Everyones leaving, Where you all going? (Ypsilanti, Ludington: mortgage, vacation, job)

[STLCardsBlues1989]

Originally Posted by tjay

moved to columbia, mo in january.....my husband and i both got jobs. i was laid off in michigan a year and a half ago and could not find a job for anything. there's too many people applying and not enough positions. even the temp agency never called me back. my cousin had to enlist in the armed forces in order to support his family and being out of work for 3 years (not to mention losing a house and a business). i miss michigan HORRIBLY....all my family & friends are there, but mostly i miss the fresh air and the trees and lakes. winters suck, but summers are the best. i don't miss the people that much, people are much more laid back here, the only way i can describe it is 'less intense'. strangers actually talk to each other here, without fear in their eyes. winter has been extremely mild too. i wish i could go back to michigan, but just can't see it happening. missouri is 'ok', but its not home. i'm having my first baby in july, with no family around me. it makes me sad that i won't be able to take my daughter 'up north' with vacations on the great lakes like i grew up with. or show her the sleeping bear dunes....

Welcome to Missouri. I'm glad you like it okay here, but obviously there's no place like home. Michigan sounds beautiful, but personally I think the winters would be too harsh for me. Will your family be able to come down and see the baby here?

And congrats!

[tjay]

Originally Posted by malamute

Why not? About the family vacations on the lakes, sleeping bear dunes and all that? I left Michigan years ago but my family knows and loves the state very much and we always vacation there.

I know there are other places to see and sometimes I wish I had more time to see them but at least our big 2 week summer vacation is reserved for Michigan.

What's nice about vacations is you tend to spend your time actually doing the fun things, things the tourists do while the hometowners have to go off to work.

Missouri is a beautiful state also that I would like to explore more but it's half way to Michigan so I'm usually in too big a hurry to stop and see it.

well mainly because we can't afford it. its so far away the drive would be an entire day, with gas so much and a tiny baby it would at least be several years. we acquired a ton of debt between moving and lack of jobs. its going to be awhile before we're even remotely back on track, but when we are......michigan here we come!

[tjay]

Originally Posted by STLCardsBlues1989

Welcome to Missouri. I'm glad you like it okay here, but obviously there's no place like home. Michigan sounds beautiful, but personally I think the winters would be too harsh for me. Will your family be able to come down and see the baby here?

And congrats!

the winters are definitely better here, even on the bad days its nothing. the bad days here only last about a day, in michigan they would last a week or two:}
i think i'll feel better once things start turning green again.....not much of my family can really come down here, because they live in MI and they're broke!

[tjay]

Originally Posted by Cycle730

wow - just discovered this forum and it's heartbreaking how many people have had to leave Michigan. I was born here too - lived in GA for awhile, came back, but now I'm weeks away from my B.A. and have been temping for 16 months with no perm job in sight, in spite of great skills and references. If people can afford to stick it out, great, but I feel that I don't have a choice. I'm thinking about Chicago, only because it's close enough for family visits. I'll have to rent anyway and maybe sell my car. If anyone else has gone (or plans to go) this way, I'd love to hear about it.

i actually tried chicago before missouri, i only lasted a couple of months.....i hated it. but i'm not a city person (as i found out). did not like the polluted smell of the city, the traffic, and its so damn hard to find the right place to live. you have to be near decent transportation, near work, in a decent neighborhood (takes awhile to learn the neighborhoods too and which ones are worth living in), and then try to find a decent apartment. you'll probably have to sell your car because it costs so much to even drive there. but if you take public trans. be prepared for extensive travel time, unless you get lucky and live near work, stores, food, etc. chicago is an awesome place to visit, but to live there takes a certain kind of person imo. good luck regardless of what you do!

[STLCardsBlues1989]

Originally Posted by tjay

the winters are definitely better here, even on the bad days its nothing. the bad days here only last about a day, in michigan they would last a week or two:}
i think i'll feel better once things start turning green again.....not much of my family can really come down here, because they live in MI and they're broke!

That stinks. Well, at least with technology you can email them pics and talk on the phone and send them videos and stuff. It's not as good as the real thing, though.
It stinks, no matter where you live, if you can't make a living because you can't get a good enough job, and you can't afford to move because you can't make a good enough living.

Anyway, I hope your kid (boy or girl?) gets to see his/her relatives soon enough.

[malamute]

Originally Posted by tjay

well mainly because we can't afford it. its so far away the drive would be an entire day, with gas so much and a tiny baby it would at least be several years. we acquired a ton of debt between moving and lack of jobs. its going to be awhile before we're even remotely back on track, but when we are......michigan here we come!

Well --- hopefully it will be sooner than you think. Newborns don't mind traveling but money can be an issue. If you have an economical car it wouldn't be outrageous and I think it's important to see family. Michigan is actually a much cheaper vacation than many other destinations, there is a whole lot that doesn't cost an arm an a leg.

[malamute]

Originally Posted by tjay

i actually tried chicago before missouri, i only lasted a couple of months.....i hated it. but i'm not a city person (as i found out). did not like the polluted smell of the city, the traffic, and its so damn hard to find the right place to live. you have to be near decent transportation, near work, in a decent neighborhood (takes awhile to learn the neighborhoods too and which ones are worth living in), and then try to find a decent apartment. you'll probably have to sell your car because it costs so much to even drive there. but if you take public trans. be prepared for extensive travel time, unless you get lucky and live near work, stores, food, etc. chicago is an awesome place to visit, but to live there takes a certain kind of person imo. good luck regardless of what you do!

You probably picked well with Missouri. That state would be high up on my choices if I couldn't live where I live now. The Ozarks are beautiful, Missouri has loads of nice forests and open land and the people there are friendly. The cost of living there would be very appealing.

[STLCardsBlues1989]

Especially southwest Missouri in my opinion. I love the hills and deep valleys. Lake of the Ozark is beautiful as well. We're visiting Springfield June 30 and going to a AA Cardinals game, then spending 3 nights on the lake.

I'd love to visit Michigan sometime. We went once I think when I was little. We swam in Lake Huron. It would be nice to go again someday.

Cost of Living is better here, but income is usually lower, so it's kind of a trade-off.

[ErikU19]

Houston, TEXAS!!! By the end of the year...thats where youll find me, my wife, and my dad

[Sparrow_temp]

Would like to move to NM but not sure I can escape since I own a home here and would still need to find a job there.