[SpaceGhost79]

Originally Posted by krock1dk

Weather: Michigan has snow 7 months of the year, its always gray and overcast and not much sunlight, and the weather changes CONSTANTLY.

That's a bit exaggerated, IMO. I suppose here in the U.P. you can technically say we had snow seven months this winter, however we had one snow storm in early April that melted two days later and we had a few flurries a few days ago in which nothing accumulated and two days later we were back up in the 50s and sunny. We get some wacky weather swings like that, and that's to be expected up here. But in Marquette winter tends to run five months...November through March...and we tend to get one storm in April.

And it's "always gray and overcast and not much sunlight?" Again, maybe during winter, but spring, summer, and fall the weather is great and no worse than anywhere else. Since April rolled around our temps have typically been in the 50s with some days as high as the 70s. My tulips are popping, the grass is growing, and the snow is all melted, even in the woods. It wouldn't be like that if it were "always gray and overcast." We're going to be up in the 60s with sunshine again today. Can't wait to get off work and go biking. Perfect weather!

[Bydand]

Originally Posted by krock1dk

Weather: Michigan has snow 7 months of the year, its always gray and overcast and not much sunlight, and the weather changes CONSTANTLY

Oh here we go with the BS about how long winter/snow is here. Anybody with half a mind to can look at any number of places online and see this is nothing more than exaggeration and BS.

Economics: Michigan has the worst economy in the country and the highest unemployment rate due to the ills of the auto industry's Big Three (GM Ford Chrysler), driven by the corrupt UAW. Michigan is the epitome of the Rust Belt. Michigan is also a high tax burdened state, affecting many companies from wanting to do business in the state. Michigan is just too reliant on the auto industry and hasnt diversified itself enough.

Business wise Michigan does have a bit of an edge over some other states for tax burden, but personal taxes are about middle of the pack, neither the highest, nor the lowest. I know I pay FAR less taxes in Michigan than I did on the East coast. Far less.

Detroit: I dont need to explain this much. Detroit has lost half its population in 4 decades. Has the most job losses of any US city. The country's highest unemployment rate. The country's highest foreclosure rate. The country's highest rate of murder and violent crime. The country's highest office vacancy rate. The worst team in pro sports (Detroit Lions). And the country's WORST school system. Detroit is bad in everything and good in nothing. Detroit's bad reputation has affected the rest of the state. Sad but true.

Actually the Schools and foreclosure rates flip-flop between several areas now. Has Detroits bad reputation affected the rest of the State? Absolutely correct! Mention Michigan and everybody who hasn't been here in person thinks of Detroit and lumps the entire state into that mental picture. Sad but true.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by krock1dk

Watch out in your population comparisons of Chicago and GR. You listed Grand Rapids' METRO population against chicago's PROPER population. In comparing apples to apples the numbers are much more profound. Grand Rapids, the city proper, has 192,000 against Chicago's 2.8 million. Metropolitan GR has about 600,000 while Chicago has nearly 10-million in 3 states. Quite the difference!

Nobody is comparing population sizes of Chicago and Grand Rapids. That would be comparing apples to oranges. The troll was only comparing culture.

And metro GR has about 800,000, and just over 1 Million if you include Ottawa County (which straddles Grand Rapids and Holland).

I personally know quite a few people who have moved to Grand Rapids from Chicago and love it. But it is true that they have families. While there is more night life in Grand Rapids for young people now than 10 years ago, no one would make the claim that it compares to Chicago.

[mackinac81]

Originally posted by alwaystraveling25
However, I would not compare GR to Alabama or other states in the South. GR, and Michigan as a whole, may be conservative, but for the most part we are somewhat liberal and accepting. I certainly wouldn't expect to see confederate flags flying anytime soon on the west side of the state!

Absolutely. There's a difference between midwestern conservatism and southern conservatism. And even though we're a religious area, it's not like the Bible belt. Here we're more Reformed/Calvinist (thanks to the Dutch) In the South they're Baptist/Fundamentalist. Different kinds of christians.

[JGatti]

Originally Posted by SpaceGhost79

That's a bit exaggerated, IMO. I suppose here in the U.P. you can technically say we had snow seven months this winter, however we had one snow storm in early April that melted two days later and we had a few flurries a few days ago in which nothing accumulated and two days later we were back up in the 50s and sunny. We get some wacky weather swings like that, and that's to be expected up here. But in Marquette winter tends to run five months...November through March...and we tend to get one storm in April.

And it's "always gray and overcast and not much sunlight?" Again, maybe during winter, but spring, summer, and fall the weather is great and no worse than anywhere else. Since April rolled around our temps have typically been in the 50s with some days as high as the 70s. My tulips are popping, the grass is growing, and the snow is all melted, even in the woods. It wouldn't be like that if it were "always gray and overcast." We're going to be up in the 60s with sunshine again today. Can't wait to get off work and go biking. Perfect weather!

Thanks, you stole my thunder on this fact. When I think of winter months they are the ones where it's cold and snowy start to end. That in lower Michigan does not start until December sometimes. 7 months of snow is VERY exaggerated.
In response toe the original question I'm not sure I can add anything that nobody else has touched on. Too many people do view Michigan a being Detroit. As a person who was tempted to move to Arizona I read a lot of posts slamming Michigan as if Detroit WAS IN FACT MICHIGAN. I was out there last April, and the ONLY reason I was going to leave Michigan was for a job and my family wanted to go. I on the other hand have always wanted to move further north, to where winters are longer and we get more snow. In my opinion the further you go, the more there is.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by krock1dk

Economics: Michigan has the worst economy in the country and the highest unemployment rate due to the ills of the auto industry's Big Three (GM Ford Chrysler), driven by the corrupt UAW. Michigan is the epitome of the Rust Belt. Michigan is also a high tax burdened state, affecting many companies from wanting to do business in the state. Michigan is just too reliant on the auto industry and hasnt diversified itself enough.

.

I always laugh when I read stuff like this. Michigan has been trying to diversify itself, but it's an uphill battle compared to so many manufacturing job losses.

Imagine 1960 happened today, and someone comes to Michigan (or any state) and says we will create an industry, headquartered in your state, that will produce 10 Million units a year at a price of about $25,000/each ($250 Billion economy). It will employ about 500,000 people, just in the assembly alone of these units. Each "unit" will require 15 - 20,000 parts, so a supply base of hundreds of companies will need to be built overnight, each employing 100 - 1000 employees at each supplier plant. These suppliers will be asked to produce parts in batches of 100s of thousand if not millions of each part a year (perfect for manufacturing), so you better ramp up fast. Each of these supplier plants will be buying Billions (with a "b") of tons of raw materials every year, so plants will need to be built to process these raw materials employing thousands of people. In fact, this industry will buy more carpet every year than the home building industry. Each of these companies will require engineers, designers, R&D scientists, accountants, sales, marketing, quality, hr, and thousands of other support staff. And these companies will spend literally $Billions on the local economy, pumping money into infrastructure, roads, sewers, highways, schools, colleges, you name it. Each one job to produce each unit will create an additional 4 jobs in the economy. And demand for these units will be pretty stable, as the gas needed to run them is cheap and suburbs are exploding.

So did Michigan make a mistake? Or would anyone in their right mind turn down the opportunity to take on this role? What's really funny is that as a country, we seem so willing to just throw this all away and let other countries do it. If Obama was handed this opportunity today, and he turned it down, do you think it would warrant impeachment?

So Michigan gets a bum rap because we latched onto what is possibly the largest single industry in the world. Where it goes, so goes Michigan.

[Bluefly]

This talk about weather is always absurd to me.

I have seen it snow in June in Utah, Montana, and Colorado, yet people are flocking to those states.


If anyone doesn't think Michigan is amongst the most beautiful states, they haven't been north of Saginaw or along the coastline.

I think sprawl has taken a significant negative toll - destroying communities and culture in the name of auto convenience.

[mackinac81]

Michigan is underrated--VERY underrated, even in winter. I know we've seen these before, but I'lll post them again. They have some new ones now, apparently

View Our Ads - Pure Michigan Travel

[malamute]

It's jobs.

The weather is always there -- and brings in as many people as it sends out. You'll always have your sun and warmth lovers but you'll always have those who crave the 4 seasons, love winter and winter sports.

[malamute]

Originally Posted by JGatti

Thanks, you stole my thunder on this fact. When I think of winter months they are the ones where it's cold and snowy start to end. That in lower Michigan does not start until December sometimes. 7 months of snow is VERY exaggerated.
In response toe the original question I'm not sure I can add anything that nobody else has touched on. Too many people do view Michigan a being Detroit. As a person who was tempted to move to Arizona I read a lot of posts slamming Michigan as if Detroit WAS IN FACT MICHIGAN. I was out there last April, and the ONLY reason I was going to leave Michigan was for a job and my family wanted to go. I on the other hand have always wanted to move further north, to where winters are longer and we get more snow. In my opinion the further you go, the more there is.

It all depends on how someone defines winter. I think winter is anything under 60 degrees - and where I live now, that's how the winter is.

A person who prefers 70 and 80 degree days, and lots of them will prefer to live somewhere other than Michigan.