No need to scare the Michigan newcomers... (Detroit, Grand Rapids: real estate, housing)

[Wabbit]

I think it is so funny to read the posts of people
moving to Michigan from other states and
the totally distorted view they have of it.
Even when their spouses tell them differently,
they still choose to believe the life-haters
from North Carolina etc.
that get on this board and blame Michigan for
their problems.
This is particularly amusing when the posts
are coming from states I've lived in.
Granted, Texas and Michigan are like apples and
oranges. Horse apples and sweet oranges.
I was on the Ft. Worth side of Dallas/Ft. Worth
and I'll say this. In the battle of Big D's, Dallas
wins in a walk. Love me some Dallas.
But over all, I wouldn't give you two Ohio's and
a West Virginia for Texas.
Out of the 46 states I've been to, I put Texas
second to North Dakota in over all ugliness.
Florida, excluding Naples, 10th (after Kansas)
On the other hand the West coast of Michigan
from Saugatuck to the bridge is the fifth
most beautiful. (Excluding Alaska/Hawaii which are 1 &2)
1) Northern Cali coast 2) Rocky Mt. CO.
3) Jackson Hole Wy. 4) Bitterroots Idaho 5) Lake Michigan
6) Low country Charleston to my beloved Savannah!
The economy in Michigan is bad right now, no doubt
but over all, outside of Mt. Mordor (Detroit/Flint/Saginaw)
Michigan is awesome.
As for the winters, I think they're gorgeous. I'm the first to
admit I have a West coast (Michigan) perspective
but you people make it sound like you're serving a tour
in Iraq.
North Carolina. You stumbled into the truth about those
German towns. Georgia's is better. When are you moving again?

[BetseeT]

>>but you people make it sound like you're serving a tour
in Iraq.

LOL. You got that right. Sorry our state's so sucky for ya. Please leave as quickly as you can. And don't let that door hit ya on the way out.

[BetseeT]

>>>>Thanks for taking the time to share some of the positives of the area.

Gordon and Peggy, another positive:

No alligators or crocodiles or whatever it is you have in the Everglades. Bears, yes. Deer, definitely. Coyotes, in places. Even some bobcats (although the DNR denies it) but no, absolutely no alligators/crocodiles can survive the winter!

[khfar]

I think it is so funny to read the posts of people
moving to Michigan from other states and
the totally distorted view they have of it.
Even when their spouses tell them differently,
they still choose to believe the life-haters
from North Carolina etc.
that get on this board and blame Michigan for
their problems.

See, I don't see it that way. I don't *choose* to believe them. Especially when my spouse tells me that he likes it up there. It's just hard to hear, when I'm about to make a move that I absolutely, positively DO NOT WANT TO MAKE. Sorry, but it's the truth. Put yourself in my shoes, and perhaps I can explain it better. I'm from Dallas. My family is here. My best, life-long friends are here. My KIDS have friends they've grown up with, that they have to leave. And it all breaks my heart. So, it's not Michigan I'm upset about, it's just the change and leaving everything I know and love. Surely anyone can understand that?

Yes, I'll survive, and I'll get over it. And I'm sure I'll like it up there. I'm adaptable. And it's an excellent career move for my husband, so of course we are going to move there. But people saying things like "Please leave as quickly as you can" don't exactly make the state you all claim to love so much, any more appealing. How welcome I feel already!

[Virginia1]

Well one week I want to move up and one week I don't want to move up. It depends on what posts and responses I have read on this forum. But most of the time why I don't want to move up is usually due to the economic side of things. Everytime a factory or company leaves and relocates to another state it gets posted very quickly, or if Granholm tries to come up with some kind of idea to spur on the state economy. I can tell you one thing, adding some kind of 2% tax on businesses does not help. Jeff Daniels the Michigan native and actor has all kinds of public ads down here in VA. asking for businesses to come up and set up shop in Michigan. Give them some tax breaks and they may do it. But I rarely have seen a Democratic Gov. give tax breaks to any business. I wonder if DeVoss had any ideas that could bring business in. The one shining star (in terms of a large region) is Grand Rapids and guess who has invested his money there in many ways. My fiance lives in Flint. So I will have to move up sometime. I think Michigan is full of great people, but the blue collar workers put too much faith in the auto industry and maybe were in denial of global competition. Do union workers have say so in what kind of cars should be built.......just wondering. If I was one of the workers taking the buyout and if I was 50 or younger I would march right down to the nearest school and enroll in classes for some kind of high tech job. That is where it's all going. Toyota just announced they are building a factory in Missippi or Missouri. Arkansas and Tennesee were in the running. Just wondering why not Michigan, I assume there are plenty of trained auto workers there. If someone states that the reason are the unions, well then that would be another discussion. Like I have said in other posts. I really would like to see Michigan turn around on the economic end, who knows maybe I will be one of the ones who saw the light, buy a home cheap and 5 years from now, Michigan will be the place to be because of its beauty, the people and the new leadership ( not present) that is turning the State around.

[AussieMale]

hi Virginia1

Seen it all before & still seeing it over here.

The USA is on the same downhill slide that Australia took back in the 70's when the employer got HAMMERED with extra holiday pay. Employees got a extra week from 3 to 4 paid in full.

Then they added more to insult the employer on top of the extra week , the employer had to find an extra 17.5% to load there paid holiday leave , pushed by the union people to make it law , the goverment made it law.

That was just the start of better things to come....lol. My wife tells me one evening when i come home from work i went looking to buy a bra , i lol because i knew ladies bra factory closed shop n moved to asia ,she tells me no Australian made bras in the shops.
I told my wife back in the early 80's the last bra factory shut shop n went to asia cuz of cost of labour.I knew this cuz the factory was just around the corner from my business at the time & i used to service some of the sales reps cars & they told me what was going on.

My wife liked to support buy American when she was living in the USA before we got married.That was what she wanted to do here was support buying Australian , which i thought was fair.

So in shock , my wife tells me they just shut down the last light globe factory in Australia one evening , it was no shock to me as everything was going overseas to asia somewhere , in the last 6 months our last toilet factory shut down too. Guess where it went to somewhere in asia been China as most everything goes to China.

So at the end of the day im saying if the unions keep pushing n pushing the USA will end up more like Australia.
They will have no factories no this that or the other & will endup becoming a service country live Australia.

SAD BUT TRUE

[pjmiami]

Even better: no Palmetto Bugs (basically huge, sometimes flying cockroaches-blech!), no hurricanes, no hurricane shutters, no frantic preparation for hurricanes, and no windstorm insurance!!

Gordon and Peggy, another positive:

No alligators or crocodiles or whatever it is you have in the Everglades. Bears, yes. Deer, definitely. Coyotes, in places. Even some bobcats (although the DNR denies it) but no, absolutely no alligators/crocodiles can survive the winter![/quote]

[southernlady5464]

Even better: no Palmetto Bugs (basically huge, sometimes flying cockroaches-blech!), no hurricanes, no hurricane shutters, no frantic preparation for hurricanes, and no windstorm insurance!!

However, up here we DO have May Flies-blech! And the closer you are to the water, the worse it is. Inland is okay tho.

True, no hurricanes up here but we have had straightline winds that are of hurricane force. So windstorm insurance might not be a bad idea.

Every area has positives and negatives. Depends on what is important to you as an individual.

What is important to me is to be closer to family (we have none up here) and not be so blasted COLD half the year. Liz

[Virginia1]

Well Mr. Aussie....Oy Oy Oy. Always wanted to type that. LOL Manufacturing has been going to Indonesia and China for a while now for many reasons. I remember as a kid looking at those little plastic toys and noticing they were made in China. Who woulda thunk that it's gotten to the point it is at now. Companies are still coming to the U.S. i.e. Toyota and I read recently yesterday that Chrysler is going to build a plant in Michigan somewhere, so that is good news. I have never worked for unions and my pay and benefits are just fine. I am sure there are plenty of people who love the unions, but someone correct me if I am wrong, it seems to me that unions have a huge distrust with THERE employer and really no concept of what it takes to run a business in this day and age. Yes upper management makes good money and so do the owners and I think its there responsibility to come out with a good product that will sell to the masses. I really, really, really want to buy an American car. But talk around the water fountain is always...... I run my little *** car to death and I can't remember the last time I changed the oil ( exagerration here, but you get my drift ). I am not going to buy a product that breaks down, guzzles gas, and then has a low resale value. 20,000 dollars to me is a lot of money. I want to be loyal and support American products, but gosh darn, I will not do it at the expense of my pocket book. I do see some cars out there that may just turn it around, America needs another Ford Tauras and the unions need to chill and give some wiggle room for the big 3 to be competitive. Oh.....I love the design of the Retro Camaro, but man the price, and in my opinion they are missing the boat AGAIN. It is not a family car, i.e. Camry, Accord, Altima it is a single persons car therefore the sales will be so-so. Sometimes I feel like buying a Camry bring it to the big 3 and say take this thing apart and copy it or make it better, that is what Japan did. I just don't get it.......okay back to topic. Michigan is great, land is beautiful, houses are cheap, Wolverine football is awesome, long lakeshore with quaint towns, U.P. is great for hunters, and you will most likely pick up cross country skiing as a hobby and own a set of snow tires So come on up folks and join me, we'll get in low on the housing market and sell high when we retire, because believe me other states are having issues also, and besides Gore says Michigan will be warm in the next few years ( as you look out at that pile of snow and temps in the teens). Too bad you can't win Oscars based on facts

[AussieMale]

hi Virginia1


You just gotta take the plunge n move as thats what im doin. Im kinda half way there one down one more to offload ( property that is ) & then its fill the container for shipping , put the family & my cute butt in a plane & head for the twin city area of Menominee MI / Marinette WI.

To work for someone/company or not , i have no idea yet let alone what field i fancy on working in , ill cross that bridge when i get to it.

ok here ya go from the land downunder Oy Oy Oy