[malamute]

Originally Posted by telepicker97

I mean REALLY...it can't be as bad as everyone makes it out to be, right?

And how bad are the winters there?

It's bad enough that you should have a job already lined up and guaranteed before moving there. The winters there are real winters at least in much of the northern half of the state. You should like cold weather, cloudy winter days and snow or don't move there. It's helpful to like the winter sports.

[Ivorytickler]

Originally Posted by malamute

It's bad enough that you should have a job already lined up and guaranteed before moving there. The winters there are real winters at least in much of the northern half of the state. You should like cold weather, cloudy winter days and snow or don't move there. It's helpful to like the winter sports.

I'll second that. Don't come here looking for a job but if you happen to have a skill that's in high demand and a job in hand when you get here, there's plenty of cheap housing.

February is a killer. I am so ready for spring by then but, realistically, it's May before spring arrives most years but once in a while, we get lucky, and April blooms.

[chance2jump]

I just visited Lansing this weekend for the first time in several, several months. Dh and I moved June 2007 because we were both having problems getting jobs. We had both been laid off and were competing with several other layoff-ees for what little was available. Even McD's and BK had competition!

What I noticed: Driving down Cedar St in Lansing, there are A LOT of smaller businesses that have gone under in the past 6 months. It was very sad to see. There are still A LOT of houses for sale, many long since been foreclosed upon. The property that we own and still pay on is worth about $20K less than what we owe on it - and even if we could afford to take that kind of hit, good luck finding a buyer. We're lucky enough to be able to afford the mortgage plus our rent and cost of living where we moved to. Certainly not living a luxery lifstyle, but at least we're making the bills every month!

The revenue for the state is down, so government has cut back spending. Roads are severely neglected. Lansing did not open 2 public golf clubs for business this year. Etc.

I personally know a lot of people who have walked away from their mortgage. The reason being: they or their spouse got laid off (or both), their income was severely cut back, and they just couldn't swing the mortgage payment once unemployment ran out. And, they couldn't get a job in state. I know quite a few people who have left the state because they couldn't get a job, I can think of at least 15 other individuals or couples that I personally know. And, I truly do not know a lot of people.

If you never got laid off or had to compete with the typicall blue collar work force for a job, you're doing awesome. So many of us were not that lucky, and those of us that could leave either have or are in the process of it.

As for winters... Typical midwest winter. Cloudy, cold, bad weather. I've lived in the midwest all my life, so it really isn't a big deal for me. I know people who came to MI from SW US where the sun shines a lot .. and they couldn't handle the cloudy days. The worst is about Feb/Mar when you know spring is right around the corner, but it just seems to take forever to come. There are some days you'll wake up to 18 inches of snow on the ground even though the weather guy said clear skies. There are some days that the temps and wind is so cold that it just chills you right to the bone. And, there are some days it'll be just warm enough that you can stand being out in it, but then we get hit with freezing rain .. and that snow balls into accidents, power outages, trees down, etc. A fresh snow in the early morning is breathtakingly beautiful.

[Bluefly]

The U.P. economy is doing fine. I know Grand Rapids area is doing fine as well.

[MittenDweller82]

U.P doing fine? The entire UP has an average unemployment rate of over 10%, unless your a casino worker, prison guard or a nurse......otherwise you probably sustain yourself off the land and eat canned potatoes and tomatoes.

[lilbear]

Originally Posted by Driller1

Propane is my back-up for geo. Join the 21st century.
They make generators now too!

Haha! That's funny. I'm not 75 I'm in my 20s and wood can still be cheaper, especially if you can find any for practically free! Woo hoo!

[Brent85]

Originally Posted by Bluefly

The U.P. economy is doing fine. I know Grand Rapids area is doing fine as well.

That's a common mistake people make on here. Grand rapids is not doing that great! There's a few buildings being built downtown, it doesn't mean it's easy to find a decent job, because of that.

Grand rapids-Wyoming, MI
Unemployment rate: 8%


Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI Economy at a Glance

[gr8pyrz]

The economy is pretty darn bad. To say otherwise is to bury one's head in the sand ! Just check out the state newspapers for the last few months for both articles and classifieds and you will get an accurate impression for yourself.

I think the reason that it looks worse to those of us that have lost jobs is because we've literally been in lines at the job fairs with 300+ up to 2000 other people and we hear how companies are receiving 200 resumes for a job opening, sometimes more. When you are in it, you see the picture a little clearer.

I too found a job but am making 40% less than I was last year. That is par for the course no matter what industry. Empoyers are demanding more schooling and experience for less pay since they know they can right now.

I wouldn't move here without a job. It just wouldn't make any logical sense.

I also agree the cuts aren't done. In fact Ford just last week announced they were putting some buy-outs on hold so not everything has even been rolled out yet just from what has been announced already.

Yes, most of the major job losses are automotive. However I was downsized from a dental manufacturer and all you have to do is drive around to see the small businesses closing and chain stores closing locations to understand that just because the majority of job loss initially is automotive, that does not mean nothing else is affected !

Winters in the SE are not THAT bad, but you have to be able to deal with weeks/months of gray days. That is hard on some people. The snow can be pretty, but can also be a pain on our 7 highways !

[Bluefly]

Originally Posted by Sociologist

U.P doing fine? The entire UP has an average unemployment rate of over 10%, unless your a casino worker, prison guard or a nurse......otherwise you probably sustain yourself off the land and eat canned potatoes and tomatoes.

You should consider how demeaning your comments can be before you post them. Canned potatoes and tomatoes? Come on.

The U.P. has always had a higher unemployment rate - due in large part to seasonal labor.

I've spent time in both Detroit and the UP recently. There has not been any major drop off over the past couple years in the UP. The economy was hit hard in the mid nineties with the closing of an airforce base, but it has recovered well. Even the state representative just said "The UP is doing a lot better than the Detroit area." The economy has remained steady and there's no foreclosures or spike in unemployment. Cleveland Cliffs, the company that runs the local mines, is reporting record profits. In Marquette, where the largest employers work in medical or academia fields (not casinos), there is a lot of new economic activity downtown and no major decline in employment at all. Overall, there is no sense of loss here.

I think a lot of that is attributable to the fact that people up here have lower expectations economically. People in metro Detroit got fat on the Big 3 hog with all the benefits and massive salaries for uneducated workers. In the UP, people have never been granted the opportunity to live gluttonously. They have always had modest lives and, I must say, very high qualities of life - with homes in town and camps out in the woods and the toys to go with it.

So, in short, I stand by my statement. The U.P. is doing fine.

[jeeg]

Originally Posted by Bluefly

You should consider how demeaning your comments can be before you post them. Canned potatoes and tomatoes? Come on.

The U.P. has always had a higher unemployment rate - due in large part to seasonal labor.

I've spent time in both Detroit and the UP recently. There has not been any major drop off over the past couple years in the UP. The economy was hit hard in the mid nineties with the closing of an airforce base, but it has recovered well. Even the state representative just said "The UP is doing a lot better than the Detroit area." The economy has remained steady and there's no foreclosures or spike in unemployment. Cleveland Cliffs, the company that runs the local mines, is reporting record profits. In Marquette, where the largest employers work in medical or academia fields (not casinos), there is a lot of new economic activity downtown and no major decline in employment at all. Overall, there is no sense of loss here.

I think a lot of that is attributable to the fact that people up here have lower expectations economically. People in metro Detroit got fat on the Big 3 hog with all the benefits and massive salaries for uneducated workers. In the UP, people have never been granted the opportunity to live gluttonously. They have always had modest lives and, I must say, very high qualities of life - with homes in town and camps out in the woods and the toys to go with it.

So, in short, I stand by my statement. The U.P. is doing fine.

Good post. I agree.