[wrx04]

Originally Posted by amac626

I figured I'd chime in since my wife and I left the Detroit area about 3 years ago. We moved to Louisville, Kentucky and are very glad we did. We still miss old friends and family but the city has a ton to offer. It's a cosmopolitan city that is literally the northermost southern city and the southernmost midwestern city at the same time. The best part is the weather...all 4 seasons with a mild winter. It's only a 5.5 hour drive back to Detroit also.

Everything you mentioned is EXACTLY why i was thinking about moving there. Tell me this...do you think i could get a good feel for the city if i stayed down there for a three day weekend? I was planning on taking a friday off and taking the trip down there in a couple weeks...is that long enough to make a decision whether or not its a good fit?

[trinkit]

A 3-day weekend may not be long enough to find out if an area is a GOOD fit. But it will be long enough to determine if it's a BAD fit.

[Bhaalspawn]

Originally Posted by darstar

After 2 years , I think its time to make your job . Start your own business.

With monopoly money? Don't most or at least a very large percentage of small businesses fail within a few years and don't many end up costing the wannabe business owners money? In other words, don't a great many people who try to start small businesses end up losing money?

One of the big problems is that a great many people are trying to start their own small businesses, resulting in our having a nation of small businessmen who can't afford to buy anything from the nation's other small businessmen who can't afford to buy anything from them.

I see this advice everywhere and I can't help but think that the people spouting it off are as naive as the grade school child who contemplates acting as a career and asks himself, "Do I want to be an actor like Harrison Ford or an actor like Tom Hanks?" without realizing that the overwhelming majority of actors never get very far.

[amac626]

wrx,

I think if you were here 3 days you would certainly get a feel for Louisville. My wife and I would be happy to play host if you'd like to visit. You can see the city at its finest the first Saturday in May every year when they run the Kentucky Derby. There is actually a 2 week festival leading up to race day. Think New Orleans for Mardi Gras when the city triples in population on Friday and is back to normal on Monday. That might not be the best time to visit since it won't be a true reflection of what a weekend living here is normally like. That being said...

I've had 2 family members relocate here and 2 or 3 other close friends that have applied for jobs here as well. I would suggest checking out the Louisville Forum on this site. It's filled with transplants that can describe in detail the "vibe" of the city. There are significant local music and arts scenes. The most impressive part of the city are the vast number of independent businesses (think great local food) and assortment of housing stock. This does not feel like cookie cutter fly-over country...at all. We purchased a house for under $80 a square foot 3 miles from downtown (google "4th street live"). I'm talking a huge brick bungalow with tons of character that is less than 2 miles from the "Highlands" (think downtown Ann Arbor with more to do and consolidated on one long street) and 1 mile from the campus of University of Louisville. All of this in a safe walkable environment. I could go on for days about the benefits of Louisville. It feels midwestern enough for me not to feel like a fish out of water living here, i've heard similar statements from other transplants from Minnesota, Chicago, NY, and Ohio. Feel free to PM me for more info.

[darstar]

Originally Posted by Bhaalspawn

With monopoly money? Don't most or at least a very large percentage of small businesses fail within a few years and don't many end up costing the wannabe business owners money? In other words, don't a great many people who try to start small businesses end up losing money?

One of the big problems is that a great many people are trying to start their own small businesses, resulting in our having a nation of small businessmen who can't afford to buy anything from the nation's other small businessmen who can't afford to buy anything from them.

I see this advice everywhere and I can't help but think that the people spouting it off are as naive as the grade school child who contemplates acting as a career and asks himself, "Do I want to be an actor like Harrison Ford or an actor like Tom Hanks?" without realizing that the overwhelming majority of actors never get very far.

Yes , the first year in a new business usually tells the story , success , or failure..... However not all independent contractors have the same risk as if you were starting up a retail store. There are more and more businesses that grown out of what was an employee relationship got fired , then came back to the same company or industry as a independent contractor doing the same job..... Its just another way to attack the problem of being unemployed for 2 years or more. ( The job is still there , however , the employer now does not have to pay for all that health insurance, taxes , etc )

[daniboi81]

I left Grand Rapids, MI for Denver, CO last October. The move was definitely worth it because of the mountains, skiing, and amount of sunshine we get in the winter. I miss my family, but don't miss MI one bit...with the exception of the lakes in the summer. Since I've been out here; I've met a lot of people from the Midwest (including MI) who moved out here for a number of reasons.

Denver is not perfect (what city is), but it definitely feels like my new home now.

[Rapunzll]

I checked out Louisville when I was searching for a place to move. I like KY in general, and it is really not that far from MI, but I ended up in Greenville SC and love it here. I almost chose Lexington KY, but man, the traffic in that city is ridiculous! Lexington is a cool town though, and KY is beautiful!

[amac626]

Originally Posted by Rapunzll

I checked out Louisville when I was searching for a place to move. I like KY in general, and it is really not that far from MI, but I ended up in Greenville SC and love it here. I almost chose Lexington KY, but man, the traffic in that city is ridiculous! Lexington is a cool town though, and KY is beautiful!

Lexington's traffic is due to poor design and a lack of sequencing of the traffic lights. FWIW, I've found that Michigan has some of the best traffic flow of any state, especially Metro Detroit. Lousiville's traffic is not "bad" by Large metropolitan area standards, but I do miss having Michigan left hand turns (they really do speed up the flow).

[beachmouse]

Spouse and I headed out of the state in 1996 after grad school. He's a college professor, so we always knew we'd probably end up somewhere afar from where we grew up. Spent a couple years in a little west Tennessee town two hours north (and 20 years behind) Memphis and absolutely hated it. First job offer for either of us out of there took us to the Florida panhandle.

We live in a suburb of Ft. Walton Beach. The metro area is about the size of Battle Creek- so easy access for most day to day shopping and entertainment needs, some great beaches, and a surprisingly good restuarant selection for an area its size. If you want a real big city experience though, you're looking at a weekend drive to New Orleans (3.5 hours) Atlanta (5.5 hours) or Tampa/Orlando (about 6 hours)

It's an Air Force company town- younger than most of Florida, and the good jobs tend to come from base high tech contracts. So if you're a good computer programmer or rocket scientist or other high end engineer, you've got a fair number of options. The rest of the white collar job market is pretty mediocre, especially with the tanking of the resort real estate market. Unemployment is now up to 6% instead of the 2.5% it was a few years back, but there's a lot of underemployment and people working out of field.

It's not perfect, but we've liked it well enough to stay here since 1998.

[wrx04]

Originally Posted by beachmouse

Spouse and I headed out of the state in 1996 after grad school. He's a college professor, so we always knew we'd probably end up somewhere afar from where we grew up. Spent a couple years in a little west Tennessee town two hours north (and 20 years behind) Memphis and absolutely hated it. First job offer for either of us out of there took us to the Florida panhandle.

We live in a suburb of Ft. Walton Beach. The metro area is about the size of Battle Creek- so easy access for most day to day shopping and entertainment needs, some great beaches, and a surprisingly good restuarant selection for an area its size. If you want a real big city experience though, you're looking at a weekend drive to New Orleans (3.5 hours) Atlanta (5.5 hours) or Tampa/Orlando (about 6 hours)

It's an Air Force company town- younger than most of Florida, and the good jobs tend to come from base high tech contracts. So if you're a good computer programmer or rocket scientist or other high end engineer, you've got a fair number of options. The rest of the white collar job market is pretty mediocre, especially with the tanking of the resort real estate market. Unemployment is now up to 6% instead of the 2.5% it was a few years back, but there's a lot of underemployment and people working out of field.

It's not perfect, but we've liked it well enough to stay here since 1998.

Thats funny. I was actually down in Ft. Walton Beach from september to december for one of my rotations at eglin. The area was nice, especially around destin, but i like a bigger city personally. Too much tourism.