[pathfinda94]

I have a career prospect within the Bay City-Midland-Saginaw which I am considering at the moment. Coming from the mid-atlantic and an immigrant of color what are my expectations in terms of diversity? Enough said about Saginaw but how about Bay City,Midland and Freeland? Whats the night life like at those three towns and how vibrant are their downtowns?

[timeofseasons]

Originally Posted by pathfinda94

I have a career prospect within the Bay City-Midland-Saginaw which I am considering at the moment. Coming from the mid-atlantic and an immigrant of color what are my expectations in terms of diversity? Enough said about Saginaw but how about Bay City,Midland and Freeland? Whats the night life like at those three towns and how vibrant are their downtowns?

Gave a similar answer on this thread:http://www.city-data.com/forum/michi...lp-please.html

Im not that well informed about Bay City, Midland, Saginaw and Freeland though I know quite enough. I wouldn't recommand Saginaw, the city isn't too safe nor diserable. Midland is a more family orientated area, as I would assume the same about Freeland. I wouldn't expect to find a nightlife within Midland, most may venture to other cities within the state. I would suggest for you to look more into Mount Pleasant, also in central Michigan. There in Mount Pleasant ( known as the Las Vegas in Michigan) there is likely to be a nightlife with the casinos. Also in Mt. Pleasant you can find Central Michigan University ( student body about 25,000), so I also would assume the university promotes nightlife within the area.

If you find interest, there also seems to be a multinational Airport within Mt. Pleasant.

[crayola]

You're not going to find "Vibrant downtowns" in Midland, Saginaw or Bay City, Mt. Pleasant really either if your looking for a big city style. But I live in Mt. Pleasant, and there is the casino which occasionally has some decent guests...And if you can put up with college students everywhere you go, the bars are hopping Thursday - Saturday.

[pathfinda94]

Thanks timeofseason and crayola for your responses. Mt pleasant seems quite ok with me. I live less than a mile from my former college and I know how that feeling of big crowd is sometimes at the bars and pubs. Maybe I should start looking at towns next to mt pleasant so I wouldn't be right in the middle of action all the time. I will make a trip there to have a feel of the place. Will post any interesting findings later.

[timeofseasons]

That would be great

[Simonetti]

Having grown up in Midland I can tell you that it is not very diverse. It has become more diverse over the last 5 years or so, but still very below par. I will say that it is a very safe town. You can't really find a bad area. Saginaw is much more diverse but also a lot less safe. Bay City is more diverse than Midland but not as much as Saginaw. It is kind of the in between. Freeland is a tiny town in between Saginaw and Midland. You won't find much there.

If you are looking for night life then I would recommend Bay City or Saginaw. Bay City has a pretty decent bar scene down by the bay called Midland Street. Perfect for bar hopping. Saginaw also has a good downtown bar scene but it is not very safe. Midland's bar scene is more spread out and doesn't really offer much in the terms of dance clubs. Freeland has just a few small bars, not really a night scene.

If you are not in college yourself I would not recommend Mt. Pleasant. It is so overrun by the college crowd. It has almost no shopping and the bar scene is pretty trashy.