moving to Midland?????? (Detroit, Saginaw, Bay City: real estate, low crime, how much)

stumbalina · 09-29-2009, 05:06 PM

We are exploring a possible move to Midland. We have lived several places, none smaller than 1,000,000 people. But it sounds like a nice place for families. One thing that shocked me was when I looked at the home listings. Everything is so inexpensive, and there doesn't appear to be much "higher end" stuff.......guess I expected more expensive homes for all of the Dow executives. Maybe they don't live in Midland? I'd be interested in anyone's thoughts on Midland, Midland real estate, moving to Midland (is it friendly? transient? diverse? stuff to do?) Thanks.

Driller1 · 09-30-2009, 08:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stumbalina

We are exploring a possible move to Midland. We have lived several places, none smaller than 1,000,000 people. But it sounds like a nice place for families. One thing that shocked me was when I looked at the home listings. Everything is so inexpensive, and there doesn't appear to be much "higher end" stuff.......guess I expected more expensive homes for all of the Dow executives. Maybe they don't live in Midland? I'd be interested in anyone's thoughts on Midland, Midland real estate, moving to Midland (is it friendly? transient? diverse? stuff to do?) Thanks.

I live 35 north in the sticks. I do my shopping in Midland. It is a nice town!! For more expensive homes, look in Larkin township. Rolling Ridge area is nice.
We just finished a project there that the construction budget was 1.7 million. That is just the ruff work.

hsxeric · 09-30-2009, 11:35 PM

We must come from different worlds, cuz I think homes in Midland are expensive. You can get the same size home in Saginaw or Bay City for half the price of a home in Midland!

I would suggest looking in those cities. Not only because the homes are cheaper, but also because of the culture. Midland has no soul. No diversity, no nitty gritty, no reality. It's just corporate restaurants and stores. Saginaw and Bay City have their own feels to them that are unique and real. Shopping, dining, and nightlife experiences that you won't find in Midland. At least that's what I've come to realize.

Driller1 · 10-01-2009, 07:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hsxeric

We must come from different worlds, cuz I think homes in Midland are expensive. You can get the same size home in Saginaw or Bay City for half the price of a home in Midland!

I would suggest looking in those cities. Not only because the homes are cheaper, but also because of the culture. Midland has no soul. No diversity, no nitty gritty, no reality. It's just corporate restaurants and stores. Saginaw and Bay City have their own feels to them that are unique and real. Shopping, dining, and nightlife experiences that you won't find in Midland. At least that's what I've come to realize.

And more crime. Live in Midland, drive to Bay City stay out of Saginaw.

stumbalina · 10-01-2009, 04:01 PM

hserix I doubt we come from different worlds, we've just had to ante up in years past to pay ridiculously high prices for big city suburban living. midland i guess is so much smaller so that much cheaper. i understand what you mean about soul, and diversity, although we have younger kids at the moment so probably the safest place with the "best" schools would be preferable for us, if that is in fact Midland.

digger1 when you said you did construction project......are you in home business? just wondering who the good/reputable builders are in the midland area, if we chose to go that route. we've never built before but might consider if we have a lot of lead time before a move.

Bydand · 10-01-2009, 04:55 PM

Many years ago I knew a couple girls from Auburn and really liked that little town. Seemed to be just about right for being "out of town" but close enough to take advantage of either Midland or Bay City. One of them worked in Midland and the drive time and commute wasn't bad at all for her. Might be one to look into.

Driller1 · 10-01-2009, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stumbalina

hserix I doubt we come from different worlds, we've just had to ante up in years past to pay ridiculously high prices for big city suburban living. midland i guess is so much smaller so that much cheaper. i understand what you mean about soul, and diversity, although we have younger kids at the moment so probably the safest place with the "best" schools would be preferable for us, if that is in fact Midland.

digger1 when you said you did construction project......are you in home business? just wondering who the good/reputable builders are in the midland area, if we chose to go that route. we've never built before but might consider if we have a lot of lead time before a move.

I drill water wells. Sure, when you are ready I will do all I can to help you. As you look at houses, if it has a well, I can look up records for you.

wanderer74 · 10-02-2009, 12:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stumbalina

We are exploring a possible move to Midland. We have lived several places, none smaller than 1,000,000 people. But it sounds like a nice place for families. One thing that shocked me was when I looked at the home listings. Everything is so inexpensive, and there doesn't appear to be much "higher end" stuff.......guess I expected more expensive homes for all of the Dow executives. Maybe they don't live in Midland? I'd be interested in anyone's thoughts on Midland, Midland real estate, moving to Midland (is it friendly? transient? diverse? stuff to do?) Thanks.

Midland is not very diverse or friendly, in my opinion. It's not overly transient compared to suburbs of larger cities. There are some things to do - for example, it's ranked one of the top cities in the country for tennis - and there's the Midland Center for the Arts which has regular exhibits, a very good library, the well-maintained Dow Gardens, etc. But it's still a small town (only about 35,000 people I think) and there's really shockingly little in the way of upscale activities considering the amount of wealth that's in the city from Dow executives. There are indeed some very expensive homes in Midland though.

On the plus side, Midland is a very clean city, very low crime rate, good schools. Saginaw is bigger and only about 30 minutes away - Saginaw has a horrible reputation and you probably wouldn't want to live there, but the main shopping corridor there is relatively safe and gives you more shopping and dining options.

I personally live in Auburn just about 7 miles outside Midland and it's even smaller than Midland and I absolutely love it. I'm equally located between all of the Tri-Cities (Midland, Saginaw, and Bay City) and I can be in any of the main shopping areas in about 20 minutes by highway, though technically Midland is closest. If you are moving to this area I would recommend taking a look at Auburn too, for a nice safe and convenient small town location. Auburn has homes anyway from regular starter homes to more upscale and secluded homes on several acres.

krock1dk · 10-02-2009, 01:17 AM

I lived in Midland several years ago when I attended Central MI University, 25-miles away in Mt. Pleasant. I live in Arizona now. Its a nice place to live in general, but I find the south part of midland not to be very nice or anything near Dow. The nicest is probably in northern Midland around highway 10. The people are nice. Thanks to Dow, the population is a bit diverse for its small size, but there is nothing to do. DO NOT EXPECT BIG CITY AMMENITIES. If you want the feel of a large city, go to Detroit or even Chicago or Cleveland. oh yeah, and the water smells. you may want to purchase bottled water.

Drover · 10-02-2009, 01:23 AM

I had a friend who worked for the Mackinac Center. After about 4 years there, he quit a job he loved and took a $10,000/yr paycut to move back to the Detroit suburbs. That's how much he hated Midland. Since you asked for thoughts, there's one thought for you, backed with enough conviction that its originator put his money where his mouth was. Take it for what you think it's worth.