[bettalife]

I just got a great job in Lansing, but I currently live in Detroit. Not quite ready to make the move all the way to Lansing, still have quite a few connections outside of work in the Detroit Metro area. I was thinking about moving to Novi & just doing the commute from there. Does anyone have any experiences to share on a frequent commute to Lansing from Novi? How was your ride during the winter?

Any information that is shared will be useful.

[MichiganMovesSouth]

Originally Posted by bettalife

I just got a great job in Lansing, but I currently live in Detroit. Not quite ready to make the move all the way to Lansing, still have quite a few connections outside of work in the Detroit Metro area. I was thinking about moving to Novi & just doing the commute from there. Does anyone have any experiences to share on a frequent commute to Lansing from Novi? How was your ride during the winter?

Any information that is shared will be useful.

Congrats on landing a job in MI! Now, if only my hubby could find one....

Anyway, we moved last November to Holt, just south of Lansing and I have to commute 2 days a week to Farmington Hills.

I can tell you there is a little more traffic on my way to work in the am but it's never been that bad. It takes me about an hour and twenty minutes to an hour and a half to get there and exactly one hour and fifteen minutes to get home (less traffic but I leave the office at 4pm). It depends on where in Lansing you need to go but I'd estimate an hour and fifteen from Novi since I'm talking about my drive in terms of my garage to the office door.

Luckily I am able to work at home 3 days a week so I can't say how the winter driving is because I can be flexible with the at home days so I avoid the bad weather! However, I was only doing 2 days at home and recently had to ask for one more because it was starting to get to me. Its loooong when you do it for more than a couple months and if you are looking at that drive everyday then that could get old fast!

Sorry to be so discouraging. I'd say test it out for a little while before deciding where to live. You may find you want to be closer if you think you will work there for a long time. Also, check to see how flexible your employer is because you may be late more than a couple days a week due to weather, accidents, etc. I do not have to be to my office at any particular time (I mean I have to work a full day but there is not a huge difference between 8 or 8:30 for me) which is the only way I can do the drive b/c on the days when there is a traffic backup I don't have to stress out about being late!

What about moving to Lansing or a suburb? I love it here but that's me

Good luck to you!

[bettalife]

Thank you MichiganMovesSouth for your response. The job will be right in downtown Lansing. The only reason I'm not so quick to move to Lansing is because of my church and my family. I wanted to remain in at least a 30-45 min. drive from my parents (in Belleville) and my church in Detroit. I want to make sure that this job is where I will be working for the long term. There may be flexibility to do some work from home, plus the job will require me to do quite a bit of traveling across the state. So I figure once my probationary period is up and I've completed my training, I wouldn't necessarily be in Lansing every single day.

I probably would want to move a little closer to Lansing, because it would be more convenient. The problem is I have a young child in school and I have to take where I live into serious consideration. Ideally, Brighton would be a better commute for me, but I'm not impressed with the schools and even more concerned about the lack of diversity. I'm black and the thought of my child being the only black kid in the school, in an area that historically was not supportive of racial diversity, troubles me greatly.

So in my mind, I'm thinking I would tough it out with a long commute at least for a year. If I see that it's too long and miserable, I would go ahead and move in the Lansing area.

In my current travels to Lansing (once every other week) I travel from the east side of the state, driving across 696. The drive takes about 1- 1/2 hours. Closer to two hours in really bad traffic. But most of the traffic I go through is in the metro area (going through I-75, southfield & farmington). Once I'm in Novi or just past Novi, it's pretty smooth sailing. So in my perfect world thinking, I figured I would just live in Novi & be smooth sailing in no traffic, lol!

Again, thank you so much for your input. You've given me a few things to think about.

[jeanniepep]

That really is a LONG drive! When my hubby and I first got married (and while we were dating before then), we had an apt in Novi and he was going to school in East Lansing. The traffic wasn't horrible most of the time, but it was just sooooo long even without traffice, about 75-90 min depending on how fast you drive. It's a very boring trip, too, your eyes really start to glaze over between Fowlerville and Okemos. If there is an accident between Lansing and Howell, it's a real mess because there are only 2 lanes each way and it takes hours to get through.

Anyway, we toughed it out for a while but were really only able to handle going back & forth maybe 2-3 times each week. It just gets exhausting! But, you can certainly give it a shot and see how much the drive bugs you. I think your instincts are correct on not moving to Brighton, even though being close to the junction of US-23 and I-96 would be convenient.

My question is, how often do you drive down to see your family and church in Belleville? If it is less often than you go to work, you might want to consider this in your equation. You could live in Holt pretty cheaply and have a 15-min commute five days a week, then the 90+ min commute to hang out with family on the weekends. Not saying that would necessarily be right for you, just throwing it out there as food for thought.

[MichiganMovesSouth]

Originally Posted by jeanniepep

That really is a LONG drive! When my hubby and I first got married (and while we were dating before then), we had an apt in Novi and he was going to school in East Lansing. The traffic wasn't horrible most of the time, but it was just sooooo long even without traffice, about 75-90 min depending on how fast you drive. It's a very boring trip, too, your eyes really start to glaze over between Fowlerville and Okemos. If there is an accident between Lansing and Howell, it's a real mess because there are only 2 lanes each way and it takes hours to get through.

Anyway, we toughed it out for a while but were really only able to handle going back & forth maybe 2-3 times each week. It just gets exhausting! But, you can certainly give it a shot and see how much the drive bugs you. I think your instincts are correct on not moving to Brighton, even though being close to the junction of US-23 and I-96 would be convenient.

My question is, how often do you drive down to see your family and church in Belleville? If it is less often than you go to work, you might want to consider this in your equation. You could live in Holt pretty cheaply and have a 15-min commute five days a week, then the 90+ min commute to hang out with family on the weekends. Not saying that would necessarily be right for you, just throwing it out there as food for thought.

I think this is a great suggestion and something to consider for sure. Even if you see family a couple nights a week for dinner it would be easier to be more flexible driving to meet family then work everyday.

I just did the drive again this morning - so loooong . The am isn't as bad since I have coffee and the morning radio shows but each time I have to head home it gets just a little bit tougher to do. At the end of the work day all you want to do is be home already! In the winter months it's even tougher b/c you don't see any daylight.

For sure give it a try and don't rush into a move but I'd consider your options around Lansing. Holt is very nice

[J'aimeDesVilles]

I am not sure if this will help or not. I work near Toledo and was living in West Bloomfield. I drove 82 miles each way for a year. It took almost an hour and a half on a good day. There were some days, especially in winter, that took 2.5 hours one way! All I can tell you is it was brutal.
By the time I got home in the evening I was so stressed and wasted that the rest of the evening was shot. I did absolutely nothing on weeknights and saved all my chores, errands, etc. for the weekends which in turn became rather busy. And I don't have a child. Admittedly I was doing this five days a week so you may not be as exhausted or stressed. We have since moved to Ypsilanti and my drive is now an easy 45 minutes.
My advice would be to look closer to Lansing if possible. You will probably be coming to see family/friends/church less often than commuting to work and in non-busy traffic times. Could your family come and see you some of the time? Also do you really want to jeopordize your new job by potentially being late or tired due to a long commute. Maybe move to Lansing and in a year or two after you decide you like the job and they like you then maybe move closer to Detroit if you like.
Congrats on the new job and best of luck in whatever you decide!

[Coldjensens]

Do not forget to add up to an hour for many winter days or even heavy rain. Occaisionally you will add half an hour for traffic, especially during the construction season. If you have a souse or family, or plan to, take advice from experince, live as close as you can to work and spend all the time you can with your family.

[bettalife]

Thanks everyone for all the input. Lot's of good information to work with. I mean Holt was definitely not on my radar, but I'm going to check it out now. I'll give an update once I've made a decision.

[electric_lady]

Bettalife: Why don't you look into Brighton? It's a nice area, and it would take you about 45 minutes to get to Lansing, even less on a clear day. That would put you about 45 minutes away from Belleville, too.
I personally like Brighton much better than Novi. It offers all the same things, yet there's much more "space" and not as many people. I think it's a bit cheaper, too. Also, it's closer to state parks and metroparks, so you can enjoy some outdoor recreation. Quick drive to Ann Arbor, not a bad drive to Detroit, and a smooth drive to Lansing. I used to live in South Lyon and commuted to Lansing three times a week from there for a summer. Wasn't really that bad. Brighton's even closer.

[electric_lady]

Ahh, I just read your first post a little more closely. I think the schools are good in Brighton. And while it's not the most diverse place, it's certainly become more diverse in the past few years. Lansing is very diverse. It's really not too far from Belleville, so if your family could come visit you, that would make more sense. From what I've seen, Holt is less diverse than Brighton.
Wow, this post really puts into perspective how segregated southeast Michigan is ...