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Ok, because of jobs and other factors I have had to live in Tucson for the past four years. I a moving to Chicago in May and with any luck, after I finish P.A. school I'll get to move back. I miss Michigan so much, I thought I'd list all the reasons
1. The weather. Yes Tucson has so much sunshine. So much sunshine it feels like my retinas are getting burned out (its boring) plus the dry climate makes you feel like if you aren't constantly drinking, you're going to die. I miss the humidity to keep me from drying out. I love the cold. You can layer up at 10-20 degrees. What do you do at 110? Walk around naked and then get skin cancer?
2. The people. Friendly, actual neighborhoods where people live for a long time, not just housing developments where a bunch of transplants just move in and never socialize. There are actual communities in Michigan where people care about the schools.
3. Plants. Actual trees and shade that grow, not these dead stick bush things that they call plants here. This place is a giant sand trap thats gradualy being overrun by this buffelgrass stuff that is going to kill off everything else.
4. Schools. The schools here suck. Yes some of you may want to villify teachers in Michigan, but here, they are basically minimum wage slaves who are treated like crap by students. The school standards are crappy. I'll never raise a child here.
5. Things to do. Boating, hiking, camping running. Here, everything is based on the amount of water you can carry. You can never find shade or take refuge from the giant ball of radiation in the sky. Even in winter you just got to layer up, but you'll never have to worry about dying from dehyration.
6. Lakes. Beautiful lakes with wildlife Lakes so big you can't see across. Beats dried out brown mountains any day.
7. The food. So much better variety and choices there than here. Greek Middle Eastern, African, Italian, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Mexican. Its all there. Here its Mexican or chain restaurants or mediocre imitations.
8. Canada. Its a great country with great people that aren't covering our borders with crime and constantly trying to sell you things whenever you go into their country.
9. The cost of living. Houses are affordable there. Here its overpriced housing on tiny tiny lots, or overpriced apartments.
10. Grass. I don't care if it requires some work to maintain (anything worthwhile usually requires some sort of upkeep, I love to walk barefoot and not feel jagged stones digging into my feet.
Tucson has roads that are just as bad (you would think they wouldn't but they just don't want to pay to upkeep them here) unfriendly people (I barely know my neighbors after living here almost 2 years they just all hide inside with locked doors and security signs up), its just as unsafe to ride a bike in Tucson, and not to mention, theres little to see or do in this endless suburb.
I can't wait to get back to Michigan and a real small town (yes they think 1,000,000 people is a small town here too)
Let me make a rebuttal to these points on how much I HATE MICHIGAN.
1. I love heat and HATE the cold.
2. I never even see my neighbors here in Michigan! How can you say they are friendly?
3. Yes, because bare trees running down streets for miles are just soooooo amazing.
4. Michigan doesn't care about their schools more than anyone else. Schools are way overcrowded and the text books are about 20 years old. Arabic students are allowed to take classes in Arabic and have it count as a "foreign" language class.
5. Yes those activities are offered here but living in the Detroit metro area it is a long drive to any of them.
6. You know how many times I've been on a stinky, cold polluted lake? They're not that great.
7. There are a ton of chain restaurants here! All of the cultural food you listed IS here but it's all mediocre.. nothing to brag about.
8. Canada is boring. I visited there many times when I was younger. The biggest thrills were walking by the Detroit River and eating Pizza.
9. Housing is overpriced everywhere.
10. I don't walk barefoot outside.
Let me make a rebuttal to these points on how much I HATE MICHIGAN.
1. I love heat and HATE the cold.
2. I never even see my neighbors here in Michigan! How can you say they are friendly?
3. Yes, because bare trees running down streets for miles are just soooooo amazing.
4. Michigan doesn't care about their schools more than anyone else. Schools are way overcrowded and the text books are about 20 years old. Arabic students are allowed to take classes in Arabic and have it count as a "foreign" language class.
5. Yes those activities are offered here but living in the Detroit metro area it is a long drive to any of them.
6. You know how many times I've been on a stinky, cold polluted lake? They're not that great.
7. There are a ton of chain restaurants here! All of the cultural food you listed IS here but it's all mediocre.. nothing to brag about.
8. Canada is boring. I visited there many times when I was younger. The biggest thrills were walking by the Detroit River and eating Pizza.
9. Housing is overpriced everywhere.
10. I don't walk barefoot outside.
Let me make a rebuttal to these points on how much I HATE MICHIGAN.
1. I love heat and HATE the cold.
2. I never even see my neighbors here in Michigan! How can you say they are friendly?
3. Yes, because bare trees running down streets for miles are just soooooo amazing.
4. Michigan doesn't care about their schools more than anyone else. Schools are way overcrowded and the text books are about 20 years old. Arabic students are allowed to take classes in Arabic and have it count as a "foreign" language class.
5. Yes those activities are offered here but living in the Detroit metro area it is a long drive to any of them.
6. You know how many times I've been on a stinky, cold polluted lake? They're not that great.
7. There are a ton of chain restaurants here! All of the cultural food you listed IS here but it's all mediocre.. nothing to brag about.
8. Canada is boring. I visited there many times when I was younger. The biggest thrills were walking by the Detroit River and eating Pizza.
9. Housing is overpriced everywhere.
10. I don't walk barefoot outside.
I'd probably hate Michigan also if all I saw was Detroit.
Get away from the eastern shore a few hours and Michigan IS amazing. awesome. I lived on the western part of the state!
I live in Monroe County in SE Michigan. Michigan is cold, gray, gloomy, and dead looking five months out of the year, and it doesn't matter where you live. I am SO sick of looking at brown grass and bare trees and freezing my tushy off on the first day of spring. Even if my husband wasn't getting transferred to Tempe after school gets out, we would still find a way to get the heck out of this place. What's it like to enjoy sunshine year round? We'll soon be finding out...YEAH!!!!
Let me make a rebuttal to these points on how much I HATE MICHIGAN.
1. I love heat and HATE the cold.
2. I never even see my neighbors here in Michigan! How can you say they are friendly?
3. Yes, because bare trees running down streets for miles are just soooooo amazing.
4. Michigan doesn't care about their schools more than anyone else. Schools are way overcrowded and the text books are about 20 years old. Arabic students are allowed to take classes in Arabic and have it count as a "foreign" language class.
5. Yes those activities are offered here but living in the Detroit metro area it is a long drive to any of them.
6. You know how many times I've been on a stinky, cold polluted lake? They're not that great.
7. There are a ton of chain restaurants here! All of the cultural food you listed IS here but it's all mediocre.. nothing to brag about.
8. Canada is boring. I visited there many times when I was younger. The biggest thrills were walking by the Detroit River and eating Pizza.
9. Housing is overpriced everywhere.
10. I don't walk barefoot outside.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kdog
Quote:
Originally Posted by canudigit
I live in Monroe County in SE Michigan. Michigan is cold, gray, gloomy, and dead looking five months out of the year, and it doesn't matter where you live. I am SO sick of looking at brown grass and bare trees and freezing my tushy off on the first day of spring. Even if my husband wasn't getting transferred to Tempe after school gets out, we would still find a way to get the heck out of this place. What's it like to enjoy sunshine year round? We'll soon be finding out...YEAH!!!!
Does anyone want our snow shovels????
Hell yeah! All of you nailed it in a nutshell.
Substitute Wash DC for Michigan here-----------and, DC's winters are not as severe.
As many of you can tell; I rather like Arizona------------at least the Phx area, Prescott, Globe and Mohave County.
Let me make a rebuttal to these points on how much I HATE MICHIGAN.
1. I love heat and HATE the cold.
( Your in the wrong state)
2. I never even see my neighbors here in Michigan! How can you say they are friendly?
( Reading this post I think maybe they just don't like you. Been here 41 years and have had great neighbors everywhere I have lived)
3. Yes, because bare trees running down streets for miles are just soooooo amazing.
( Brown tree's? Sure early spring and winter. After that it's gorgeous)
4. Michigan doesn't care about their schools more than anyone else. Schools are way overcrowded and the text books are about 20 years old. Arabic students are allowed to take classes in Arabic and have it count as a "foreign" language class.
( I'd like to know where you obtained any of this information. I have two kids and their books are all brand new. As for the 2nd reason, get over it already find something significant to dry about)
5. Yes those activities are offered here but living in the Detroit metro area it is a long drive to any of them.
( another point that is not true. There are a lot of things close to my home and it is not a long drive)
6. You know how many times I've been on a stinky, cold polluted lake? They're not that great.
( Polluted? Where the hell are you swimming? Cold? How warm do you want it when your looking to be refreshed? I've yet to be on an inland lake in summer that I thought was TOO cold to swim or boat on. You ever been to an Arizona lake? No offense Az people but compared to most of our lakes the lakes I went to looked like poop water lakes).
7. There are a ton of chain restaurants here! All of the cultural food you listed IS here but it's all mediocre.. nothing to brag about.
( I prefer home made food either way)
8. Canada is boring. I visited there many times when I was younger. The biggest thrills were walking by the Detroit River and eating Pizza.
( The Detroit river does not run all through Canada. Canada is a pretty big country. Because you've only been to Windsor does not make you an authority on the entire country. Toronto is a great city and there are a lot better places than that.)
9. Housing is overpriced everywhere.
( This is not entirely true either. Depending on where you want to live will dictate your homes cost. There are places in Arizona where to can get twice the house for half the cost. Just as there are in Michigan. Lower taxes included)
10. I don't walk barefoot outside.
( I sure would like to know where the hell you live that you prefer to wear shoes every time you step out your door. Bare foot around my pool or on my grass in my front or back yard is awesome. When I was a kid our feet were black because we wore shoes so seldom.)
I don't mind reading peoples opinions about places, but I don't care to see a place slammed with nonsense. You don't like Michigan....MOVE. Go. Get out! Does not sound like your neighbors will miss you.
Michigander here, and I must say that I am surprised that someone actually distastes Arizona. I have lived in Michigan all my 35 years. I really do not like it here at all. I am actually going to be moving to Arizona in the next 5 years. The weather in Michigan is such a roller coaster. The weather man in Michigan can't even get it right half the time. The winters here are ugly and cold. We have no great place to ski here in Michigan really we dont, compared to other states such as Colorado. The spring if you want to call it that. I would like to call it the extension of Winter and Fall. Because really Spring is just a flash in the pan here. The summers are HUMID!!!!! I would rather not sweat my arse off everytime I go outside. The original post spoke of walking around naked, you pretty much have to do the same here. Maybe not due to the HOT sun but definitely due to the HUMIDNESS outside. And please let us not forget the god awful summer we had last year, you couldn't even step outside without getting assulted and blood sucked by all the freakin mosquitos. YUCK!! I get so sick of wearing OFF every summer because we can't seem to get rid of the mosquitos. I would much rather deal with other bugs than mosquitos, they at least have bug exterminators for that. And yes Michigan has lush trees and grass, but don't discount how beautiful Mountains can actually be. It is good though that you want to move back to Michigan they are going to need some life here when everyone else decides to leave. Yes the economy is horrible everywhere, but we do have quite the unemployment rate and a huge line at the Department of Human services building. I would like to live somewhere that I am not paying for someone else to have a crap ton of kids and no job to support them.
I think that in a year or so, I will start a thread here called:
"I never knew how depressed I was in Michigan until I got the he** out!"
Seriously, so maybe Tucson isn't the fun capital of the Western Hemisphere, but when you come back to Michigan, look forward to the following:
-piles of black snow waiting for the sun to melt them
-roads that are like driving on a washboard
-jobless rates that top the entire nation
-heavy handed union tactics that are destroying the blue collar work force that used to sustain Michigan's economy
-more people on public assistance than you could even imagine, with no jobs in sight...none
-increasing crime because of the horrific economy and because the cities are all desperate for money and can't hire more police
-gray skies, nothing but gray skies, from now on
-treacherous, icy roads--my county has stopped plowing on weekends entirely because they are out of funds, so if we get six inches of snow on a Friday night, plan on staying home or strapping on your snow shoes for the next two days
-muggy, humid summers that make your eyeballs sweat and man-eating mosquitoes that will keep you housebound if you get more than an inch of rain during the warm months since the cities can no longer afford to spray for them either
-a huge city that is dying from the inside out because of the collapse of the automotive industry and has found nothing else to revive it other than huge casinos in the downtown area
Okay, so not everything here in Michigan is terrible, but seriously, it is hardly the paradise that you paint it to be. No place is perfect, right? And seriously, if you hate AZ so much, you should probably post on the Michigan forum so that at least you don't offend people who live in AZ, but that's just me. I try to be polite because hey, if I don't like it, there's the door. That's why I'm leaving Michigan very soon. Arrividerci, Detroit, Gov. Granholm, and the worst roads in the country!
AMEN!!!! I so completely agree with your post. I too live in Michigan. I have lived here for 35 years and I too am on my way out in about 5 years. Not soon enough for me though.
OMG, last summer was absolutely HORRIBLE here in Michigan for mosquitoes!!!! I mean, I couldn't even take the dogs outside to pee and I would have at least five of those little suckers on me, and so did my dogs!! That's what Michigan is to me: bitter cold, gray winters, staggering unemployment rates, horrible roads with potholes that you could catch fish in, and hot, sweaty, humid summers with mosquitoes the size of bats. I guess that probably sounds pretty negative, but hey...my mama taught me to always tell the truth.
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