[kimba01]

What is your favorite thing about the State of MI? Not including family being here, as that is pretty much a given.


My favorite thing about MI is camping in the summer near the Great Lakes! To me, those Lakes are the best and provide so many great opportunities for enjoyment and beauty! All the other lakes in MI are also wonderful and a huge plus! I love going over to Lake St. Clair and just watching it! Powerful to me.

[JGatti]

I could never narrow it down to just one thing I love about Michigan. But I can tell you that Spring is probably my favorite time to be here. When it's in the upper 60's to mid 70's and the tree's and flowers are all in bloom, the odor's are floating on the wind and everything seems so fresh and alive. It's like the whole world is being born again.

[Bydand]

The list is quite long for me, but here are some of the biggies in no particular order.

4 Real seasons with none dominating the others.

The lakes, both Great and small.

The rivers and streams.

The people, not much BS, just a lot of "what you see, is what you get".

For me and my wife, the jobs and pay-scale compared to the cost of living.

Overall quality of education to be found from preschool to graduate studies.

Location in relation to the rest of the Country.

weather overall. Winters can be a bit gloomy, but the other 3 seasons make up for that in abundance.

basic scenery. Shifting sand dunes, forest, rocky shoreline, sugar sand beaches, farmland, rolling hills, vast lakes, small intimate lakes, etc.... About the only thing you cannot find are real Mountains (No, the ones we have that are labeled as mountains really cannot compare to real mountains like out West.)

Plus many, many other great aspects. There will be those who come on this thread and try to start crap, but those are the bitter a-holes who just want to drag everybody down to their own level of misery. I've been all over this Country, coast to coast several times, border to border north and south several times... 47 out of 50 States with at least a week or two in each. There is a reason when we were looking to move out of the Northeast that we ended up back in my home State. Nothing we found anywhere, matched the number of positives we were looking for like Michigan. We looked all over the US, and the one and only State that met every single need and 90% of the "wants" was Michigan. Dispute all you want you naysayers, we spent almost 2 years traveling and researching before coming to the conclusion that this was truly the place (I really didn't want to admit it because I had left many years before with much joy in leaving the State.) I also came back with an even greater joy, after being all over and really seeing what is out there.

[Michigirl]

Born and raised in Ann Arbor currently living in Jackson as I can't afford to own anything much less pay taxes in A2. That being said, my favorite thing about Michigan is the abundant trees, green grass, lakes/rivers and fall there is simply spectacular. I'm having to move to find work and it's killing me and making me very sad. I wish something would come through here quick.

[kimba01]

Hopefully, the naysayers will post in the "what do you hate about MI" thread. Trying to give equal credit to MI. Just like any state there are good and bad things about it. Since there are a lot of negative threads about MI, I just wanted to bring to light what the locals love about MI. I have lived in MI my whole life and it is also interesting to me to see what others love about it.

[michmoldman]

I think my most favorite thing about Michigan, is how we have so many areas of the state that feel so different when your there. Thanks to the Great Lakes, each town along the lakes has a very unique feel, and its a blast visiting them. Then you have all the great things to do and see on each Great Lake like Freighter watching, rock picking, lighthouse exploring, sunrises, sunsets... and on and on. We try to see almost every part of Michigan each year camping, and I can honestly say...it never gets old because there is just too much to see and do. When you get exhausted thinking of everything in the lower peninsula...then you have the U.P, which is just a totally different world to explore and would take forever to see all the great things! Two things that NEVER get old for me is the feeling I get when I'm in the Traverse City/Leelanau peninsula area, and when the Mighty Mac. comes into view and crossing it into the U.P. People will argue every state is beautiful and fun, but Michigan I think is in the top 5 or 6 because there is just too much to see and do without ever getting bored. I have not even mentioned all the absolutely amazing forest area which in itself is a totally different world to explore, filled with lakes and rivers...and dont forget waterfalls, as Michigan is in the top 10 states (maybe top 7) for most waterfalls. We also have hundreds of islands to explore, with one of the greatest anywhere being Isle Royale. People who say Michigan sucks and is just another state have NOT traveled it....this place is truely amazing!

[wagonman76]

Being free from most natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, hurricanes, large floods, large tornadoes. And being free from things like scorpions, killer bees, pythons. And at least up here, not having to worry about gangs and stuff when going out at night. And that the air is usually very clean.

And the fresh water. I've been to the ocean once and I think it's very overrated, I'd take fresh water over slimy salt water anyday. Both have a sandy beach and will allow you to see the sun on the horizon.

[kimba01]

Originally Posted by michmoldman

I think my most favorite thing about Michigan, is how we have so many areas of the state that feel so different when your there. Thanks to the Great Lakes, each town along the lakes has a very unique feel, and its a blast visiting them. Then you have all the great things to do and see on each Great Lake like Freighter watching, rock picking, lighthouse exploring, sunrises, sunsets... and on and on. We try to see almost every part of Michigan each year camping, and I can honestly say...it never gets old because there is just too much to see and do. When you get exhausted thinking of everything in the lower peninsula...then you have the U.P, which is just a totally different world to explore and would take forever to see all the great things! Two things that NEVER get old for me is the feeling I get when I'm in the Traverse City/Leelanau peninsula area, and when the Mighty Mac. comes into view and crossing it into the U.P. People will argue every state is beautiful and fun, but Michigan I think is in the top 5 or 6 because there is just too much to see and do without ever getting bored. I have not even mentioned all the absolutely amazing forest area which in itself is a totally different world to explore, filled with lakes and rivers...and dont forget waterfalls, as Michigan is in the top 10 states (maybe top 7) for most waterfalls. We also have hundreds of islands to explore, with one of the greatest anywhere being Isle Royale. People who say Michigan sucks and is just another state have NOT traveled it....this place is truely amazing!

+1

I totally agree with this. I have not been to every state (on my bucket list, though!) I would love to experience it all, but since that is not possible, there is all that you have mentioned to do and more in MI. It is definitely the definition of the Great Outdoors! There is something to be said about looking out at the Great Lakes or the Bridge and feeling that there is something out there so much greater than yourself! At night, up north, the stars are phenomenal!

[michmoldman]

Originally Posted by kimba01

+1

I totally agree with this. I have not been to every state (on my bucket list, though!) I would love to experience it all, but since that is not possible, there is all that you have mentioned to do and more in MI. It is definitely the definition of the Great Outdoors! There is something to be said about looking out at the Great Lakes or the Bridge and feeling that there is something out there so much greater than yourself! At night, up north, the stars are phenomenal!

Yup...and I love the many different feelings you get here. From the thumb..and further up the coast of Lake Huron, to lake Michigan, to Lake Superior. Every stop you make along the way no matter what lake.... is always changing. like Bydand and a few others mentioned, the shifting sands are always changing the look of the lakes, and the lakes themselves are always giving each area its own weather feel. Not many states can give a person so many different emotions, and one of my favorites is being at the tip of Michigan in Copper Harbor country....priceless!

[Coldjensens]

I do nto want to repeat my list of 100 or so things from porior threads, but what came to mind when I read the question is the fact that I can come home from work, change my clothes and jump into a canoe, or faollow a deer trail, or just sit and watch the water flow by, or build a snow fort, make a rip roaring fire in the fireplace, howl at the moon with the coyotes, pretty much anything. There is so much variety in what you can do and even more variety withthe changing seasons.

Clean fresh air and water and no traffic to speak of come in as a really close second.