[DFidler]

I'm either debating Northern Michigan or somewhere out in California. Really I just want to move away from Indiana. I really think Michigan would be cheaper due to the fact it's just one state up. But I am curious on some things.

1. Crime Rate: What's it like? If any...
2. Weather: Tornadoes, etc?
3. Living Expenses: Expensive? Resonable? Awesomely Cheap?
4. Job Placement: Easy? Hard? In Between?

This is all for the Northern part of Michigan. I have a huge fear of tornadoes, and want to get away from them. But still live somewhat close to home.

[Bluefly]

Where in northern Michigan?

The northern lower peninsula (Traverse City, Rogers City, Grayling, etc...) or the Upper Peninsula?

For the UP -

crime - very minimal. Wackos every once in a while. People usually don't lock their doors.

weather - 5 months of snow, but dry, fluffy winter wonderland type snow.

living expenses - cheap

job placement - tough. Minimal job market like most rural areas.

[Northman]

I live in northern lower MI. Tornadoes up here are pretty rare, especially in comparison with Indiana. Most of our thunderstorms come from the west across Lake Michigan, which is usually too cold to support severe weather in the warmer months, and same goes for the air temps in this region. For tornadoes to develop there needs to be fairly warm air clashing with the cooler temps, and we just don't see enough of that warm, moist air in these parts to make it happen. Not to say it NEVER happens, because this is still the midwest, but I would say we get the least tornadoes of anywhere in the midwest.

As for the other stuff, I agree with the poster above.

[mostie]

I agree with the upper poster as well- gorgeous here, although the weather can get a bit haywire- crime, don't think there's hardly any- everyone leaves their door unlocked, us included- rent is pretty cheap here, but the job market is awful-!

[SpaceGhost79]

Well, where in California are you talking about? Are you looking at Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula vs. say Northern California/Southern Oregon (fewer people/jobs) or southern California? It's hard to give a comparison and say California will recover 10x faster if you don't know what part of CA you're talking about. Not only that but reports are out that California is facing a $45 billion deficit by 2010. Some folks liked to call Michigan a "one-state recession," but California appears to be starting their own "one-state national debt."

Then again, I've lived in the U.P for the better part of the past 10 years and I've never know this place to be great job-wise to begin with outside the usual mining, medical, and university type jobs, though there are some other industries out there. So to the original poster, what field of job are you looking for? That can help us provide a better answer.

Crime...minimal.

Severe weather...rare. In the U.P. more of the severe weather occurs around the Michigan/Wisconsin border areas like from Iron Mountain to Green Bay, though this past summer there was a tornado warning for the Escanaba area. There was a wall cloud sighting, but no funnel cloud or touchdown. In the northern half of the U.P. tornado warnings are very rare (like once every few years if not longer).

Living expenses are cheap. Are you looking to rent or buy a house?

[zakian]

Originally Posted by hotchildinthecitiy

Unless you are bringing you own sack of $ it will be a slow bleed for you. Cheap, I think it could be due to all the people leaving or not able to pay rent because the unemployment is running out. California will make a comeback ten times faster than Northern MI will ever even think of accomplishing. The state is dying and all the spin and rhetoric by people like Magellan is nothing more than meaningless spin by those who want company with their misery. Don’t do it. If you can go, go anywhere south that has still got an economy or west where it will come back within five years. Michigan is cold, north MI has snow from Nov. to April. Anyone who says different is trying to lure you into the web of deceit.
[SIZE=3] [/SIZE]

Oh wait. I have a sis in Burbank. Works for Homeland Security and has lived in the same "dump" for 10 years.Can't afford anything else but a one bdrm apt and she's 63. No place is gonna make a comeback, especially Californication. If someone is looking at upper Mich, it isn't b/c of the booming economy. I've lived all over the country. Phoenix has seen their best, Vegas was real promising in the 90's. I'm going north next year for one thing, peace.

[Bluefly]

Originally Posted by hotchildinthecitiy

Unless you are bringing you own sack of $ it will be a slow bleed for you. Cheap, I think it could be due to all the people leaving or not able to pay rent because the unemployment is running out. California will make a comeback ten times faster than Northern MI will ever even think of accomplishing. The state is dying and all the spin and rhetoric by people like Magellan is nothing more than meaningless spin by those who want company with their misery. Don’t do it. If you can go, go anywhere south that has still got an economy or west where it will come back within five years. Michigan is cold, north MI has snow from Nov. to April. Anyone who says different is trying to lure you into the web of deceit.
[SIZE=3] [/SIZE]

You're bitter.

You have no concept of the northern Michigan economy.

People aren't leaving northern Michigan because they are unable to pay rent. That's southeast Michigan. Northern Michigan never had a big job base, so I'm not sure what you think it will recover from. It's rural, not Southern California. The last time the economy really tanked up there was in 95 when the air force base closed.

Since then, it's been pretty stable. Take your bitterness elsewhere.

[Driller1]

Originally Posted by Bluefly

You're bitter.

You have no concept of the northern Michigan economy.

People aren't leaving northern Michigan because they are unable to pay rent. That's southeast Michigan. Northern Michigan never had a big job base, so I'm not sure what you think it will recover from. It's rural, not Southern California. The last time the economy really tanked up there was in 95 when the air force base closed.

Since then, it's been pretty stable. Take your bitterness elsewhere.

Good post!!!!

[Yac]

Guys please, do not feed the trolls.
Yac.

[Bhaalspawn]

Originally Posted by hotchildinthecitiy

Unless you are bringing you own sack of $ it will be a slow bleed for you. Cheap, I think it could be due to all the people leaving or not able to pay rent because the unemployment is running out. California will make a comeback ten times faster than Northern MI will ever even think of accomplishing. The state is dying and all the spin and rhetoric by people like Magellan is nothing more than meaningless spin by those who want company with their misery. Don’t do it. If you can go, go anywhere south that has still got an economy or west where it will come back within five years. Michigan is cold, north MI has snow from Nov. to April. Anyone who says different is trying to lure you into the web of deceit.

I'm not convinced that California will really make much of a comeback. It's a state that has been invaded by and flooded with hundreds of thousands of relatively impoverished illegal aliens, placing a huge strain on state and local governments.

Also, I don't see any reason why that portion of Hot Child in the Citiy's post that I quoted should have been deleted. Perhaps portions of the post that I'm not seeing should have been deleted making the entire post deletion worthy, but certainly not the part that's quoted.