that part of MI, then I hope that Saginaw isn't as bad as some of you guys make it out to be.

Forever and a day Saginaw people living west of the river have had the very bad habit of bad-talking Saginaw to anyone who would listen. Personally, my husband and I (live in Freeland area) haven't experienced a single problem attending concerts, sporting events or the Shrine Circus at The Dow Event Center, programs at the beautiful Temple Theater, or concerts in the park. We have a wonderful Symphony Orchestra; SVSC, Delta and Davenport Colleges, small museum and great library system, and renowned hospitals. Lake Huron is only an hour away. Economically, the Saginaw area IS NOT good due to the closing of GM plants. Finding a job is all but impossible. It sounds to me like you already have a job offer. By visiting and some leg work, you will find an acceptable place to live in the Tri-City area.

[garrett]

I grew up in Saginaw and went to Carrollton High School. It was a great place to grow up. Then after high school everyone either worked at GM or Michigan Bell. No brain jobs, great money...No one really ask us what did we wanted to do after high school, unless you wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer no one cared. You would just work for the two mentioned above. The 70's were great, never thought twice about buying a new Corvette. Went on two vacations every year and every one had two cars in the driveway and a nice house.What happened???????Well the way I remember it the east siders decided that they needed to get more control over the city goverment..Great.. But once they gained control I can remember the news saying the Saginaw city was no longer going to give GM all the tax brakes because GM owed Saginaw , Saginaw didnt owe GM. I remember hearing this and said that was the worst mistake Saginaw could ever make...Well 2 years later I watched the foundries being mowed down...
The sad part is at that time none of us were ever moviated enough to get off our asses and take back the city before it was to late. As the jobs went everyone just went to the bar..and still due...We all lost our jobs...So what did we do. Well anyone that had a brain left, I guess the east siders left the city offices also but not until they had destroyed it. I moved to West Palm Beach Florida in 1988. I cant believe there is no one left their that is moviated enough to bring somekind of industry back to Saginaw......

[GAisGreat]

Originally Posted by garrett

I grew up in Saginaw and went to Carrollton High School. It was a great place to grow up. Then after high school everyone either worked at GM or Michigan Bell. No brain jobs, great money...No one really ask us what did we wanted to do after high school, unless you wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer no one cared. You would just work for the two mentioned above. The 70's were great, never thought twice about buying a new Corvette. Went on two vacations every year and every one had two cars in the driveway and a nice house.What happened???????Well the way I remember it the east siders decided that they needed to get more control over the city goverment..Great.. But once they gained control I can remember the news saying the Saginaw city was no longer going to give GM all the tax brakes because GM owed Saginaw , Saginaw didnt owe GM. I remember hearing this and said that was the worst mistake Saginaw could ever make...Well 2 years later I watched the foundries being mowed down...
The sad part is at that time none of us were ever moviated enough to get off our asses and take back the city before it was to late. As the jobs went everyone just went to the bar..and still due...We all lost our jobs...So what did we do. Well anyone that had a brain left, I guess the east siders left the city offices also but not until they had destroyed it. I moved to West Palm Beach Florida in 1988. I cant believe there is no one left their that is moviated enough to bring somekind of industry back to Saginaw......

That's sad to hear. I believe you are correct, same with Flint, it just doesn't seem like they are ever going to do anything to turn things around or bring any businesses there. I really love the Saginaw Valley area, it's too bad.

[Barbiego]

I grew up in Saginaw (still have relatives there). I moved to Midland when I was 20 and I would never move back to Saginaw. I loved Midland. I lived there for 40 years. We finally decided to move south, so sold our home last year. The people who bought it were from Saginaw and couldn't wait to get out. Dow Chemical and Dow Corning are there and would be good opportunities for jobs.

[nickbii]

Originally Posted by iamaww

I have my BS in accounting so hopefully finding a job won't be too hard. I am a single mom but from what I have read, I fear I may end up regretting the move. I don't want that to happen. My heart is set on Michigan!! Does anyone have any advice for me? Thanks!

Just be sensible. You are from DC, and most of the folk who know Saginaw are from small towns. You probably have a higher tolerance for panhandlers than them.

Also keep in mind that in Michigan everything is a city of some sort. A lot of the other folks posting probably live within a block of Saginaw-proper, and love their neighborhood; but assume because you said Saginaw you meant the city-proper.

Honestly, as a Detroiter I hear nothing about Saginaw. As a city boy I consider it to be a small town, and this thread has not changed my opinion mostly because people were stunned anyone would move there.

You'll be fine. The job situation probably does suck up there, but I doubt it's so bad an Accountant can't get hired.

Nick

[wanderer74]

Originally Posted by nickbii

You'll be fine. The job situation probably does suck up there, but I doubt it's so bad an Accountant can't get hired.

This is something I DO know about. I live in the Saginaw metro area - in a safer outlying "suburb", not in the middle of the neighborhoods where the arsons are occurring. My sister has a BS in accounting and it took her a few months to find a job last year, and the job pays MUCH less than she would be making in a different area. However, if someone has a CPA they can get a good-paying job fairly easily here.

Best of luck. I just don't want anyone to come here and think that even with a degree in an in-demand field, that they will still have an easy time finding a job. Having a bachelor's degree definitely matters a lot (especially because there are fewer people with such degrees here), but the job market is still very tight and competitive here.

[christina1500]

Originally Posted by iamaww

I have been reading alot of the posts and am getting a bit worried. I currently live in the DC metro area (MD) and am moving to MI in mid-February. I am moving b/c I need a change of pace and a whole new scene, and I just chose Michigan. I came up there in November and loved it! I will be going up to Saginaw next week to look at rentals. Can someone please be honest with me and tell me the real deal with Saginaw? I don't know why I chose Saginaw, but I know I like the area. I have my BS in accounting so hopefully finding a job won't be too hard. I am a single mom but from what I have read, I fear I may end up regretting the move. I don't want that to happen. My heart is set on Michigan!! Does anyone have any advice for me? Thanks!

My advice is NOT to move to Saginaw, there's high crime, no jobs, and nothing to do. I want to get out of here!

[outtasag]

I grew up in Saginaw all my life, worked in Saginaw as a professional. The only time I did not live in Saginaw is when I went to college in Texas. I graduated with a Bachelor's of Science in Mechanical Engineering and got offered a job as a manufacturing engineer with Steering Gear. What a mistake, don't get me wrong I was thankful for my blessing. Well eventually the gear became Delphi and we all know what's going on at delphi. So with close to 12 yrs under my belt at Delphi, Delphi decided that it was time for us to part ways. At first I was scared, started to think like a typical person from Saginaw, inside the box and not outside of it. Well I'm right outside of Nashville right now and it feels like I have been reborn. My energy level went right through the roof. The one thing that Saginaw can do if you let it is suck out your soul. Now as a child growing up in the 70's and 80's it was great. Nothing was more better than going to 7-11 on Genesse or Mr. Hot Dog. My last stroll down Genesse before I left was sickening. You can see the hurt or lack of care, total disinterest in anything on the people's faces. What happened?!?!?! I really don't know, but I do know the average age of grandmother on the east side is about 38 yrs old. People that is a big problem. Where is Big Mama?!?!? When things got out of line there was always a strong black woman or black man to put things back into perspective. I feel sick for the youth of Saginaw. No leaders, No mothers and No fathers. When I was growing up I feared every adult on the block. Well that all I got to say.

[Sijuki]

All I can say about Saginaw is what I saw when I was there for a convention about a month ago. The neighborhoods I saw looked very depressed. The downtown (I think that's a downtown by the Dow Convention Center) is very small. Quite frankly it seemed a bit like a ghost town. Now surely there were areas I didn't see. But that is all I can report on. From living in Michigan for 27 years, really all I think of the area of Flint-Saginaw-Bay City is an area to avoid.

[sarah1324]

I personally have enjoyed living in Saginaw, but I'm probably in the minority on this thread. Although it might not have that much to offer families, most of the people here are kind and hard-working.

Saginaw is racially divided. I think that you might have to be from here to truly understand the city - and to have some sort of love for it. It's a conflicted place. On the one hand, the crime rate is high (although it has been dropping for the last year or so). On the other hand, the city has some beautiful historical buildings, a nice university, and many groups of people that are trying to make a real difference. I would say that Saginaw's caught in a constant struggle for improvement.

Like many cities with economic problems and racial issues, however, this struggle doesn't make for easy, quantifiable successes. If you want to move to Saginaw, you have to be prepared for this dynamic. Like I said earlier, the city doesn't have the hokey tourist quality of Frankenmuth or the small-town atmosphere of Freeland. For most people, this means that Saginaw is anti-family, or something. Growing up here myself, though, I feel like I've learned a lot about tolerance, respect, and diversity, just from the people around me. I'm not sure I could have gotten that comprehensive education from a city without these social problems. Every citizen of Saginaw is forced to reckon with issues of prejudice, diversity, poverty, etc., and this is a valuable sort of instruction.

I can understand why most people shy away from Saginaw. The crime rate is high. The school system is mediocre, although it's making great strides forward. Saginaw is my home, but it's definitely not for everyone.