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A few months ago a friend of mine was moving to the Detroit area and proposed sharing an apartment together. I am a lifelong Southern Californian who was born near LA and raised in rural Riverside County nearish Temecula. After living my entire life in desert or near desert conditions with nearly eight months of summer lasting from March through November with 90- and 100-degree highs for days on end honestly the thought of moving to a cooler climate sounds pretty decent to me actually. 80-degree Christmases in Southern California are not unheard of. However that dream had always been something along the lines of Seattle, Portland, or coastal San Diego rather than the Upper Midwest lol. So this post will probably be all over the place as I have many questions.
So I hopped the train across the country passing through some memorable areas incl the Rockies, New Mexico, rural Missouri hearing Pennsylvania German from the Amish/Mennonites aboard the train, crossing the truly mighty Mississippi, who knew Iowa had a "coast" lol, and seeing spectacular Chicago. In a word...wow on that one. When I got off the train in Chicago all I could think of was "Wow, Toto, we arent in California anymore" in the 45°F weather lol.
When I arrived in Oakland County I was greeted with 34°F weather that evening. And I was all dressed for Southern California's endless summer. Even Kansas City had been warmer lol. So first question is weather. I have never lived in any place with a real winter of any kind.
Since I have been here the lows have been in the mid-40s and highs in the mid.50s. It is usually cloudy all the time and windy. I was expecting Seattle or Portland to be cloudy but was completely surprised at the cloud level of Metro Detroit. I have been here a week now and have seen the sun a total of about three hours in total. I am not kidding lol. Does the sun ever shine here and what seasons does this occur?
It did get "warm" here one day up to 70 when there were spectacular thunderstorms. It shocked me that I did switch on the air for a few minutes as I am used to a dry desert climate. But we are back to our blustery windy weather. Days like this DO occur in Southern California but usually in January and for limited periods of time. A typical winter day in SoCal is like 33/75. And we never see snow except a dusting every decade or so. And this year we didnt have a winter at all some days were in the 90s. So this is like winter to me here in Michigan but I love it so far. Seeing the beauty here is stunning. It is a bit jarring to see treeless trees in May!
But I love the beauty here and seeing squirrels and hearing the migrating calls of geese flying somewhere lol. I almost feel like Im in Canada, theres even a Tim Hortons here lol and Id have to go south to visit Canada from here lol.
So what can I expect weatherwise. Everyone warned me if I come to Michigan Id freeze lol. Does it get warm in summer? And when should the first snow arrive and how should I dress?
So far I find Oakland County to be very nice and clean almost like something out of a movie. The oeople of the Midwest I find are more reserved but very polite compared to California. I have not been to Detroit city since Ive been here but Id like to see downtown. I have no car is it safe to take the bus. Obviously the city has major problems with urban decay and crime but so does LA. I also want to see Canada since Im so close but I need to get my passport renewed.
So basically Im realizing that yeah its cool to share a place with my friend but Im 2,000 miles from home and he and his friends are the only people I know. So does anybody in the Troy area have any ideas on meeting new people? I was thinking of perhaps church. The nearest family I have in this region is in Indiana and i have family that go to Toledo every year but we arent close.
I have few ties to California anymore. Both of my parents passed away and so Im basically on my own. So at this point just thinking of ways to widen my social circle before I go too stir crazy here lol.
Im feeling like a fish out of water here but not in ways youd expect. Ive gone from a lower middle class region of inland Southern California to living in an area close to a Whole Foods and a mall so nice it makes coastal Orange county look cheap and rundown lol, Im not kidding. So part of my transition process is going from a working class small city to a very affluent community. How do I fit in and meet people?
Time zone, its hard to adjust to the three-hour time change. My cirrcadian rhythm is all out of whack with it getting dark at 8:30 instead of 7:30 yet its "cold" to me to my body clock keeps telling me its 5:30 instead lol. How can I adjust? Ive always found it easier to travel west than east time zone wise. It doesnt help that with technology now I can easily watch the local LA newscasts with regard to adjusting but it does help with homesickness.
It seems like Southeast Michigan is on the wrong time zone, like it should be on Central Time or perhaps a half-hour offset like Newfoundland lol.
Foods, moving here has made me realize that even though anglo how much Hispanic culture Ive assimilated growing up in the Southwest. In Southern California there are entire Mexican grocery stores where one can get tamales and carne asada. In our big chain stores products from Mexico are easily obtainable and items such as Taco Bell are in the "gringo" section lol.
Here not the case. Does anyone know where to source Southwestern food locally? Im finding even sour cream to be scarce lol. Like WTF lol. What about bulky large sized items. in SoCal they can be found in any Walmart. Where can I find them here?
One of my favorite stores was Stater Bros in SoCal, found mainly in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. It has an excellent meat and butcher department with meats of high quality. Does anyone in the Detroit area know of a grocery store that is equivalent?
Well that is all for now. Just wondering if anyone else is in my shoes and has made the move from Southern Cal to Michigan or the Midwest and how theyve adjusted. Like it here so far.
This weather is not typical at all for this time of the year, its generally very warm at this point with some spotty showers. Troy is a great town and has great parks and recreational activities, also depending where you are at you can walk to downtown Birmingham which is a hip/quaint downtown.
As for meeting folks, have you ever used the site "meetup.com ?, my wife and I used it when she moved to Philly to find people with our same sporting interests (biking/hiking etc-). You can search for any type of social or sports type groups near you.
As to going downtown; we have two bus systems. SMART are the buses that go thru the suburbs and travel to downtown Detroit, they don't usually make stops in the city of Detroit except for downtown. The SMART buses run directly down Woodward Avenue which runs thru Birmingham. The 440 or 450 bus will take you downtown and they are both safe.
The city bus system (DOT) is primarily inner-city with some stops at malls that border Detroit. Your frankly more likely to see rough characters on DOT than SMART.
Since your in Troy (it sounds like you live near Maple & Coolidge) I would not only encourage the "meet up" site but also maybe getting a membership at a cheaper gym like Planet Fitness or LA Fitness (which if you are near Somerset is within walking distance) which makes for a good social interaction spot.
Michigan is a great state, once you get your feet wet and start venturing out you'll really enjoy it. I have family in So Cal (Ontario) and I'll tell you its much easier to get around here than there.
Welcome
Last edited by lpranger467; 05-04-2014 at 01:37 PM..
Reason: typo
A few months ago a friend of mine was moving to the Detroit area and proposed sharing an apartment together. I am a lifelong Southern Californian who was born near LA and raised in rural Riverside County nearish Temecula. After living my entire life in desert or near desert conditions with nearly eight months of summer lasting from March through November with 90- and 100-degree highs for days on end honestly the thought of moving to a cooler climate sounds pretty decent to me actually. 80-degree Christmases in Southern California are not unheard of. However that dream had always been something along the lines of Seattle, Portland, or coastal San Diego rather than the Upper Midwest lol. So this post will probably be all over the place as I have many questions.
So I hopped the train across the country passing through some memorable areas incl the Rockies, New Mexico, rural Missouri hearing Pennsylvania German from the Amish/Mennonites aboard the train, crossing the truly mighty Mississippi, who knew Iowa had a "coast" lol, and seeing spectacular Chicago. In a word...wow on that one. When I got off the train in Chicago all I could think of was "Wow, Toto, we arent in California anymore" in the 45°F weather lol.
When I arrived in Oakland County I was greeted with 34°F weather that evening. And I was all dressed for Southern California's endless summer. Even Kansas City had been warmer lol. So first question is weather. I have never lived in any place with a real winter of any kind.
Since I have been here the lows have been in the mid-40s and highs in the mid.50s. It is usually cloudy all the time and windy. I was expecting Seattle or Portland to be cloudy but was completely surprised at the cloud level of Metro Detroit. I have been here a week now and have seen the sun a total of about three hours in total. I am not kidding lol. Does the sun ever shine here and what seasons does this occur?
It did get "warm" here one day up to 70 when there were spectacular thunderstorms. It shocked me that I did switch on the air for a few minutes as I am used to a dry desert climate. But we are back to our blustery windy weather. Days like this DO occur in Southern California but usually in January and for limited periods of time. A typical winter day in SoCal is like 33/75. And we never see snow except a dusting every decade or so. And this year we didnt have a winter at all some days were in the 90s. So this is like winter to me here in Michigan but I love it so far. Seeing the beauty here is stunning. It is a bit jarring to see treeless trees in May!
But I love the beauty here and seeing squirrels and hearing the migrating calls of geese flying somewhere lol. I almost feel like Im in Canada, theres even a Tim Hortons here lol and Id have to go south to visit Canada from here lol.
So what can I expect weatherwise. Everyone warned me if I come to Michigan Id freeze lol. Does it get warm in summer? And when should the first snow arrive and how should I dress?
So far I find Oakland County to be very nice and clean almost like something out of a movie. The oeople of the Midwest I find are more reserved but very polite compared to California. I have not been to Detroit city since Ive been here but Id like to see downtown. I have no car is it safe to take the bus. Obviously the city has major problems with urban decay and crime but so does LA. I also want to see Canada since Im so close but I need to get my passport renewed.
So basically Im realizing that yeah its cool to share a place with my friend but Im 2,000 miles from home and he and his friends are the only people I know. So does anybody in the Troy area have any ideas on meeting new people? I was thinking of perhaps church. The nearest family I have in this region is in Indiana and i have family that go to Toledo every year but we arent close.
I have few ties to California anymore. Both of my parents passed away and so Im basically on my own. So at this point just thinking of ways to widen my social circle before I go too stir crazy here lol.
Im feeling like a fish out of water here but not in ways youd expect. Ive gone from a lower middle class region of inland Southern California to living in an area close to a Whole Foods and a mall so nice it makes coastal Orange county look cheap and rundown lol, Im not kidding. So part of my transition process is going from a working class small city to a very affluent community. How do I fit in and meet people?
Time zone, its hard to adjust to the three-hour time change. My cirrcadian rhythm is all out of whack with it getting dark at 8:30 instead of 7:30 yet its "cold" to me to my body clock keeps telling me its 5:30 instead lol. How can I adjust? Ive always found it easier to travel west than east time zone wise. It doesnt help that with technology now I can easily watch the local LA newscasts with regard to adjusting but it does help with homesickness.
It seems like Southeast Michigan is on the wrong time zone, like it should be on Central Time or perhaps a half-hour offset like Newfoundland lol.
Foods, moving here has made me realize that even though anglo how much Hispanic culture Ive assimilated growing up in the Southwest. In Southern California there are entire Mexican grocery stores where one can get tamales and carne asada. In our big chain stores products from Mexico are easily obtainable and items such as Taco Bell are in the "gringo" section lol.
Here not the case. Does anyone know where to source Southwestern food locally? Im finding even sour cream to be scarce lol. Like WTF lol. What about bulky large sized items. in SoCal they can be found in any Walmart. Where can I find them here?
One of my favorite stores was Stater Bros in SoCal, found mainly in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. It has an excellent meat and butcher department with meats of high quality. Does anyone in the Detroit area know of a grocery store that is equivalent?
Well that is all for now. Just wondering if anyone else is in my shoes and has made the move from Southern Cal to Michigan or the Midwest and how theyve adjusted. Like it here so far.
Larry
I have a couple of friends from LA who moved to Michigan. Almost all were ready to leave after the first winter. Things are cheap here… but you usually get what you pay for….
Good luck, I hope you can make it through this year….
1) This summer is actually expected to be cooler than normal sorry to say. There's still ice on the Great Lakes from the super cold winter we had (you totally missed the most fun season to be in). Clouds are pretty much a constant thing and completely sunny days tend to come only after strong thunderstorms and windy weather. People here take note when it is sunny and they are cherished days.
2) Snow typically arrives around Thanksgiving. Sometimes earlier, sometimes later, sometimes not even until January. Climate here never seems predictable and all we have to gone on are "averages". I think if I lived in LA and there was constant sunshine with no change in weather, I'd wonder if the weather was broken or something. You'll probably feel that way here after a while.
3) Mexican food is definitely a rarity here. The only area I can think of is in Southwest Detroit. It's mostly Hispanic and I think there's a few Mexican/Hispanic grocery stores and plenty of restaurants. Other than that, they're pretty rare and scattered about. I think there was another thread on foreign grocery food places around Metro Detroit.
4) There's no In-N-Outs. Most Californians I've met always make a note of that and seem to miss them.
You can't tell weather by one experience - it also seems to be getting more unpredictable. Last year March had temps in the 80s, and this year, which you apparently experienced, temps have been below normal. It also seems to have been wetter. Records on all fronts are being broken or matched everywhere, so maybe this data isn't all that reliable for predictions. Average Weather For Detroit, Michigan, USA - WeatherSpark
The area east of the Mississippi is considered a humid zone and Michigan is no different, but south it will be worse. Most businesses of all types have A/C, and you can always cool off at some metropark.
The time zone is shared with Chicago except summertime when DST puts it one hour ahead.
The weather in Michigan is just that, unpredictable year to year. We are coming out of the coldest and snowiest winter on record here in Southeastern Michigan which has caused us to have a later and colder spring than normal. Much of this is due to the record ice cover on the Great Lakes which have been slow to thaw this spring. It is not uncommon to have weeks of cold, gray, and wet here in the spring or fall. Things are definetely later this year, as its the first week of May and I still haven't had to mow my lawn. In generally doesn't get consistently nice around here until after May 15th. Some years if we are lucky we can get several weeks of 60s/70s before the summer heat and humidity arrives, sending us up to the 80s/90s.
Michigan is on the western edge of the Eastern Timezone, which means it stays darker later in the mornings but stays light longer in the evenings. In mid-June, it will be light out here until after 9:30pm. Twilight on clear nights until after 10pm. Its pretty cool in someways, but I've grown up in this so I don't think otherwise. I think its crazy when it gets light before 5am in places like NYC or Boston in the summer. On the flip side at least it stays light in the winter until about 5pm, unlike the East Coast where it gets dark around 4pm.
I am originally from Southern California (Whittier) and live in Oakland County. You will finds things that you will like and things you will miss from California. It's a balancing act. The bottom line is that people are happiest when they are surrounded by people whom they like and have things in common. People in southeastern Michigan are pretty down to earth like elsewhere. In general people are people anywhere you go. However, one thing you will notice about Michigan is that it is sort of like a country. It has many rich traditions unique to the state with many "Michigan" festivals. You will notice sports is big here, many festivals downtown, (Thanksgiving Parade, Jazz Festival, Country hoedown, Royal Oak Eats, beats, arts, Ann Arbor art fair, Detroit electronics festival, the Grand Prix, and hundreds of others) Michiganders have a deep love for the state and vacation within the state mostly going UP North (Mackinac Island) the Upper Peninsula, and the West Coast. You should visit the sleeping bear dunes in Glen Arbor and see the sand dunes in Silver Lake. The housing stock in the Detroit area is something that will make you depressed if you were to return back to California (middle class housing in Michigan is so inexpensive compared to that in California) Winters are long and I recommend going on vacation for two weeks in February. Other than that the people here are just down to earth and normal.
Winter - heavy coat, boots, mittens, scarf, hat. You won't get by in a "spring jacket". Don't forget a snow shovel and ice scraper/brush for the car.
Summers tend to be hot and humid.
Temps vary a lot here. As mentioned we just came off our record breaking winter. Summer will probably be a lot cooler than normal. Normally, it's anywhere between 70-90's. 100's are rare. Last year was weird because there was a long stretch where we never seemed to get cooler than 90 during the daytime.
Just prepare for anything and you'll be fine. We don't get hurricanes and tornadoes are pretty rare. Layer!
Also - the leafless trees in May are weird too us as well. 8-) Usually, it's a lot warmer than this!
Fitting in/meeting people.....that's a toughie. As others have mentioned, meetup. It took me a long time to meet people here. (I'm not originally from this side of the state) For a really long time, coworkers were the only people I really knew.
For hispanic food, definitely check out Mexicantown (SW Detroit).
There are butchers/meat shops in the Troy area. I haven't used them though. I live in Rochester Hills, just north of Troy. For the "good meat" I go to Nino's or Hollywood Market. Papa Joe's, since it's pricey - is a last resort. Sometimes Whole Foods. My "in a pinch" place is Meijer. I've never had good luck with Kroger meat, so if you buy there, at least get meat that has a brand name. Some people swear by it, others don't. You decide.
Michigan is home. However, I had a period where I moved out of state and I know what it feels like to not know a soul, except a few people. So, I get where you are coming from.
You really have to go out of your way to find things and meet people in this area. For me, meeting people is a lot easier now that I have a kid; however, I struggled for a long time when I moved to this side of the state.
Church is a good way to meet people. Are you Catholic or Protestant? We have a large Catholic population in the area. We also have a lot of non Catholic churches to choose from. I can make recommendations for both, so which would you prefer to know more about? (Don't want to be accused of trying to convert you one way or the other. Just want to give information.) Feel free to PM me, if you don't want to talk churches w/everyone on this thread.
I'm going to say something that nobody has said yet:
If you live in Troy, you NEED a car.
Just out of curiosity, what are you going to do for work here?
Living here is fine from May thru Mid November. The rest -- Not so much. The winters can be brutal, or mild, but when I say mild, I mean that the snow never gets so high that you need to shovel to open your front door, and that the temp during the day stays above 29 degrees. The summers are hot, can be humid, and there are lots of bugs here at night in the summer, so what would otherwise be a beautiful warm night is a bug biting fiesta.
There is one thing cheaper here than in the coastal parts of California and that is Housing, but you figured that out already. Everything else is about the same.
Believe it or not, people who are used to a 4-season climate have problems relocating to an endless summer. There's something inside of us that never gets used to weather that never gets cold. Just learning how to dress for cold weather is the key. You sort of develop an attitude of being ready for anything. Always have a T-shirt or two and some shorts for warmer-than-expected weather, as well as a sweatshirt and maybe sweat pants for colder-than-expected weather, in the car with you. Also, carry a fleece throw or other light blanket. Your date will really appreciate it and it facilitates cuddling.
Spring and Fall are the times when you can have 80 degrees and sunny one day and then overcast, breezy and chilly the next. The flip side of having warm clothing just in case is having warm weather clothing for when the weather gets suddenly summer-like. You'll eventually come to thrive on the variety of weather you get here, and, getting good at peeling off or putting on additional layers of clothing will be second-nature.
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Bad weather
