[unclejake21]

I really love Michigan, I have a job and love the four seasons. Its so beautiful around here. Every time I go out of state I cant wait to get back "Home". Family is very important where I currently live. Great place for single people. What more can you ask for?

[sunshineann]

Well we love Michigan. Regardless of the hard times. I'd rather be in a place i love, and struggle than be where i hated and still struggled. It will turn around one day.

[jeanniepep]

Thanks for posting this thread! I do get tired of hearing so many people on this board talk about how awful it is here.

If nothing else, Michigan has character! There is no place else quite like it. Even the parts that I don't love (SNOW) make it interesting...and the nutty local politics mean there's never a slow news day. The thing about Michigan is, it has something for almost everyone...snow, heat, lakes, farms, big cities, small towns, midwestern charm and offbeat weirdos. Having everyplace and everybody be the same would just be boring, don'tcha think?

Sometimes I get fed up with the snow but I have to admit that when I'm traveling, I'm always proud to say I'm from Michigan.

[Northman]

I lived in Boston for a while. A LOT of the people I met there hate their city and state. Was very suprised by that, because I thought Boston was a wonderful place.

I loathe Michigan's city and state governments, but only because I love the state itself so much and it kills me to see what's happening to it.

[thebreadlady]

i love it here. i love the seasons. you would have to look hard to find a prettier state.
we have two centennial farms here, so we have no plans to leave.
with the auto industry and the tourism industry taking a hit, perhaps it is time to expand on the state's agriculture. we are second only to california in the diversity of crops we can grow.

[Midas AG]

While I don't hate Michigan, I don't love it either. Its been my home for 27 years now, and I am moving in 4 days to Seattle. Everyone who I talk to about this, agree with me that there is not much to keep people in Michigan other than the nice scenery. We are losing jobs like crazy, yet they trumpet a company that expands by 25 jobs. Lets see, we lost about 50k jobs the other month, but hey, look, we're adding 25, YAY.

Someone said it best, in that the state leadership is non existent. he said " Granholm is a great cheerleader, but horrible leader." Shes always has all these grandiose plans, but never implements them, or speaks about how this or that will add jobs, and when it doesn't, she moves right along to the next big idea.

While I wish I could move to the UP, be independently wealthy, and just enjoy life, I can't. Its about the only thing that is redeemable about the state.

[Sparrow_temp]

Grew up in MI and lived all but the last year there. Hated the weather there -- especially the cold, dark winters. Scraping snow/ice off vehicles, driveway, etc got old. Spring lasted 1 month -- May. Summer was generally June to the end of August. Fall was Sept to Oct. And Winter was Nov to April. Rainfall was too variable -- always seem to come all at once or not at all. With warm temperatures in summer came humidity and biting insects which managed to make the short summer even miserable at times.

Politically, Detroit's huge population generally meant the rest of the state was irrelevant. The general feeling was that Detroit sucked money from the rest of the state and wasted most of it.

Economically, the state is doing horribly (maybe the worst in the country). High unemployment. High taxes. Rising deficits. Poor roads. Little hope for improvement. Manufacturing has mostly left and won't be coming back.

The state is not homogeneous -- SE, Central, Western, Northern Lower, Eastern UP, Western UP. All of these areas are significantly different with not a lot of high regard for each other. The farther apart the regions the worse it gets.

I'll always have a fondness for MI because of it's familiarity but I wouldn't want to live there now.

[Bluefly]

I think working class people in Southeast Michigan give the state the reputation because they just keep getting screwed by the industrial past. Most people up north seem to really love all the coastline and forests and great little cities and I think most people in the wealthier suburbs and in the western half of the state like it. Unfortunately, the media only focuses on the first group.

[michsnowlvr]

Originally Posted by unclejake21

I really love Michigan, I have a job and love the four seasons. Its so beautiful around here. Every time I go out of state I cant wait to get back "Home". Family is very important where I currently live. Great place for single people. What more can you ask for?

This is word for word my thoughts.

I love Michigan. And in "real life", out of all my relatives, friends, neighbors, coworkers, etc...I know very few people who actually hate living here (and the few that do do so soley for the weather). Many people love MI. The negativity is extremely, extremely embelished on the internet, especially sites like this.

[Giesela]

I don't understand the question. Self-loathing implies that the residents of Michigan loath themselves.
????
Or are you saying that the residents of Michigan loath the state? Cuz I don't think that's true at all. Upset about the auto job thing thats been spiriling since the 70s and nothing seems to be able to turn it all around...sure. But I don't think they loath Michigan.

Maybe they have gotten to the point where it seems like its all negative whining, ok. Hard not to be when you've been unemployed for a long time.

Regardless Michiganders have a totally different cultural mind set than say Texas where all anyone does is go on about Texas greatness. Not sure I want to be that but a little more in that direction could be good.