Can't we all just get along?!
I definitely see what BackToMichi was saying in the original post, however I also see what Tasdad4701 was saying in the "baby boomers" post. I have lived in Michigan my whole life as well (which is 25 years, so far). And I have always loved what Michigan has to offer. I know a lot of people complain about the weather, but I think it is perfect. Summers feel like summer, winters feel like winter, and spring and fall are perfect as well. I like that it is so full of natural resources, and things to do in nature (from skiing in the winter, to jet skiing in the summer, to deer hunting, to visiting the beautiful tahquemenon (spelling?) falls, to seeing the cherry fest in TC or the tulip fest in Holland, or going up to frankenmuth. Honestly, all of these things made my 25 years here seem like "home."
But I also think it's fair to caution people about our economy. My fiancee and I both have our B.A.'s and - although we are lucky to have jobs at all - we are not making what we could in most other places, and both of our jobs have been declining pretty steadily since we got them, and who knows when one or both of them are going to close. A huge number of college grads are in the same situation as I am. Those who can't find jobs, and who are trying to start their career, or start a family, obviously are going to be better off looking elsewhere. Those who do have jobs, often do not have the job security where they would feel comfortable staring a family here.
If you are being transfered to Michigan for your job, there are many nice places to live (I wouldn't recommend the city of Detroit itself, but many of the suburbs are very nice), and there is enough to do to entertain yourself (unless of course you are looking for a large downtown area with a bustling nightlife...that is one thing that Detroit really doesn't have that most major cities do). However, I think it is also fair to at least tell those people to use caution when thinking about accepting a transfer to Michigan. Who knows how long that job will last. If it is a job that pertains to the Big 3, I wouldn't put an awful lot of stock into it, as far as the long term is concerned. These companies are losing a lot of money, cutting a lot of jobs, and it is going to continue to get worse for a while still. I highly doubt that any of the Big 3 will ever return to their former levels of prosperity. So even if it looks good right now having that job, it could still be a very risky move.
I definitely do not think, however, that people should be presenting their "opinions" in the way that some people are prone to doing (as BackToMichi noticed, people talking about the Great Lakes "catching on fire" and whatnot...it's a little crazy). If you move to Michigan, you will not instantly be killed by a crazed crackhead. Maybe you will be able to find some economic success here. You just probably have a better chance of that in most other places.
Believe me, I wish things were different. My family, nor my fiancee's family, neither of them are terribly thrilled that we are going to leave the state. And we're not so thrilled that we're leaving the place we've both called home for our entire lives, and leaving behind our families who we will probably only see a couple times a year from now on. But we have to think of our future. Of OUR family, our children (when we have them) and their future. I don't think we can be successful in Michigan. It makes me sad, but it's what many people have already done, and what many more are going to have to do as well.
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