[jtur88]

Most people in Lower Michigan retire in Upper Michigan.

[Rapunzll]

Originally Posted by jtur88

Most people in Lower Michigan retire in Upper Michigan.

If by upper Michigan you mean the lower peninsula, that's right. If you meant the upper peninsula, you couldn't be more wrong.

[darstar]

Originally Posted by jtur88

Most people in Lower Michigan retire in Upper Michigan.

Not the UP

[plannine]

While I already have my retirement home (currently a summer cottage) in "central michigan - Gladwin", my choices would be 1. Chelsea (outside of Ann Arbor),2. Okemos (outside of East Lansing), 3. Pleasant Ridge/Huntington Woods or Rochester (outside of Detroit) 4. Gwarn or Interlochen....but thats my picks, not based on any science, statistics or affordability.

Rochester has a amazing Senior Center.... The "Older Persons Commission". While Ann Arbor/East Lansing have everything (in a small town way), Pleasant Ridge/Huntington Woods, are the "Cheers" of Oakland County....."where everybody knows your name........and your dog's name.....and your grandkids names......" which is nice, while living in the center of almost everything in Southeast Michigan.

While "Up North" is nice, I really wouldn't want to be stuck there all winter!!!

[madpie]

One of the great retirement areas if you like water, golf and not be to far from an university is Canadian Lakes in Mecosta County not too far from Big Rapids. There are a lot of retirees there and lots to do for that age group.

[sagetips]

Retiring in Michigan for us was all about affordable living on the Great Lakes. Muskegon has been a great location for us and i would recommend anyone looking for an afordable and beautiful place to retire to check it out.

[jmlowman]

Especially after seeing those aerial photos from the helicopter in the thread on Michigan photos. Those are excellent!

Grand Rapids looks like a decent-sized city to meet our everyday needs, yet nowhere near as overcrowded as here in SoCal. We're from Flint originally, but ruled that area out after seeing what has become of a once-prosperous area.

We've lived in cities all of our lives, so I'm not sure that a small town would suit us. But we're not the stereotypical southern Californians. We don't dress, drive, or do anything to impress. No Mercedes or BMW for us. I drive a Chevy Avalanche and my wife drives a Jeep Wrangler. We both hate to shop, and when we must we do so online, for the most part.

We will both have retirement incomes based on California salaries as professionals. I am a software developer and my wife is a college professor. So I don't think we'd have a problem living comfortably in Michigan. Certainly prices for homes have to be better than here!

The only thing that I would question would be our ability to re-acclimate to the cold weather after living in mild climates for so many years. However, like my in-laws in Flint, if the weather is too bad, they stay inside. It's sort of like that in reverse here. Our climate is more like Palm Springs than LA so, from about July into October it's way too hot to do much outdoors.
Other than travel, most of our hobbies and interests are indoor activities.

Sorry for the long post. I hope no one has hanged him/herself at this point. But I'm trying to gather as much data as possible before we retire in about 5 years.

[darstar]

Originally Posted by jmlowman

Especially after seeing those aerial photos from the helicopter in the thread on Michigan photos. Those are excellent!

Grand Rapids looks like a decent-sized city to meet our everyday needs, yet nowhere near as overcrowded as here in SoCal. We're from Flint originally, but ruled that area out after seeing what has become of a once-prosperous area.

We've lived in cities all of our lives, so I'm not sure that a small town would suit us. But we're not the stereotypical southern Californians. We don't dress, drive, or do anything to impress. No Mercedes or BMW for us. I drive a Chevy Avalanche and my wife drives a Jeep Wrangler. We both hate to shop, and when we must we do so online, for the most part.

We will both have retirement incomes based on California salaries as professionals. I am a software developer and my wife is a college professor. So I don't think we'd have a problem living comfortably in Michigan. Certainly prices for homes have to be better than here!

The only thing that I would question would be our ability to re-acclimate to the cold weather after living in mild climates for so many years. However, like my in-laws in Flint, if the weather is too bad, they stay inside. It's sort of like that in reverse here. Our climate is more like Palm Springs than LA so, from about July into October it's way too hot to do much outdoors.
Other than travel, most of our hobbies and interests are indoor activities.

Sorry for the long post. I hope no one has hanged him/herself at this point. But I'm trying to gather as much data as possible before we retire in about 5 years.

You may find a more resort area is a better choice , than Grand Rapids. Look further north , and , contrary to most thought , its not colder near the lake. GR is just another dirty , crime ridden big city. Has lots of racial problems these days.

[krock1dk]

Grand Haven is good. Its close to Grand Rapids, the beaches of Lake MI, and a little over 2 hours from the hustle and bustle of Chicago.

[krock1dk]

To say that most Michigan retirees are moving to Northern MI is not necessarily accurate. According to the Census, most Michiganders STAY in the state when they retire, move to the south, and then move north.